Look To The Stars News: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods Joins Sports Stars In Auction

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Sports stars Tiger Woods and Wayne Gretzky have donated items to an auction to benefit a Canadian charity that offers programs such as music therapy and physio-occupational therapy to more than 400 children a year.

Overlooking the shores of Okanagan Lake in Vernon, British Columbia, The Rise is a resort community that features a golf club, a private beach, a winery and vineyard, and a spectacular array of sought-after Okanagan real estate. This year it will hold its third Moonlight Serenade Charity Gala to raise money for the North Okanagan Neurological Association, an organization that aims to strengthen the abilities of children with special needs and enhance opportunities for them to participate in their community.

The Gala will include an auction that features an autographed photo donated by golf legend Tiger Woods and a jersey from “the greatest hockey player ever”, Wayne Gretzky. NHL stars Trevor Linden and Sidney Crosby have also donated signed jerseys to the auction.

“The business community in Vernon and the surrounding area has really rallied around this cause and are contributing to make this year’s gala the most successful one yet,” said Leona Snider, president of The Rise.

The Gala takes place at The Rise on August 23, and will include a champagne reception at 5 p.m. followed by a three-course dinner. Tickets cost $199, and more information can be found at the website.

Tiger Woods Foundation Wants Cell Phones For Soldiers

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Dawn Fantasia

“This event means a lot to me,” wrote Tiger Woods in a note to his fans expressing his appreciation for their outpouring of support for the AT&T National, in which 120 of the world’s best players will compete for the AT&T National tournament trophy and $6 million in prize money at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesday, MD, on July 2-6.

The opening ceremony will include performances by the U.S. Air Force Ceremonial Brass Quintet, the Joint Honor Guard representing the five branches of the military.

“I wanted this year’s ceremony to honor the men and women who serve in our military and their families,” Tiger Woods said. “I grew up in a military household, which gave me an understanding of the sacrifices these soldiers and their families make for all of us. It’s our way of saying thanks to them.”

“I’m really looking forward to playing the AT&T National. It’s a world-class venue that should provide a great week of competition,” said Fred Couples, who holds 15 PGA TOUR victories and will be participating in the AT&T National’s ceremonial first shot on Wednesday, July 2. Davis Love III, who holds 19 PGA TOUR titles, added: “Congressional has one of the greatest courses in the U.S. and I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to compete on the Blue Course.”

Tournament officials announced that other top golfers committed to the 120-player field include KJ Choi, Rocco Mediate, Zach Johnson, Anthony Kim, Stuart Appleby, J.B. Holmes, Ryuji Imada, Paul Goydos, Bart Bryant, Jeff Quinney, Daniel Chopra, D.J. Trahan, Fred Funk and Charles Howell III, Notay Begay, Chris Riley, Olin Browne, Billy Andra and many more.

Children ages 13-18 will have the opportunity to participate in the First Pump Challenge at a station in the Grove at Hole 11 by sharing their proudest moments and greatest achievements with Tiger Woods. Children at home can also participate in this challenge online by submitting an essay or video about their “first pump moment” to the Tiger Woods Foundation at www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org.

AT&T has donated more than $500,000 worth of prepaid phone cards to Cell Phones for Soldiers. During the tournament you will receive free postage at the AT&T Digital Clubhouse to mail your old cell phone to the organization. If you are not planning on attending, you can still help out by dropping your old cell phone off any AT&T store.

For more information, go to www.att.com/pressroom/soldiers. Tickets for the tournament start at just $25 and can be ordered by calling 1-800-594-TIXX or visiting the tournament website at www.attnational.org.

Toby Keith Raises Cash For Ally's House

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:34:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The annual Toby Keith & Friends Celebrity Golf Classic in Oklahoma last week set a new record by raising $709,000 for Ally’s House, a nonprofit organization that helps families dealing with childhood cancer.

Since establishing the golf tournament five years ago, country music sensation Toby Keith has raised more than $2.3 million for the charity – named after the daughter of one of Keith’s band who died from kidney cancer – and this year was no different, with more than 750 people attending the weekend of sport, music and a celebrity auction.

Auction items were donated by stars such as George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn, Tom Hanks, Tiger Woods, Brett Favre, LeBron James, Andre Agassi, Tony Stewart, and Peyton Manning, although it was the chance to dine with Toby Keith himself that raised the most cash – a huge $35,000.

“I knew we could make a difference with Ally’s House, but it really is even bigger than I’d hoped,” said Keith. “We’ve helped a ton of families, and we’re proud that we have never had to turn away an Oklahoma family that needs help.”

Sting’s 20th Year Saving Rainforests

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:44:38 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, will celebrate their 15th annual Rainforest Foundation Fund benefit concert, Some Kinda Legacy, at Carnegie Hall May 8.

The Rainforest Foundation Fund (RFF) came out of Sting and Styler’s Rainforest Foundation International (RFI), created in 1989 to raise awareness about the need to conserve tropical forests, support indigenous peoples, their land, their rights and to develop resource management. RFI began its focus on Brazil and then spread throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia. RFF has continued funding the programs and creating new ones to this end since 1999.

To help raise awareness of both the rainforest and the Fund’s mission, the Mayor’s office has declared May “Rainforest Awareness Month” and the Empire State Building will be lit in green Thursday evening during the event.

Besides Sting, the many other performers at the concert will include Billy Joel, James Taylor and Brian Wilson, followed with a gala dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Plaza Hotel, and then impressive items will be up for auction, such as a smart car, an opera night in Paris and stay at the Ritz, Bruce Springsteen memorabilia and concert tickets, tickets to a Police concert, a meeting with Tiger Woods, a visit to the set of Law & Order, and more.

Tickets to the concert range from $150 to $600, and can be purchased through Carnegie Hall

Justin Timberlake To Host Golf Open

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:31:06 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

The PGA Tour has named four-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Justin Timberlake as the 14th celebrity to ‘host’ a PGA Tour event. Renamed the ‘Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open’, the event takes place at TPC Summerlin on October 13-19, 2008, in Las Vegas, and will be televised on the Golf Channel. In addition to hosting, Timberlake will also take part in Wednesday’s Pro-Am, and hold a concert during the week of the Open.

“I couldn’t be more excited to host the upcoming 2008 Las Vegas tournament and to be involved with the Shriners Hospitals for Children,” said Timberlake. “We will make sure to make this event unique and memorable, and we will raise money for charity while participating in the greatest game ever played. I thank the PGA Tour and the Shriners Hospitals for Children for this amazing opportunity. Raising money to better children’s lives while playing golf? I can’t think of a better way to pass the time.”

The annual event in Las Vegas has taken place every year since 1983 and has raised more than $10 million for Las Vegas area charities. Previous champions include Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Paul Azinger, Jim Furyk, Curtis Strange and Fuzzy Zoeller.

“The PGA Tour is delighted to announce Justin’s involvement with our Las Vegas event,” said PGA Tour commissioner, Tin Finchem. “This promises to be an exciting and effective collaboration, one that will only raise the profile of the great work done by the Shriners Hospitals. The Tour is proud of its history of improving the lives of people in the communities in which we play, and we are confident that the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open can be a leading example of that charitable mission.”

While Timberlake joins the ranks of other celebrity ‘hosts’ – including Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Andy Williams, Danny Thomas, Dean Martin, Ed McMahon, Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, and Jackie Gleason – he certainly isn’t new to the game itself. The ex-NSYNC heartthrob has already established himself as an avid golfer and is rumored to have a 6-handicap.

“Justin is a very keen golfer and he’s playing to a very high standard now,” a source close to Timberlake said in April. “His aim is to make it into a pro event, just for a tournament or two. He practices every day, has a coach and takes his clubs wherever he goes.”

Timberlake, who is a member of the exclusive Sherman Oaks Country Club in Los Angeles, took a cue from rocker/golfer Alice Cooper. “As Alice Cooper said, you can either drink all day or golf” said Timberlake.

Last year, Chris Baldwin, a senior writer for Golf Publisher Syndications, asked Timberlake if he gets nervous playing in front of the galleries at PGA events. “I get way more nervous playing golf in front of 500 people than being on stage in front of 20,000 people. I’ve been performing all my life pretty much in music. On stage, even if it’s an outdoors concert with half a million people, I’m in my element. I know what it takes to put on a good show for the fans. Out on the course, you want to hit the ball well so badly, but there are so many things you don’t have control over.”

Third Annual Tiger Woods 'Block Party' Raises over $1M

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:27:44 -0000

Written by Delinda Lombardo

On October 6, Tiger Woods hosted his third annual Block Party at the Grove of Anaheim to benefit the Tiger Woods Learning Center (TWLC), a 14-acre youth-education facility located in Anaheim, California. The yearly event raised more than $1M, which goes directly to programs at the TWLC. “I want the kids to become better,” said Woods, “Better overall as a person, have a better opportunity at life, achieving their goals, and ultimately, giving back what they’ve learned.” On Saturday morning, Woods hosted a private golf event at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, where Fred Couples and John Cook joined Woods for an exhibition game before heading off to the red carpet festivities surrounding the Block Party at the Grove. Crimson lighting, red roses and red carpets decorated the Grove, where over 700 people showed up to support Woods’ efforts.

The event featured a VIP reception, cocktails, silent and live auctions, a gourmet dinner and a performance by Grammy Award winner John Mayer. Guests included Teri Hatcher of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” Isaiah Washington of NBC’s “Bionic Woman,” tennis pro Lindsay Davenport and Dave Annable of ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters”. Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis prepared the four-course dinner, which included filet mignon, crab and ricotta manicotti, and fried polenta with marinara sauce. De Laurentiis, host of the program ‘Everyday Italian’ is the granddaughter of Italian movie producer Dino De Laurentiis and shared her thoughts on today’s youth. “We better take care of them, or we’re not going to have a great society when we grow old.”

Live auction items included an autographed guitar and meet and greet with John Mayer and Tiger Woods, which sold for $16,000; and a ‘VIP Grammy package’ auctioned off by National Recording Arts and Science President ‘Jimmy Jam Harris’, who also kicked in free recording time at his personal studio, winning bid: $38,000. But the bidding really got exciting when a trip to the 2008 Masters Tournement was auctioned off. 1992 Masters Champion, Fred Couples fueled a bidding frenzy after joining the auctioneer on stage to offer the winning bidder a round of golf at Augusta National Golf Club with himself on the Sunday prior to the 2008 Masters Tournament and transportation to Augusta with Couples on a private jet. Wining bid? $145,000. Thanks to Tiger Woods and all the sponsors for giving us yet another great event to benefit today’s youth.  

The Tiger Woods Learning Center is a youth-education center that represents the vision of Tiger Woods and his goal to provide Orange County youth from diverse backgrounds an interactive enrichment program that will improve individual aptitude in reading, math, science and technology. As a result, youth will develop personal accountability, independence and resilience leading to greater knowledge of career options and an increase in college enrollment.  

The Block Party is held to express gratitude to the Orange County community for supporting the Tiger Woods Learning Center and its students. The Block Party has raised more than $2 million for the Orange County youth attending the Tiger Woods Learning Center. Woods has donated more than $9 million of his own money to the 35,000-square-foot center, located at Crescent Avenue and Gilbert Street. The center cost about $25 million to establish.

Oprah Tops Celebrity Philanthropy A-List

Sat, 12 May 2007 08:24:15 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

A list of the 30 largest public donations made by celebrities in the past year puts Oprah in the top spot.

The Giving Back Fund, which encourages and advises on celebrity philanthropy, compiles its list each year. President Marc Pollick said, “Encouragement-by-example is the main reason for the Giving Back 30 list.”

Oprah gave $58.3 million to Oprah’s Angel Network and her recently-opened Leadership Academy.

Of the other celebrities high on the list, Barbra Streisand was in fourth spot, having given $11.75 million through her Streisand Foundation.

Tiger Woods took fifth place, giving $9.5 million to organisations including the Tiger Woods Learning Center funded by the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Giving Back’s Marc Pollick praised an increasing trend in celebrity donations, saying, “Ten years ago when Slate magazine first published the Slate 60 reporting on the most generous American philanthropists, the last donor on their list gave $5 million. This year the last donor donated $30 million to charity. This is the type of growth we are hoping to inspire within the sports and entertainment community. One cannot help but be influenced by the generosity of his or her peers.”

The full list and information about how it was compiled can be found at givingback.org. This site has previously reported on many of the list’s featured celebrities and their donations; a comprehensively linked version of the list appears below:

Position	Celebrity	Donation	Cause(s)
1	Oprah Winfrey	$58,300,000	Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Oprah’s Angel Network, and other groups
2	Geoffrey Beene	$44,000,000 (bequest)	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
3	Jack and Marie Lord	$40,000,000 (bequest)	Hawaii Community Foundation
4	Barbra Streisand	$11,750,000	Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental, and civil rights organizations “dedicated to democratic values”
5	Tiger Woods	$9,500,000	Tiger Woods Learning Center, Earl D. Woods Sr. Scholarship Fund, and other Tiger Woods Foundation programs
6	Rosie O’Donnell	$5,700,000	Katrina Relief efforts including Renaissance Village (a temporary shelter for Katrina victims), day care centers, a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, and a Habitat For Humanity sub division in Baton Rouge
7	Martha Stewart	$5,000,000	New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital for a center on healthy aging
8	Carmelo Anthony	$4,282,000	CAF Youth Center in Baltimore, AAU Basketball, Syracuse University Recreational Center, and other charities
9	Pat Boone & Shirley Boone	$3,000,000	Pepperdine University for the Graduate School of Education and Psychology Center for the Family
9	LeRoy Neiman	$3,000,000	The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to support a Master’s class in figure drawing
11	Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt	$2,415,000	School and Community Center in Swakopmund in Namibia, Daniel Pearl Foundation, Namibian hospitals, Doctors Without Borders, Global Action for Children and others
12	Nicolas Cage	$2,000,000	Amnesty International for a fund to help child soldiers
12	Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) and Dany Garcia Johnson	$2,000,000	University of Miami to name new Alumni Center living room
12	Paul McCartney	$2,000,000	Adopt-A-Minefield
12	Arnold Palmer	$2,000,000	Pledged to the Arnold Palmer Foundation ultimately to benefit the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
16	David Geffen	$1,600,000	David Geffen Foundation
17	Susan Saint James and Dick Ebersol	$1,300,000	The Gunnery to help pay for a new dormitory in memory of their son Teddy killed in a plane crash
18	Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg	$1,250,000	Boston University to renovate facilities
19	Andre Agassi	$1,070,000	Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation
20	Tiki and Ronde Barber and family	$1,000,000	University of Virginia to support the McIntire School of Commerce, the Virginia Athletics Foundation, Childrens Hospital, a scholarship fund for African-American students, the Young Alumni Council, and to challenge young alumni to participate in the capital campaign
20	Bob Barker	$1,000,000	Georgetown University to endow a fund at its law school that will focus on the study of animal rights
20	Gloria Estefan	$1,000,000	Miami Paralysis Project
20	Dr. Phil McGraw & Robin McGraw	$1,000,000	Dr. Phil Foundation
20	George Steinbrenner & family	$1,000,000	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Boshamer Stadium for baseball
20	Tony Stewart	$1,000,000	Victory Junction Gang Camp
20	Denzel Washington	$1,000,000	Save Africa’s Children
27	Mike Sexton	$560,000	Special Olympics, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Children, Inc., Wounded Warrior Project, Ohio State University, and other charities
28	Lance Armstrong	$500,000	Lance Armstrong Foundation
28	Dolly Parton	$500,000	Fort Sanders Medical Center
28	Elizabeth Taylor	$500,000	New Orleans AIDS Task Force to purchase mobile medical unit for AIDS sufferers in New Orleans

Look To The Stars News: Tiger Woods

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