It was a great team effort at the Don Strock Diabetes Golf Classic led by event hosts former Miami Dolphins QB Don Strock and The Produce Connection President Bruce Fishbein – where they welcomed 165 celebrity and amateur golfers and helped raise more than $135,000 for the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI). This year’s tournament, which was presented by Dade Media and held at the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club Wednesday, surpassed last year’s numbers in both funds raised and attendance.
Miami Dolphins alumni, other NFL pros, and TV and radio personalities including Dan Marino, Kim Bokamper, Nat Moore, Eddie Hill, Charles Bennett, Jason Jackson, Tony Fiorentino and John "Footy" Kross brought their A-games to try to help their respective foursomes win that day. They played an 18-hole tournament over three courses, which was followed by a cocktail hour and an awards dinner – where they enjoyed a delicious buffet and dessert. Guests also bid on hot items that included priceless autographed sports memorabilia, art work by South Florida artists Romero Britto and Alexander Mijares, exclusive golfing memberships and experiences, and more during live and silent auctions.
During the dinner program, attendees heard from Oscar Sotolongo Jr., who was the inspiration for the creation of the tournament after Strock and Fishbein met him 32 years ago.
“This team [DRI Foundation, Strock and Fishbein] over the course of 32 years has come up with almost $3-million,” said Sotolongo Jr. “How’d they do it?.. They put in 100-percent effort and they arrived at a goal. Today, we have a heck of a team out here and our goal is to cure diabetes. Let’s step up and let’s do it.”
Strock and Fishbein then took to the stage to thank Sotolongo Jr. for his inspirational speech and the sponsors who have helped make this event one of South Florida’s longest running celebrity/amateur charity golf tournaments, including presenting sponsor Arthur Hertz of Dade Media and golf sponsor Lennar Corporation.
Fishbein also took time to give special thanks to fellow members of the produce industry who have largely helped support this tournament including GPS; M & R Produce Distributors; Nickey Gregory Company, LLC; Southern Corporate Packers; The Produce Connection; Sotolongo Farms; Sierra Produce; Robinson Fresh; Mr. Greens Produce; Quality First Produce; and Next-Port Inc. Fishbein noted that when it comes to raising funds for a cure for diabetes, there is no competition among those in the industry, only unity.
Other sponsors who made the event possible were: Mr. Norm Heinrich; Esserman International; Cherry Bekaert, CPAs and Advisors; Mr. Joe Slater; Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza; Pollo Tropical; Warren Henry Auto Group; Heineken; Crystal Springs; Coca Cola Refreshments; Banks Beer; and Mutual of America.
The evening closed out with trophy presentations for winning teams, the announcement of money board and raffle winners, and prizes for individual golf contests – which included Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive, and the check presentation to DRI Foundation COO Deborah Chodrow of all the critical funds raised that day.
About the Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation
The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to develop a biological cure by restoring natural insulin production and normalizing blood sugar levels without imposing other risks. Researchers have already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, with some study patients living without the need for insulin injections for more than a decade. The Institute is now building upon these promising outcomes by developing the DRI BioHub, an integrated “mini organ” that mimics the native pancreas, containing thousands of insulin-producing cells that sense blood sugar levels and produce the precise amount of insulin needed in real time. For more information, please visit DiabetesResearch.org or call 800-321-3437. You can tweet DRI at @Diabetes_DRI.
Source: Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation
