Sports stats



CHL Mississippi RiverKings

'Tis the season for charity golf tournaments

August 5, 2004 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


OLIVE BRANCH—The sound of golf balls flying onto the fairways of the Wedgewood Golf Course, perfect weather and a gentle refreshing breeze equaled dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Thursday, August 5.

Bruce Orpet, Cellular South marketing specialist and chairman of the Cellular South Golf Classic to benefit M.D.A. gets deep satisfaction from knowing that the day's events will help muscular dystrophy patients.

It's been three and a half years since his own father died of Lou Gehrig's disease, and his wife's father died of the same disease some years before. Orpet is all too familiar with how muscular dystrophy affects families.

"Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or A.L.S., is the most devastating of all the forms of muscular dystrophy," Orpet said. "It debilitates the muscles, shrinking them. One day you just wake up and you can't breathe because your muscles won't respond, but your mind is perfectly fine so you know exactly what's happening. It's really hard."

Orpet decided to start the tournament in honor of his father three years ago. With help from co-workers, media and charitably-minded golfers, the event became an annual success. The first year, the tournament raised $3,000 and had 12 teams; last year, it brought in $6,000 and had 18 teams. This year, with 20 teams and separate contests on the course, the tournament will net more than $8,000 for the Association.

For instance, Memphis RiverKings team captain Don Parsons was stationed at the RiverKings' hole for a closest-to-the-pin contest. This year marks his third to be involved with the tournament.

"Muscular dystrophy affects lots of people, especially children," Parsons said. "I just like knowing that I've helped in some small way, and that there are people who would help my own two daughters if one of them was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy."

The RiverKings also sponsored a team in the tournament, which included Head Coach Mark Richards, Governor and Vice-President of Marketing and Sales Gary Saunders, and guests Dan Hajek of Mercury Printing and Steve Rutland of Rutland Creative.

"When you get 100 to 200 people out to an event who are willing to spend money on a good cause and take a day off work to do it, you are definitely going to help the philanthropy you choose," Richards said. "Charity golf tournaments are a great way for us to contribute. In addition to playing, you get to visit with a lot of people that you only get to see a few times a year. It's absolutely a great way to raise money for a worthy cause, and it's a lot of fun."

All proceeds from the tournament go to the local Muscular Dystrohpy Association office, which covers eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and the Memphis Metro Area.

"All the money stays here locally," Orpet said. "There's a clinic in Memphis where the patients go, there's the muscular dystrophy camps at Land Between the Lakes: that's really important to the families. It's a really neat thing. It goes for wheelchairs and crutches and all sorts of things like that. It's huge all the things that they do, and this tournament is just one of the ways they raise money."



Central Hockey League Stories from August 5, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Mississippi RiverKings Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central