2012 Drew Brees Celebrity Championship is May 18-20 at La Costa Resort and Spa

San Diego | Del Mar Times | April 13th, 2012

New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees met with media members April 10 to speak about the upcoming 2012 Drew Brees Celebrity Championship at a press conference.

The tournament, set for May 18-20, will feature more than 50 of the biggest names from sports and entertainment. Stars scheduled to appear include returning champion, Tony Romo, from “The Office” actor Brian Baumgartner, Actor and Comedian Peter Dante, Jack Wagner (actor, 2010 champion), Trent Dilfer, Bruce Jenner, Ray Romano, Darren Sproles, Marshall Faulk, Rollie Fingers, Dan Jansen, Jack Marin, Rick Rhoden, Josh Scobee, Billy Joe Tolliver, Adrian Young, Jerry Rice, Mickey Tettleton, Mark Mulder, Neil Lomax, Grant Fuhr, Trent Edwards, Jeraine Dye, Tom Dreeson, Kyle Boller, Goose Gossage, Nate Kaeding, Jesse Orosco, Truck Robinson, Bret Boone, John Congemi, Peter Dante, to name a few.

“I’m excited to be back in San Diego and especially excited to be continuing the partnership with the Celebrity Championship,” said Drew Brees. “It’s great to be here at our new venue, La Costa Resort and Spa.”

Entering its 14th year as one of San Diego’s premier sport hospitality events, the Drew Brees Celebrity Championship adds to its appeal this year by moving to the newly-renovated La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad. A percentage of ticket sales, auction proceeds and sponsor sales proceeds will benefit the Brees Dream Foundation to support its ongoing efforts in the San Diego community. Brees recognized the organizations that the Brees Dream Foundation will donate charitable proceeds to at the press conference, including Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego Armed Services YMCA, Friends of Scott Foundation, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Pacific South Coast Chapter. The Brees Dream Foundation distributed over $181,000 from monies raised at the 2011 Drew Brees Celebrity Championship to these San Diego-based charities.

The Drew Brees Celebrity Championship is comprised of a celebrity-amateur tournament (Friday and Saturday, May 18-19) and a 36-hole celebrity competition (Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20), featuring more than 50 celebrity golfers competing for a projected purse of $100,000.

NFL Quarterback Tony Romo took the winning title at the 2011 tournament, while other past winners include standouts from each of the four major American sports – football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

For more information, visit www.CelebrityChampionship.com.  For more information about the Brees Dream Foundation, visit www.drewbrees.com. Follow Drew Brees on Twitter @drewbrees; www.twitter.com/drewbrees.

3rd Annual Freedom Festival to benefit ASYMCA and other Charities

San Diego | KYXY Radio | April , 2012

Sing with these prizes. Listen to Sam Bass (April 9- 13) to win a pair of tickets to the 3rd Annual American Freedom Festival presented by SKYDEX and CareerBuilder featuring Three Dog Night with special guests, World Class Rockers on May 26th!

 

KyXy is proud to bring you this unforgettable night on the deck of the USS Midway Museum. The concert will raise money for local charities in the San Diego area that serve and support our veterans, active duty military and military families. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 13th. For more details and to purchase tickets to this great show, visit www.americanfreedomfoundation.org or call (619) 398-8241.

The event will benefit the following charities: Got Your Back Network, Boys & Girls Clubs of San Diego, San Diego Armed Services, YMCA, Navy Seal Foundation and the Veterans Village of San Diego.

 

*Purchase your pre-sale tickets now at www.midway.org/freedom or at www.americanfreedomfoundation.org. Just enter KYXY at checkout!

Public welcome to watch Drew Brees Celebrity Golf Championship

San Diego | La Jolla Light | April 12th, 2012

The Drew Brees Celebrity Championship will take place May 18-20 at La Costa Resort and Spa. Since its inception in 1999, the tournament, formerly known as the Celebrity Classic hosted by Stan Humphries, has raised more than $1 million on behalf of numerous San Diego-based charities.

“I am honored to be hosting the tournament for the third year,” said Drew Brees. “It has been a signature event for the Brees Dream Foundation to raise funds and awareness for such worthy charities.”

The tournament will feature more than 50 top celebrity golfers. The Drew Brees Celebrity Championship is comprised of a celebrity-amateur tournament (Friday and Saturday, May 18-19) and a 36-hole celebrity competition (Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20), featuring more than 50 celebrity golfers competing for a projected purse of $100,000 and the coveted Drew Brees Celebrity Championship trophy.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo won the 2011 Drew Brees Celebrity Championship with an impressive 5-under par.

The Brees Dream Foundation distributed more than $181,000 from monies raised at the 2011 Drew Brees Celebrity Championship to Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego Armed Services YMCA, Friends of Scott Foundation, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Pacific South Coast Chapter.

The event consists of a two-day Celebrity-Amateur tournament, nightly parties, and a 36-hole, celebrity-only competition for a projected purse of $100,000.

The public is welcome to all three days of the tournament. Three-day tickets are $15; free admission for kids ages 14 and under and military with I.D. Show your Ralphs Rewards Card at the gate and get in free.

— For more details, go to www.drewbrees.com and www.CelebrityChampionship.com

Armed Services YMCA Begins Annual Fundraising Campaign

Military kids take to the great outdoors at Prince William Forest Park

Virgina | insidenova.com | April 3rd, 2012

By: Julia LeDoux

TRIANGLE, Va. - Prince William Forest Park was alive with the sounds of children’s laughter Sunday as hundreds of military kids and their families gathered there to celebrate the month of the military child.

The Sierra Club, Armed Forces Services YMCA, Blue Star Families, National Military Family Association Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the National Park Service kicked off the month with the outdoor celebration that gave the kids and their families a chance to get outside and have some fun by spending the day hiking, fishing, and pitching tents.

“It’s nice, it gives the kids something to do,” said Army wife Daniela Bergmann, who along with her husband brought their three children to the event. Paul Kearney of Trout Unlimited Youth Camp taught Bergmann’s son, Samuel, how to cast a fishing line, to the delight of the 8-year-old.

“This is fun,” Samuel exclaimed as he cast the line.

Park Ranger Laura Cohen said that Prince William Forest Park is the largest park in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, encompassing a 15,000 acre piedmont forest.

“We have reached our goal and that was getting military kids into the outdoors and that was what today was all about,” she continued “Today kicked off April, the month of the military child, so we wanted the national parks to be a place where military kids could come, shake off some of that stress and have a good time.”

Cohen noted that military kids face challenges that non-military kids do not, such as parents who are deployed multiple times and moving to different places every couple of years.

The park was founded “particularly as a place for kids to come and be in the outdoors, that’s why the cabin camps were built here in 1936,” she said. “We’ve got 37 miles of hiking trails for people to come out, take a hike, ride a bike.”

Stacy Bare, Sierra Club Missions Outdoors Military Families and Veterans representative emphasized that military kids serve, too.

“We’re really stoked to be out here today,” he continued. “We had about 400 families preregister and more families came in during the day.”

Families from Quantico Marine Corps base, Fort Belvoir and Fort Meade attended the event, Cohen said.

“The same reason we brought kids outdoors during the Great Depression is the same reason kids come out today, the same reason military kids should come with their families to the outside,” she explained.

Event connects military child with the outdoors

Washington DC | Washington Post | April 2nd, 2012

To kick off the Month of the Military Child, an outdoor celebration for military children and their families will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle.

The free event will include a day of hiking, learning how to cast a fly rod and pitch tents. Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, will speak about the importance of exposing military children to nature.

“Military children serve, too, and we’ve found that connecting these children with the outdoors allows them to not only have fun but gives them and their families a sense of resiliency,” Stacy Bare, Sierra Club Mission Outdoors National Military Representative, said in a statement. “The outdoors heals.”

The event is sponsored by the the Sierra Club, Armed Services YMCA, Blue Star Families, National Military Family Association, Outdoors Alliance for Kids and the National Park Service.

For information, contact Kristina Ortez de Jones at 505-206-9629 or Kristina.Ortez@sierraclub.org.

— Compiled by Sarah Lane

NFL’s Drew and Brittany Brees Step Up To Help Military Families Again

Online | Baseguide.com | April 2nd, 2012

We’re always grateful when celebrities put the focus on military families.

Next month (on May 18-20), Drew and Brittany Brees will host the Drew Brees Celebrity Championship at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., to benefit several children’s charities, including military children through the San Diego Armed Services YMCA.

During the three-day event, the couple will host a Wounded Warrior VIP Day, as well as a Military Appreciation Day with a free lunch for over 1500 military and their families. Military service members and their families are invited to attend the entire tournament free of charge.

Drew and Brittany lived in San Diego during his time with Chargers, and they remain active in San Diego through their non-profit charity, the Brees Dream Foundation, which they founded in 2003. The foundation has committed and/or contributed more than $5 million to charitable causes in the New Orleans, West Lafayette/Purdue and San Diego communities.

Last year’s tournament raised more than $181,000, with proceeds going to Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego Armed Services YMCA, Friends of Scott Foundation, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Pacific South Coast Chapter. For more information on the event, visit www.celebritychampionship.com or www.militaryymca.org

Washington Times | Shaft Notes

Washington, D.C. | Washington Times | March 27, 2012

 

The Sarge was honored to attend the Armed Services YMCA’s Angels of the Battlefield Awards for 2012. Silver Star recipient Chief Petty Officer Amlicar Rodriguez, a Navy Corpsman, is one of 10 who were honored. The annual event highlights the individual men and women on the front lines who are saving lives and have demonstrated extraordinary courage.

The Armed Services YMCA works with the military services to select Corpsmen, Medics and Pararescuemen from the Army, Army Reserve, Navy, Navy Reserve, Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air National Guard and ArmyGuard, who accepted the awards on behalf of their fellow Corpsmen and Medics for their dedication and commitment to service.

• Staff Sgt. Jack Williams, a bronze star recipient for exceptional meritorious service in Afghanistan and 2012 Angels of the Battlefield recipient, said, “It is an honor to be selected to represent the entire medical corps. And the Armed Services YMCA does such great work for military families at their branches; I wish we had one where I am currently stationed, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.”

• Sgt. Terry Derr accepted the Angels of the Battlefield Award on behalf of Army Medics around the world. Sgt. Derr has served a total of 20 years, with a total of seven deployments. Sgt. Derr was awarded the Air Service Medal for flying into dangerous a sandstorm to save the lives of two soldiers injured by an IED, while serving as a flight medic in Salerno, Afghanistan. Sgt. Derr, originally from Watson, Pa., is currently stationed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

• Chief Petty Officer Amilcar Rodriguez accepted an award on behalf of the Navy Corpsmen supporting the United States Marine Corps around the world. Chief Petty Officer Rodriguez has served 13 years, with a total of five deployments.

• Petty Officer 2nd Class Owen Pitrone accepted the Angels of the Battlefield Award on behalf of Navy Corpsmen around the world. Petty Officer 2nd Class Pitrone has served seven years, with a total four deployments. He has been awarded a Joint Service Medal for his time in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals for exceptional service while at Bethesda and Bastion Role 3 UK Hospital in Afghanistan.

• Staff Sgt. Jack Williams accepted the award on behalf of Air Force medics around the world. Staff Sgt. Williams has served a total of six years, with two deployments. He has been awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in Afghanistan, as well as the Air Force Combat Action Badge, the Army Combat Medical Badge, the Army Order of the Gold Spur, the Air Force Commendation Medal and as a CSAF Portraits in Courage.

• Staff Sgt. Gino Kahaunaele accepted on behalf of Air Force Pararescuemen around the world. While acting as the primary rescue specialist for a joint task force unit in theater, Staff Sgt. Kahaunaele was shot in the shoulder at close range with an AK-47 during a direct firefight against an enemy of the United States. He continued to aid and triage the wounded while wounded himself. After an insurgent threw a grenade, wounding additional women, children and team members, Staff Sgt. Kahaunaele was hit by fragments severing several major arteries. He took immediate, inventive action to stop the bleeding and save his own life. He continues rehabilitation with the support of his grateful unit and family.

• Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Richardson accepted on behalf of the United States Coast Guard Corpsmen around the world. Petty Officer 1st Class Richardson has served a total of 14 years, with five deployments. He has been awarded the United States Coast Guard Commendation Medal, four United States Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and has been selected as the Enlisted Person of the Year twice — by Sector Delaware Bay, and the CGC Harriet Lane, respectively.

• Staff Sgt. Nicolas Crouse accepted on behalf of the Air National Guard Medics around the world. Staff Sgt. Crouse has served a total of six years and has deployed to Afghanistan. He has been awarded an Army Commendation for his time as primary medic for the First Joint Force, Multi-National Police Operational Mentor Liaison Team in Afghanistan, the Lithuanian Armed Forces Medal of Distinction and the Air Force Achievement Medal. Staff Sgt. Crouse has had a family member serve in every major U.S. conflict since the Revolutionary War.

• Sgt. Major Pamela Duggan accepted on behalf of the Army Reserve Medics around the world.

• Technical Sgt. Chante‘ Richardson accepted the Angels of the Battlefield Award on behalf of the Air Force Reserve Medics around the world. Technical Sgt. Richardson has served a total of eight years and has deployed to Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey. She has also been awarded two Achievement Medals. Technical Sgt. Richardson is originally from Oxon Hill, Md., and is currently stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Md. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Molecular Medicine at the University of Virginia.

 

Meet Amilcar Rodriguez: Saving Lives on the Frontline

Huffington Post | March 26th, 2012

Meet Amilcar Rodriguez. Chief Petty Officer Rodriguez, a Navy Corpsman, is one of nine “Angels of the Battlefield” Awardees for 2012. The event highlights the individual men and women on the frontlines of places like Afghanistan, who are saving lives and demonstrated extraordinary courage.

While most Americans can list the five branches of the military (go ahead and do it in your head), most do not realize the scope of military medical personnel on the battlefield and worldwide, charged with saving lives, encouraging healthy living and serving on humanitarian missions. Every year the Armed Services YMCA works with the military services to select Corpsmen, Medics and Pararescuemen from the Army, Army Reserve, Navy, Navy Reserve, Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air National Guard and Army Guard, who accepted the awards on behalf of their fellow Corpsmen, Medics and Pararescuemen for their dedication and commitment to service.

Amilcar enlisted at age 18 and has served thirteen years. From 2004 to 2009 he had four back to back deployments to a war zone; deploying to Al Anbar Province in Iraq twice, as well as Afghanistan’s Helmand Province and Herat Province.

Amilcar was awarded the Silver Star for Combat Operations in Afghanistan for tending to a wounded teammate and trying to assist and move other causalities under fire and while being wounded.

He is now stationed at Fort Bragg with his wife Kelly and their son, who is one year old. Serving in the U.S. military is a family tradition for Rodriguez; his father, grandfather, brothers and uncles all served in the United States Army.

Deployments can be hard, especially being separated from his wife and son, but he feels privileged, “I have the privilege of serving and representing the greatest and strongest nation in the world, and serving amongst the finest men I have and will ever know.”

Nonprofit organizations like the Armed Services YMCA, Operation Homefront and the USO help military families cope and thrive with free programs year round.

There are over 20,000 active duty and reserve medical personnel serving around the globe. And while Rodriguez is being honored as a 2012 Angels of the Battlefield Award Recipient for the U.S. Navy, along with the Army Commendation Medal and the Silver Star, Rodriguez says, “having the responsibility for your team’s health and welfare is reward enough.”

Click here to see the Huffington Blog Post

Kia Motors America and LPGA Star Michelle Wie Donate $50,000 to Camp Pendleton’s Armed Services YMCA Operation Hero Program

CARLSBAD, CA | CBS 8 News | March 21st 2012.

On the eve of the third annual Kia Classic Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golf tournament at La Costa Resort and Spa, Kia Motors America (KMA) and two-time LPGA winner Michelle Wie paired up today to donate $50,000 to Operation Hero, one of the keystone programs of the nearby Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA). The funds, which are intended to help Operation Hero maintain staff and provide equipment and supplies to more than 375 kindergarten and elementary students at Camp Pendleton, commemorate Michelle Wie’s graduation from Stanford University. Operation Hero provides free mentoring and tutoring to at-risk elementary-aged children of military families living at Camp Pendleton, which is home to more than 100,000 men and women of the armed forces and their families.

“As a Southern California-based company and one of the fastest growing auto brands in the U.S., Kia Motors is deeply committed to supporting the local communities in which we do business,” said Tom Loveless, vice president, sales, KMA. “Operation Hope delivers much needed services and assistance to the children of our military service men and women and it is our privilege to make a contribution in partnership with Michelle Wie and celebrate her college graduation in a special and meaningful way.”

“Our after school program, Operation Hero, is our most critical program for the young military children attending the five elementary schools on Camp Pendleton,” said George Brown, Executive Director, Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA. “While reducing their stress levels, the program provides the children skills to be successful socially and academically at both home and school.”

The donation comes prior to Michelle Wie’s participation in the third annual Kia Classic, from March 19-25 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., in which a strong field of the LPGA players from around the world will compete for a $1.7 million purse with the winner taking home a first-place check for $255,000 and one of the first range-topping Optima Limited sedans[1] to roll off the production line at Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia.

Kia’s Unprecedented Growth

Kia Motors is the one of the world’s fastest moving global automotive brands; from 2009-2011 Kia launched more new vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker, and under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer earned a reputation as an industry leader in automotive styling. Kia Motors America’s full line of fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive cars and CUVs has earned critical acclaim and dramatically increased consumer awareness, perception and consideration for the brand. In 2011, KMA recorded its 17th consecutive year of market share growth, thanks in part to the largest increase of any major brand in perceived quality[2] and the industry’s highest brand loyalty ranking[3]. Kia’s U.S.-based manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia – KMMG – is responsible for the creation of more than 10,000 plant and supplier jobs and builds the company’s two best-selling vehicles in the U.S. – the Sorento CUV and Optima midsize sedan[4]. Kia’s value and technology-laden 2012 model year lineup also includes the Sportage compact CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Optima Hybrid, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, all-new Rio and Rio5-door sub-compacts and Sedona minivan.

About Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA

The Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton has served the military community since 1943 with programs and services enhancing their lives with a focus towards the junior enlisted ranks by reducing deployment stress, improving their quality of life, strengthening families, and making military life easier for over 58,000 active duty and family members each year.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 755 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the “Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.” In 2011, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and became one of the fastest growing car companies in the U.S. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com . For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com .