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Football Legends Classic Raises over $280,000
The 7th Annual Football Legends Classic took place on Monday, August 12, 2019, at the Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington, IL and brought in over $280,000 for the children of NPH!!
This event is a unique opportunity for attendees to play a round of golf with Football Hall of Famers and former NFL players. Some of our staple NFL players who attend each year include Reggie McKenzie (Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks), Joe DeLamielleure (Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns), and Doug Plank (Chicago Bears). We also had a few new special guests at the event this year including Gary Fencik (former Chicago Bear) and Darius Fleming (San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots), just to name a few.
As guests arrived, they were greeted by our volunteers and received a complimentary Weatherman Umbrella. These umbrellas were kindly donated to the event from our emcee Rick Reichmuth. The Weatherman Umbrella is one-of-a-kind. It can stand up to 55mph wind and repels water instead of soaking it into the fabric. Rick is known for being the weatherman on FOX NEWS and is the CEO and founder of the Weatherman Umbrella. What many people do not know is that Rick is a former international volunteer at our NPH Mexico Miacatlán home in the 90’s. While he was there, Rick focused on helping the special needs children with their physical therapy. As the night’s emcee, Rick started off by expressing the reward that came with spending a year of his life at NPH Mexico. He holds true to the statement, “It was the best year of my life.” Not only did Rick aid the pequeños, but NPH helped Rick as well. His ability to speak Spanish from his time in Mexico was the leading reason Rick received his first big break onto the news scene at CNN.
John Shinsky, current Chair of the National Board of Directors of NPH USA and his wife, Cindy Shinsky are the founders of Ciudad de los Niños, “City of the Children,” an NPH home in Matamoros, Mexico. Ten years ago, The Shinskys partnered with NPH USA and opened the doors to Ciudad de los Niños, a home for vulnerable children in Matamoros. That same year, 2009, John Shinsky, alongside Joe DeLamielleure, Eljay Bowron, and Dick Comar, rode a 2,000 mile bike ride from the Spartan Stadium to Ciudad de los Niños to raise funds and awareness for the new home.
Just before the paddle raise, which was new to this event, our emcee Rick, announced that an anonymous donor would match the amount the room raised up to $10,000 in honor of the home’s 10th anniversary and the bike ride. Excitement grew and inspired the room to raise an additional $30,000 during the paddle raise, all for the children of NPH.
We would like to thank our Presenting Partner, The Duffey Family; our Gold Partners, the Kellie and Marilyn Dean Family and JLL Capital Markets; our Eagle Partner, The Foglia Family Foundation and our Birdie Partner, Property Partners of Fox Valley; We would also like to thank everyone who has given generously to help make this event possible. We can’t wait to see you back on the green next year!
If you would like to hear more about the event, please listen to The Drive with Jack Ebling’s piece that was recorded at the golf course on event day. All event photos were generously taken by JAG Photography.
