News from the Foundation, Arnold Palmer Cup and more announced in advance of what would have been Palmer’s 91st birthday
ORLANDO, Fla. – In celebration of what would have been Arnold Palmer’s 91st birthday this Thursday, Sept. 10th, the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation has announced a series of initiatives and updates.
The initiatives include:
- Support of Dogs4Diabetics, a non-profit organization providing medical-alert service dogs to members of the diabetic community
- Head coaches for the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup will be named on Thursday, Sept. 10
- Social media campaign celebrating AP Cup participants announced
- Latrobe Country Club is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary
Dogs4Diabetics
The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation is working with Dogs4Diabetics (D4D) to positively impact the life of Colin Louis and his family. Colin, 7, lives Jacksonville, Fla., with his mother, Jessica Vasquez, his 5-year-old sister, June Louis, and his father, also named Colin Louis, a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. At the age of two, the younger Colin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), which requires round-the-clock monitoring and care. D4D trains service dogs to alert people with Type 1 diabetes to low blood sugar, even while they sleep. With support from the Palmer Foundation, the organization will be providing a dog to Colin.
More than 1.25 million Americans live with T1D, an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels. T1D requires constant management with the use of insulin via injection or a pump, a tremendous burden for anyone and especially, perhaps, for a child and a family working to cope with T1D’s demands.
“It’s been such a blessing working with them,” said Jessica Vasquez of D4D. “It’s difficult managing Colin’s diabetes because even though he has an insulin pump his numbers have never been great. I was looking for options and I reached out to a lot of potential companies looking for someone to help out. When [D4D] got in contact it was incredible. Colin is excited to get his dog, both for his diabetes but also as a friend. I’m just so happy and thankful.”
“We join the diabetic community in hoping for a cure of the disease, but our purpose is to support Type 1 Diabetics by providing Medical-Alert Service Dogs (at no cost) to reduce the risks associated with diabetes,” said Christy Gillham, D4D Executive Director. “Our mission is only possible because of generous individuals and foundations like the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation who invest in our communities. We are honored to partner with the Foundation to empower and transform the lives of all those that turn to our organization for support.”
“We were heartened to learn of Colin and of Dogs4Diabetics,” said Amy Palmer Saunders, Chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. “D4D’s work and Colin’s story are an incredible example of the possibilities that exist for cooperation and communication in nature, especially in the area of wellness. In this case D4D is improving a child’s—and a family’s—opportunity to live a richer, fuller life, and we could not be happier to support them.”
“A dog’s sense of smell is somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 times as powerful as the human nose,” says Mark Ruefenacht, introducing D4D in a video on the organization’s website. “Technology has not even caught up to how fast the dog can sense the change in the blood sugars.” Ruefenacht, who himself has Type 1 diabetes, founded D4D in San Francisco, where today the nonprofit trains and provides Medical-Alert Service Dogs to people dealing with the disorder. The group maintains ethical and industry-leading standards for its scent-trained dogs, who can detect changes in blood sugar 20-30 minutes before the newest technology can do the same. D4D trains the dogs, matches them with clients, and supports the teams for life at no cost. More on D4D can be found at dogs4diabetics.com.
The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation continues its namesakes’ philanthropic legacy by supporting efforts on behalf of children’s health, youth character development and nature-focused wellness. More on the foundation can be found at palmerfoundation.org.
MEDIA: Dogs4Diabetics video. Other assets available upon request.
2021 Arnold Palmer Cup Head Coaches
Golf Coaches Association of America will announce the head coaches for the 2021 AP Cup on Thursday, Sept. 10. News will be available at https://www.arnoldpalmercup.com/.
#LikeArnie Celebrates Arnold Palmer Cup Participants
Foundation social media campaign showcases the tournament’s good character component
Earlier this year, as part of an effort that saw the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation supporting charities across the country in PGA TOUR event communities impacted by COVID, the Foundation launched the #LikeArnie social media campaign, celebrating people who exhibit the spirit of Arnold Palmer by working to help their communities. On what would have been Palmer’s 91st birthday this Sept. 10, the #LikeArnie campaign is celebrating the values, character and efforts of Arnold Palmer Cup participants, both current players and alumni. #LikeArnie stories will appear on Foundation social media from now through the Arnold Palmer Cup, scheduled for Dec.21-23 at Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla.
Latrobe Country Club Turns 100
Centennial for course on which Arnold Palmer grew up and learned to play
Latrobe Country Club in Latrobe, Pa., where golf legend Arnold Palmer grew up and learned the game, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The club was founded in 1920 on 63 acres bordering the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30) just west of Youngstown. One of the crew hired to carve the club’s then-9-hole golf course from the shale and briars was a teenager named Milfred “Deacon” Palmer. Deacon eventually was hired full-time as the club’s superintendent and later as its head golf professional. Famously, he was also father and coach to Arnold Palmer, the golf legend who grew up at LCC and who helped Deacon to build the course’s second nine in 1963, the year before Arnold won his fourth Masters title. In 1971 the younger Palmer acquired the club, and today the course is much as it was when it was built, a charming track that tests strategic play and which offers one of America’s most authentic golf experiences. For more information, please visit latrobecountryclub.com.
About the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation
Arnold Palmer was born September 10, 1929, in Latrobe, Pa. Since his passing in 2016 at the age of 87, the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation has furthered the Palmer legacy through its commitment to children’s health, youth character development, and nature-focused wellness.
About the Arnold Palmer Cup
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla., in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Arnold Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses including The Old Course, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. The 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club became the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners. Since the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, it’s been the only major American tournament to feature men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 100 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on either the PGA Tour, European Tour or LPGA, 29 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, and more than 60 have claimed over 240 victories on the PGA or European Tours. The United States leads the series 12-10-1.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is supported by the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, providing a platform for perpetuating Arnold Palmer’s commitment to youth character development and the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit ArnoldPalmerCup.com.
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Media Contacts:
BZA PR on behalf of the Arnold Palmer Group
Dana Gordon, danag@bzapr.com, 856-397-2917
Liz McCollum, elizabethm@bzapr.com, 813-421-0550
