(SANTA MONICA, CA) – The PGA Fall Expo has agreed to host the world premiers of three related initiatives to benefit breast cancer survivors. After the unveiling at the three-day industry event, the programs will be promoted to the public through a coast-to-coast media and promotional tour. The inaugural, 18-city "Survivor Celebration Tour" — celebrating breast-cancer survivors and benefiting supporting organizations — will begin September 23rd in New York and end 23-days later October 15th in Los Angeles. The Tour will promote an inspirational music CD, a new social networking website for cancer survivors and a golf fundraiser program called Pink Scorecard Days.
Two weeks prior to the official start of the Tour, the world premier of the Pink Scorecard Days golf fundraiser will take place September 10 at the PGA Fall Expo golf tournament and demo day, an industry-only event. Through the program, golf courses can participate in an ongoing effort to help breast cancer survivors. Courses choose which months, weeks or days are Pink Scorecard Days. A Pink Scorecard will allow people who get pledges to play all day for one price on designated days. The golf courses agree to contribute a small referral fee per golfer to cover the program costs, enabling 100% of the pledge donations to go to breast cancer support organizations and survivors.
On the second day of the PGA Fall Expo, the Survivor Celebration inspirational music CD world premier will take place at the House of Blues during the PGA Fall Expo industry reception. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend and hear live performances from two of the artists to be featured on the CD – jazz star Marcus Johnson (currently #6 on Billboard’s jazz charts) and folk rock performer Aharon. Both artists are longtime supporters of breast cancer survivor programs. In addition, the CD will feature Franki Love, Jon Waller, Rick Seratte (formerly of the rock group Foreigner), R&B artist Gordon Chambers, Jazz vocalist Allan Harris, Jazz artists Pamela Williams and Alan Hewitt and other gifted popular music artists. The CD will include 12 songs and retail for $14.99 with a significant contribution to breast cancer survivor support programs being made from the sale of each CD. Special display units will be available for golf courses to feature the CD’s as a point of purchase item, with one lucky survivor and a guest winning a trip to California to play golf with celebrities.
The third related program to launch at the PGA Fall Expo is SurvivorCelebration.com, which will promote both the CD and the golf program. The website will include social networking for cancer survivors, links to nonprofits and companies serving families that are dealing with cancer and many other features to help people survive the disease and thrive in life. Survivors and others utilizing the site will be able to purchase copies of the CD from the site and find out about golf courses in their area that are participating in Pink Scorecard Days.
Tour promoter and creator of the programs, A.J. Ali, is a golf writer and entrepreneur with a regular column titled "On the Tee with A.J. Ali" featured in national golf publications such as Fairways + Greens and on the new sports website Sportsville.com. Inspired by his wife Jane’s recent brave fight against breast cancer, A.J. is personally taking part in a golf marathon by playing 360 holes at 20 courses during the 23 days to promote "Swing for Survivors Pink Scorecard Days." In each city, 12 local golfers and two celebrities will have an opportunity get on the tee with A.J. Ali with their own pink scorecards filled out with pledges to help promote the program and raise money for their favorite breast cancer charity.
In support of the coast-to-coast Tour, a pink and blue logo-wrapped RV donated by sponsor Dr. Travis Fox (Beat the Bogey Man) will stop at dozens of locations including hospitals, festivals, college campuses, sporting events and shopping centers. The complete journey will be filmed for a DVD, the Survivor Celebration website and an inspirational documentary.
Cancer Hits Home, A Personal Story
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today, according to the World Health Organization, with more than 213,000 women in the U.S. and 1.2 million worldwide diagnosed each year. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer during a woman’s life is approximately one in eight (roughly 13%), and it’s estimated close to 41,000 women will die of breast cancer this year.
It was A.J. and Jane’s close personal experiences with cancer, as well as A.J.’s passion for and knowledge of golf and cause marketing, that led to the creation of the Survivor Celebration Tour. Over the past 10 years, A.J. lost his father, brother, grandmother, grandfather, stepfather and several very close friends to cancer. Jane lost her mother to cancer-related complications. Jane, as well her daughter Amy and father Ted, recently survived battles with cancer, providing both A.J. and Jane with the inspiration to carry out this mission.
About The Marathon of Miracles Foundation
Money raised at the PGA Fall Expo and on the Survivor Celebration Tour will benefit nonprofit organizations through the Marathon of Miracles Foundation (MOM). The MOM Foundation is a 501C3 nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, educate and empower breast cancer survivors. The MOM Foundation’s long term goal is to help meet the financial, emotional, spiritual, physical and medical needs of survivors throughout the world and to open a retreat center in Malibu, California for Survivors and their families to experience all-expense-paid life-changing visits. The retreat center will embrace a holistic approach to surviving and thriving including equine therapy, natural remedies, environmental detoxification, healthy diet, mental and physical training, music, laughter, walks on the beach and other therapeutic activities.
About Eclipse Sports & Entertainment
Eclipse Sports & Entertainment, LLC is an experiential marketing and multi-media company dedicated to making a positive difference in the world daily through sports and entertainment while helping communities, organizations and individuals achieve maximum performance. Eclipse Sports owns and operates Eclipse Business Golf Academy, and produces celebrity golf events and multi-media projects through television, film, Internet, print and music. Eclipse is managing the Survivor Celebration Tour. "We’ve helped a variety of organizations raise millions of dollars over the past eight years," said A.J. Ali. "We intend on raising significant amounts of money for breast cancer survivor programs and increasing awareness of early detection programs and holistic treatment options which hopefully will save lives and inspire survivors to celebrate each precious day on earth. We’re thankful for the support from the PGA Fall Expo and we look forward to partnering with the golf community to help breast cancer survivors throughout the world with these programs."
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