Turning Stone Resort Championship

Oneida Nation Homelands- A total of 122 charities having a diverse array of missions are set to benefit from the Oneida Indian Nation's Turning Stone Resort Championship PGA TOUR event this fall.
 
From September 17 through 23, the Nation will host this official PGA TOUR event at its Atunyote Golf Club. Along with the tournament, Ray Halbritter, Nation Representative and Chief Executive Officer, has invited a number of regional civic and community leaders to join together as the 2007 Honorary Host Committee for the Upstate New York Empowerment Fund, the charitable component of the PGA TOUR event. Two programs, a tickets for charity program, which is a special inaugural year initiative, and "Birdies for Charity," a pledge program, are being offered to help local nonprofits raise funds for their organizations.       
 
"On behalf of the Upstate New York Empowerment Fund's 2007 Honorary Host Committee, I am delighted to report that so many organizations, and the people these charities serve, have taken advantage of this new avenue to add to their fundraising efforts through our PGA TOUR event," Halbritter noted.
 
The tickets for charity program allows participating groups to sell tickets to the event and to earn back 100% of the face value for every ticket they sell. "Birdies for Charity" is a pledge program whereby charity representatives take pledges from supporters regarding the number of birdies expected to be made in the pro section of the tournament.  Pledge-makers promise to pay a certain amount per birdie, similar to a per-mile sponsorship in a walkathon. 
 
The Upstate New York Empowerment Fund will be returning the proceeds of all charities' efforts in December, after invoicing, auditing and account reconciliation occurs after the tournament ends. 
 
The Empowerment Fund is chaired by Ray Halbritter, an avid golfer and strong proponent of the Turning Stone Resort Championship, as well as Upstate New York economic and community development. 
 
Nineteen distinguished civic and community leaders from throughout the area serve on the 2007 Honorary Host Committee, and they are: Beth Baldwin of Syracuse; J. Patrick Barrett of Manlius; Jim and Juli Boeheim of Fayetteville; Maurice Bordell of Chittenango; Charlie Constantino of New Hartford; Patrick Costello of Whitesboro; Christopher and RoAnn Destito of Rome; Michael J. Falcone of Syracuse; William Fitzpatrick of Syracuse; Maureen Green of Syracuse; John Kinsella of Manlius; John F.X. Mannion of Syracuse; Dr. Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., of Syracuse; Nicholas J. Pirro of Syracuse; Greg Robinson of Syracuse; David R. Smith, M.D., of Syracuse; and Melvin T. Stith of Syracuse.
 
The 122 charities that have enrolled to participate in the fundraising programs are:
 
Syracuse Area
Adapt, CNY- Syracuse
AIDS Community Resources- Syracuse
All Saints Elementary of Tipperary Hill- Syracuse
American Cancer Society- East Syracuse
Baldwinsville Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc- Baldwinsville
Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School- East Syracuse
Boys & Girls Clubs of Syracuse- Syracuse
Camillus Elks Lodge- Camillus
Camp Good Days and Special Times-Syracuse
Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund- Camillus
Cathedral Emergency Services Center- Syracuse
Central New York Road Hawks- Syracuse
Chadwick Residence, Inc.- Camillus
Church of the Holy Family- Syracuse
CNY Challenged Champions Fund- Syracuse
Crouse Health Foundation, Inc.- Syracuse
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation- Liverpool
Down Syndrome Association of CNY, Inc.- Manlius
Eastwood Rotary Foundation, Inc.- Fayetteville
Elmcrest Children's Center- Syracuse
Erie Canal Museum- Syracuse
Everson Museum of Art of Syracuse & Onondaga Co.- Syracuse
Fayetteville-Manlius/Jamesville-DeWitt Area Meals on Wheels- Manlius
Fayettville-Manlius - A Better Chance, Inc.- Manlius
Felder-Syracuse Track & Field Stadium, Inc.- Syracuse
Franciscan Collaborative Ministries- Syracuse
Friends of the Zoo - Rosamond Gifford Zoo- Syracuse
Hiawatha Seaway Council- Syracuse
Hope for Bereaved, Inc.- Syracuse
Huntington Family Centers, Inc.- Syracuse
It's About Childhood & Family, Inc.- Jamesville
Junior Achievement of Central New York- Liverpool
KARE Foundation, Inc.- Baldwinsville
La Festa Italiana- Syracuse
Make-A-Wish Foundation- East Syracuse
McMahon/Ryan Children Advocacy Site- Syracuse
Mental Health Association of Onondaga County- Syracuse
MercyWorks, Inc.- Syracuse
Multiple Sclerosis Resources of CNY, Inc.- East Syracuse
Onondaga Historical Association- Syracuse
Ophelia's Place- Syracuse
Person to Person: Citizens Advocacy Association, Inc.- Syracuse
Positively Pink Packages- Fayetteville
Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY- Syracuse
Samaritan Center- Syracuse
St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center Foundation, Inc.- Syracuse
St. Lucy's Church- Syracuse
SUNY ESF Alumni Association- Syracuse
Syracuse Community Health Center Foundation, Inc.- Syracuse
Syracuse Habitat for Humanity- Syracuse
Syracuse Jewish Family Service- Syracuse
Syracuse Lions Club Charity Fund, Inc.- Baldwinsville
Syracuse Northeast Community Center- Syracuse
Syracuse Opera Company- Syracuse
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of CNY- Syracuse
The Rescue Mission- Syracuse
The Salvation Army of the Syracuse Area- Syracuse
Transitional Living Services- Syracuse
Troop 62 Tully Boy Scouts- Tully
United Cerebral Palsy & Handicapped Children's Association of CNY- Syracuse
Upstate Medical University Foundation- Syracuse
YMCA of Greater Syracuse- Syracuse
 
Utica/Rome Area
American Diabetes Association- Utica
Bikes for Kids of Rome, Inc.- Rome
Boonville Black River Canal Museum- Boonville
Boy Scouts of America, Revolutionary Trails Council- Utica
Central Association for the Blind, Inc.- Utica
Central New York Community Arts Council- Utica
Central New York Labor Agency- Utica
Clinton Swim Club- Franklin Springs
Community Memorial Hospital, Inc.- Hamilton
Cornhill Community for Change- Utica
Cosmopolitan Center, Inc.- Utica
Family Advocacy Center, Inc.-Deerfield
Family Services of the Mohawk Valley, Inc.- Utica
Faxton - St. Luke's Healthcare Foundation- Utica
Healing Hearts Animal Sanctuary- Sauquoit
Herkimer County Chapter of NYSARC, Inc.- Herkimer
Holland Patent Chapter DAR- Barneveld
Humane Society of Rome, Inc.- Rome
Jewish Community Center- Utica
Kids Oneida, Inc.- Utica
Kirkland Art Center- Clinton
Kirkland Town Library- Clinton
Lupus Foundation of Mid and Northern NY, Inc.- Verona
Mid-York Child Care Coordinating Council- Oriskany
Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, Inc.- Rome
Mohawk Valley Performing Arts, Inc.- Utica
North Utica Senior Citizens Community Center, Inc.- Utica
Oneida County Habitat for Humanity, Inc.- Clinton
Parkway Senior Center- Utica
Pathfinder Village Foundation, Inc.- Edmeston
Peacemaker Program- Utica
Presbyterian Homes Foundation, Inc.- New Hartford
Rome Baseball Association, Inc.- Rome
Rome Catholic Schools- Rome
Rome Community Concert Band, Inc.- Rome
Rome Memorial Hospital Foundation, Inc.- Rome
Rome Sports Hall of Fame- Rome
St. Elizabeth's Medical Center Foundation- Utica
St. Mary's School- Clinton
The ARC, Oneida-Lewis Chapter- Utica
Thea Bowman House- Utica
The Genesis Group- Utica
Trinity United Methodist Church- Whitesboro
Utica Zoological Society, Inc.- Utica
YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley- Rome
YWCA of the Mohawk Valley- Utica
 
Other Areas
Building Futures Foundation- Oneida
Catholic Charities of Oswego County- Fulton
Catholic Education Foundation of the Southern Tier- Binghamton
Cayuga County Arts Council- Auburn
Cayuga Home for Child-Auburn
Cazenovia Area Community Development Association, Inc.- Cazenovia
Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum- Chittenango
Cortland County Chapter, American Red Cross- Cortland
Cortland Memorial Foundation, Inc.- Cortland
JM McDonald Sports Complex- Cortland
Sullivan Free Library- Chittenango
United Way of Greater Oswego County- Fulton
Wanderers Rest Humane Society- Canastota
YWCA of Cortland- Cortland
 
More information is available about the Turning Stone Resort Championship PGA TOUR event on its web site, www.turningstonechampionship.com.