PLANO WEST QUARTERBACK CLUB
10TH ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF & TENNIS TOURNAMENT
MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008

165 participate in QB club's benefit tournaments

Submitted by MARK FISHKIND

On a beautiful Monday, June 11, at Bent Tree Country Club, 130 golfers and 35 tennis players joined together to have fun, enjoy the weather and each other’s company and raise funds for Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and Plano West Senior High Football.

This charity event was the 9th annual golf and tennis tournament that the Plano West Quarterback Club has put together. This was the first year that the Plano West Quarterback Club had tennis as part of the day’s events and the first time they had a beneficiary.

Part of all net proceeds from the tournament is being donated to Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation, as well as the Plano West Senior High Football program. Referring to the association with Gridiron Heroes, Plano West head coach and athletic director Mike Hughes said, "It is important to teach our kiddos the value of community. Football is a great sport that teaches life lessons. Teamwork and the importance of being part of a family, part of a community, are a few of the lessons our kiddos learn from playing this great game. Through our association with Gridiron Heroes our players see, first hand, how precious the gift of having a strong body is, and that nothing should be taken for granted because your life can change in the blink of an eye. If the unthinkable should happen, and one of our kids go down to injury, it is comforting to know that the football family, our community, is there to help put back the pieces of life and help those players get back on track and move forward into the future."

Eddie and Chris Canales, the founders of Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation, were on hand for the day’s events. Eddie and Chris greeted players, families and friends that came to participate in golf, tennis, silent and live auctions or to just enjoy the food and company. Eddie gave a very inspirational speech before the auction that brought the big picture into focus for all those in attendance.

The captains of the Plano West Quarterback Club, Tracy and Chuck Dyhre, commented, "The tournament was a great success. Everyone was having a great time, and we were able to raise a few dollars in the process. It is nice to bring the football community together to support such a worthwhile cause. Our association with our football players and Gridiron Heroes has been a wonderful experience."

Barbara King, senior chair, Pam Rosener, senior chair and Mark Fishkind, junior chair, chaired the 9th Annual Charity Golf and Tennis Tournament. This event would not have been as special or as successful without all the volunteers that put in hours and hours of work to make every facet of the day run so smoothly. The success of this tournament would not have been possible without the generous support of our many sponsors listed below:

•King Aerospace, AOA Group, Inc., The New AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless, M/A/R/C – Bud Phillips, Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins & Blau, L.L.P.

•Meritage Homes, First Choice Emergency Room, Koll Development Company – KDC

•Standridge Companies, The Benson Family, Watt & Company, Aimbridge Hospitality

•Classic BMW, Camelot Communications, Ltd., Elvebak Orthodontics, J.V. Folsom Co.

•Links Sports, The May Family, Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill, Oliver’s Eatery, Preston Sherry Dental Associates – Robert Beckmann, DDS, Southwest Art Galleries, Dr. Allan Sutker – Plano Orthopedic Sports Medicine, Dennis M. Statz, DDS, Nacol, Wortham & Associates, PC, Source One Financial, Rhonda & Richard Wulz, The King Family

In closing, Barbara, Pam and Mark would like everyone to know that "at the end of the day our family really rallied around our cause and helped establish new levels of fundraising. It was a very gratifying event and it was a pleasure working with Eddie and Chris and Gridiron Heroes, as well as, helping our kids that play at Plano West."