Green Foundation golf tourney nets nearly $60K

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- A number of NASCAR celebrities descended on Owensboro, Ky., on July 18 to take part in the Seventh Annual Green Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament at Summit Country Club.

Co-founded by NASCAR drivers Jeff and Mark Green, the Green Foundation raised close to $60,000 through this year's event, which was sponsored by Best Buy, the primary sponsor of Jeff Green's No. 66 Nextel Cup Series entry.

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Funds raised will be distributed among a number of charities, including the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Motor Racing Outreach (MRO), the Owensboro Area Museum of Science and History's "SPEEDZEUM," the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center, as well as other Owensboro area charities.

The foundation also presented a $5,000 donation to Fisher House Foundation, which establishes "comfort homes," facilities built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers, to provide lodging for families of hospitalized military members.

"It was another great event," Jeff Green said. "We couldn't do it without a lot of help from all the folks back in Owensboro, and all the locals who volunteer their time. Thank you to Best Buy for sponsoring the tournament, and thanks to Valor Oil for all the legwork they did to make this thing happen. It's a lot of planning and a lot of work. Mark's wife, Cathy, and my wife, Michelle, also put in a lot of time, and Mark and I can't thank them enough."

The tournament was attended by a number of NASCAR celebrities, including two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip, broadcaster and former NASCAR crew chief Larry McReynolds, two-time Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie, NASCAR driver Aric Almirola and former NASCAR driver Jason Jarrett, among others.

"We owe a big thanks to Michael Waltrip for letting us use his plane to get everyone from North Carolina up to Kentucky, and for being a part of the tournament," Mark Green said. "We also owe a huge debt to Larry McReynolds and his son for taking the time to come out, Aric Almirola, Jason Jarrett, Randy LaJoie and his sons, and everyone else who supported the event.

"It really does feel good to be able to give back to the community, and it just goes to show what huge hearts those guys have. It's the last off weekend of the season, and they're still willing to give their time to help charities. We can't say enough about all of them. We're looking forward to doing it again."

In addition to the golf tournament, the occasion featured an autograph session and an auction of sports memorabilia, including items donated by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Kyle and Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer, among others.

Samsung Electronics America Inc., and Garmin, associate sponsors of the No. 66 Chevrolet, donated a Plasma HD TV and two portable Global Positioning Systems, respectively, as raffle items for the event.

To find out more about the Green Foundation, visit www.thegreenfoundation.org/.