THE PLAYERS announces Birdies for Charity winner

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(Clockwise from l to r) Henry Hughes, PLAYERS CEO and Grand Prize Winner, Joe Vella; Mary Ann Thomas, of the Winston Family YMCA, and Michelle Dunham; the three winners.

Joe Vella, a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation board member whose grandson has juvenile diabetes, was selected among three finalists as the 2009 Birdies for Charity Grand Prize Winner.

During the 2009 PLAYERS Championship, 1,502 birdies were made and three participants of Birdies for Charity all guessed within one birdie. According to contest rules, a drawing would determine the grand prize winner.

The drawing was held May 22, 2009, in The Presidents Cup Library at TPC Sawgrass. The three names were drawn from The Presidents Cup trophy, which was appropriate since Vella won an all-expense paid trip to The Presidents Cup in San Francisco in October.

Fitz Powell, who supported Gateway Community Services, received the second-place prize, a two-day golf school at the TOUR Academy TPC Sawgrass, accommodations, golf rounds and lunch.

Brendon Thomas Kemp, who supported the St. Johns County Police Athletic League, received the third-place prize, a night of fine dining for four with accompanying wines in Traditions at TPC Sawgrass.

Vella says he didn't enter and gather extra pledges just to win, but rather because he knows personally how important it is raise funds for research. When his name was drawn, he admitted it was pretty exciting.

"I was dumbfounded. It's very exciting to win. But, I don't do it for the prizes, I do it for the support of the organization," said Vella. "I reached out to everyone in my Rolodex, some people were across the country. If they could hold a golf club or owed me a favor, I called them."

He added that the win is an added bonus for his family because despite several medical setbacks, his grandson Alex will graduate this month with his class.

More than $230,000 was raised through the 2009 Birdies for Charity campaign among the 68 First Coast non-profit organizations that signed up to participate. The Winston Family YMCA was recognized as the 'Leading Money Winner' and received an additional check for $10,000 from THE PLAYERS, bringing their earnings to $57,000 dollars. The Jacksonville School for Children with Autism was acknowledged for having the most participants by gathering 284 pledges. They were awarded a $5,000 check for being the 'Gallery of the Year' in addition to the $10,000 they raised.

"THE PLAYERS support, through grant funding and Birdies for Charity, has allowed JSCA to build lending libraries for autism resources, specialized curriculums and general autism information," said its Executive Director, Michelle Dunham. "All resources are shared with public and private educators in the field of autism."