St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has received a check for $1.1 million from the fifth annual Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament as the four-day charity event wrapped up March 9 at the Classic Club in Palm Desert – which included a 5k Walk/Run, Songwriter’s Night, Celebrity Jam Session, Golf Tournament, and Saturday Soiree.
At a cost of $2 million per day to open the doors at St. Jude, the funds raised will cover a little more than a half day of operations for the hospital, which is funded primarily by individual contributors and fundraisers. No family is asked to pay at St. Jude – and that includes travel costs, treatment, housing, medications and more.
Kim Carnes shows she still has "Betty Davis Eyes."
Patrick and Cathy Warburton welcomed Spinal Elements as its new title sponsor just a few weeks before the event. Spinal Elements donates net profits from the sale of its Hero allograft tissue product to charities benefiting children with life-threatening medical conditions – including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Allograft is human tissue that is obtained by way of an authorized gift of a donor and/or their family. Spinal Elements chose to name its first allograft tissue product “Hero®” to honor those whose donation made the tissue donation possible.
The weekend’s festivities started with the March 5 “Songwriters’ Night: The Story Behind the Story” at JW Marriott Desert Springs. A group of renowned Nashville songwriters told the stories behind their biggest hits, along with performing those hits. Songwriters included Tim Nichols, Rivers Rutherford, Bob DiPiero and Kelley Lovelace.
Mike Mills sings the R.E.M. hit, "Superman."
At the March 6 Celebrity Jam Session, HLN morning news anchor Robin Meade kicked things off with a set that appropriately included Dirty Laundry – a poke at the news business. Legend after legend then took the stage including Mike Mills of R.E.M.; Little River Band lead singer, Wayne Nelson; Kim Carnes; John Elefante of Kansas; Chicago drummer, Danny Seraphine; Don Felder of the Eagles; Robbie Krieger of The Doors featuring Dave Brock on vocals; Steve Cropper, one of the original Blues Brothers; and the ultimate rocker, Alice Cooper.
Actor Patrick Warburton is co-founder and host of the The Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament, and more than 60 other celebrities came out for the event, including Richard Kind, Danny Masterson, Michael Pena, Kurt Fuller, William Devane, Galen Gering, Scott Wolf, Joel Gretsch, Bruce Thomas, Pauley Trickey, Bill Smitrovich, and Brian Thompson; and athletes like former NFL pros Robbie Gould, Sterling Sharpe, Jim McMahon, Kordell Stewart, and Eric Dickerson, as well as NHL Hall of Famer, Grant Fuhr.
Wayne Nelson led the audience in the Little River Band tune, "Lonesome Loser."
The March 7 Soiree featured red carpet appearances by many of the celebrities involved with the tournament, as well as a dinner, hearing from patient families, a successful live and silent auction and dancing to music by the band, Sixwire & Friends – with surprise performances by Starship lead singer, Mickey Thomas, Meade, Mills, and Elefante.
The Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament is the second highest grossing golf tournament for St. Jude nationwide, second only to the tournament sponsored by The Eric Trump Foundation in New York.
Patrick Warburton and his wife Cathy helped raise more than $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Next year's Patrick Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament is scheduled for March 10-13, 2016. Visit www.TheWarburton.com for more information.
Like what you're reading? Then "Like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter.