Croton-On- Hudson, N.Y., October 25, 2005 – The Red Cross charity golf tournament to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina held on October 17 at Hudson National Golf Club was termed a huge success. Eighty golfers took to the course under bright skies to raise more than $250,000 for one of the biggest natural disasters to hit the U.S. in decades.
"Our members and our many guests from around the New York metropolitan area really supported this event," said Brent Merrill, general manager of Hudson National Golf Club, the spectacular Tom Fazio design that overlooks the Hudson River. "When the Red Cross approached us about hosting this tournament, we said yes immediately because we knew we could make a difference to the cause and raise some substantial funds."
The tournament participants met the challenge of playing Hudson National, recently rated among the Top 100 Golf Courses in the U.S. by Golf Digest Magazine.
Participating sponsors included Jet Blue Airlines, which offered a $1 million dollar hole-in-one prize, and Friendly Motor Inc. of Wallingford Falls, New York (E230 Mercedes) for another hole-in-one contest. Special sports-related items also were auctioned to raise additional money for the Red Cross relief efforts. Items included New York Ranger tickets, golf art, and autographed equipment from Allan Houston, David Cone and Ernie Els.
According to Ira Brody of the Westchester Chapter of the Red Cross, "the leadership role taken by Hudson National Golf Club and its members enabled us to reach out to many local corporations, businesses, and potential major gifts donors that were previously not part of the Westchester Red Cross family, thus allowing us to expand our donor and volunteer base. This enables us to provide much needed disaster and emergency services in our own county and train volunteers for national and international disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and tsunami as they may arise. Hudson National Golf Club’s generosity and enthusiasm helped us organize a tremendous day for which we are most grateful."
Contact:
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