Fall Events Focus on Fitness & Fun
Throughout the San Antonio area this week, physical education teachers at 260+ elementary schools are attending in-service meetings and learning how they can help the Sports Foundation launch the fourth annual Valero Go!Kids Challenge™. Nearly 160,000 boys and girls will begin their eight-week routine exercise program on September 6, which will conclude with the Subway Victory Lap Celebration at the Alamodome on October 29. Encourage all the young people that you touch to make healthy choices, one of which is to exercise every day. Help us make San Antonio the best city to raise a fit kid.
The Sports Foundation is also gearing up to bring some other great athletic events to San Antonio this fall. You’ll soon hear details about our newest event, the Duck ‘N Dodge dodgeball tournament (really!), and the tenth year of the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Tournament at Blossom Stadium.
The other great news is that we will soon have information on how you can get your very own tickets to the UIL State 5A Championships at the Alamodome. Don’t wait until the teams are decided and the tickets are scarce. Put December 23 on your calendar and don’t miss the finest high school football games in Texas!
Dr.
Susan Blackwood
Executive Director
The Sports Foundation’s Anna Gomez (left) shares materials with Harlandale ISD PE teachers. |
Valero Go!Kids Challenge™ Goes Back to School
This week, the Sports Foundation is briefing P.E. teachers about the 2006 Valero Go!Kids Challenge. More than 160,000 children from 262 elementary schools will be able to participate in this year’s Valero Go!Kids Challenge which launches on Wednesday, September 6. New this year is a shift toward motivating youngsters to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week.
Many thanks to the Sports Foundation volunteers who have prepared packets for each school. The packets include activity journals for each child, which were generously printed by Methodist Healthcare Systems and Mission Pharmacal. Also included are posters, and bilingual letters for parents. For more information on the Valero Go!Kids Challenge contact us at inform@sanantoniosports.org or 210-820-2100.
Sports Foundation staffer Jenny Carnes toughs out the competition in the sand |
Fatso’s Sand Volleyball Tourney Benefits Sports Foundation
Last weekend, Fatso’s Sports Garden hosted its first annual Sand Volleyball Tournament attracting men’s and women’s two-person teams from the local area and several states. The tournament, which benefited the San Antonio Sports Foundation, was sponsored by Academy Sports & Outdoors and Bud Light. The event offered a total of $6000 in prize money. The men’s title went to Steve Hinds from Muskogee, Oklahoma and Derrick Zimmerman from Baton
Rouge, Louisiana.
The women’s winners were twin sisters Rebecca and Olaya Pazo, originally from Venezuela and recent graduates of Rice University.
 Ginobili Jersey Winner Named
For the last few months, an autographed Manu Ginobili jersey has been the focus of a Sports Foundation fundraising raffle. On July 2 during the final game of the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship for Men Soctt Badger's winning entry was drawn. The lucky recipient of the framed jersey purchased his ticket at the Sports Foundation’s Championship Luncheon on June 16. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the nonprofit Sports Foundation and its youth programs.
U.S. Paralympics National Swimming Championships
The U.S. Paralympics National Swimming Championships will take place this week, August 10–12, at the Palo Alto College Natatorium. The competition will feature 140 athletes from 76 teams and five countries. Athletes from the U.S. Paralympics Elite and National Teams are scheduled to compete, as well as athletes from Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Singapore.
Competition will take place Aug. 10-12, with the preliminaries beginning each day at 9:00 a.m. and finals at 5:00 p.m. The three days of competition will conclude with the announcement of the World Championships Team Selection at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 13. Don’t miss this opportunity to see these talented swimmers in action. Admission is free to the public.
Pan American Cadet/Junior Fencing Championships
World-class fencers from 24 countries in North, Central and South America will meet in San Antonio, August 23–27, for the Pan American Cadet/Junior Fencing Championships at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Top fencers from this event will qualify to compete in the Junior/World Championships and/or the Pan American Games in 2007.
Be a part of this exciting event, interact with world-class athletes and help San Antonio make a great impression – volunteer! Contact Michelle Rodriguez at 820-2191 or mrodriguez@sanantoniosports.org to volunteer today. Admission is free for spectators.
Ride a Hog!
 Go hog wild at the 12th annual For the Love of Kids and Harleys benefit gala Tuesday, September 19 at 7 p.m. in Cowboys Dance Hall. The Sports Foundation’s Dreams for Youth program is one of the children’s charities that benefits from this annual event. Country music legend George Strait will serve as guest auctioneer of a new Harley Big Twin, while Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes provide the musical entertainment.
New this year is an exciting raffle with three great prizes:
- Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 motorcycle
- Matching his & hers Cartier watches
- California Harley Dreaming – including air, hotel and Harley rentals for 1
Just click here to purchase your raffle tickets now. They cost $25 each or five for $100. You can also get your tickets for the big night so you can be there for all the fun! For more information or to donate an item to the For the Love of Kids and Harleys silent auction, contact Jenny Carnes at 820-2104 or jcarnes@sanantoniosports.org.
Birdies for Charity Needs You
 Submit your pledges for the Birdies for Charity program, a fundraiser held in conjunction with the Valero Texas Open and you could win great prizes while earning money for the Sports Foundation.
We are asking everyone to make a minimum pledge of one-penny per birdie made during the 2006 Valero Texas Open at La Cantera, September 18-24, 2006. Of course, you can always pledge more if you like, or make a flat contribution of at least $20.00. There is even “Birdies Club” for corporate donors or individuals who pledge a minimum of $1 per birdie or make a straight contribution of $1,000 or more. In turn, you will be recognized as a Birdies Club member on a sign displayed during the tournament week. You will also receive two weekend tickets and a parking pass to the Valero Texas Open.
You can also guess the number of birdies made during the tournament and win an all-new 2007 Buick Lucerne courtesy of General Motors. Here’s a hint: 2531 birdies were made last year.
To participate in Birdies for Charity, go to www.golfsanantonio.org and click on the Charity Events icon. From there, choose the Birdies for Charity link, which will take you to the payment page. When you get to the select a charity section, scroll down until you find San Antonio Sports Foundation Dreams for Youth. Or, contact Gretchen Garceau-Kragh at 820-2109 or gkragh@sanantoniosports.org to have pledge forms mailed to you.
Introducing Dorsena Picknell
 The San Antonio Sports Foundation is pleased to welcome Dorsena Picknell to our team. Dorsena comes to San Antonio after working 20 years in minor league baseball. She spent the past eight years serving as the VP/GM of the Salt Lake Bees (Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).
“I wanted a change in my life,” says Dorsena. “I’m excited to work with the Sports Foundation because the people here are so great. There is great support from the board and staff.”
Her experiences in baseball have prepared her with a vast amount of expertise in marketing, finance, sales, public relations, and event planning. As the director of membership sales, Dorsena will work to secure Sports Foundation corporate and individual memberships.
“There is more opportunity to work on youth focused events (with the Sports Foundation). It’s exciting to work towards gaining support for opportunities that benefit the community while helping to further the dreams of young athletes."
Interested in learning more about becoming a Sports Foundation member? Contact Dorsena at dpicknell@sanantoniosports.org or 210-820-2112.
Champions
Club
Individual
Members at $1,000+
Gary & Shelia Arthur; Col. George Becknell; George P. Becknell, III; Morton Baird;
Sam Barshop; Ed Benninger; James Blackwood; Susan Blackwood;
June Bratcher; Tim Brierty; Howard Burris; Jim Callaway;
Jeff Clark; Ross Davis; James Doyle; Jim Dublin; Charlie
Ebrom; Steve Edlund; Donald Engelhardt; Dr. Frank Fichtel;
Pat & Kelley Frost; Dr. Jamie Garza; Claude Gilmer;
William Greehey; Joe Guinn; Bill & Marcia Hanson;
Cheryl Haywood; Peter Holt; Scott Hefner;
Scott Helbing; George C. Hixon; Michael Imbimbo; Steve Isom; Stacey Johnson;
Michael Jourdan; Greg & Leigh Ann King; James Mickey;
Phil Miner; Bob & Laura Raymond; Tom Reardon; Marty
Roos; Dr. Robert Schnitzler; Dr. David Schmidt; Dr.
Earl Smith; Steve Souter; Neill Walsdorf, Jr.; Carri
Wells; Jeff Wentworth; Paul Young
Corporate
Champions
City of San Antonio; AT&T
$50,000
Creative Link; IKON Office Solutions;
San Antonio Express-News; Valero Energy Corporation
$20,000
Langley & Banack; Pepsi Bottling
Group; San Antonio Coca-Cola Bottling Co; Whataburger,
Inc.
$10,000
Budget Car & Truck Rental; Cingular
Wireless; Flemming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; Maverick Video Production; NuMedia: Oak
Farms Dairy; Paladin IT Services; Spectrum Health
Clubs; Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio,
The Dominion Country Club
$5,000
George Becknell; Bender & Associates;
BudCo., Inc.; The CE Group - Communication & Events;
ChapmanSchewe Benefits Consulting; Comet Neon Advertising;
The Darmstetter Company; Ernst & Young; Frost
Bank; H-E-B Grocery Company; The Gambrinus Company;
Hertz Corporation; KPMG; Marriott Plaza San Antonio;
Merrill Lynch; Methodist Healthcare System; Miner
Corporation; The Plaza Club; Security Service Federal
Credit Union; Sterling Bank; SWBC; US Global Investors;
Walton Signage; Wells Fargo Bank; Zachry Hospitality,
Inc.
$2,500
Allegra Print & Imaging; Allied Advertising; Bank of
America; Broadway National Bank; Catering by Don Strange;
Colonial Supplemental Insurance; Cox Smith Matthews
Incorporated; Ear Medical Group; FIRSTMARK Credit
Union; First Rate Investment Systems;
GLI Distributing; Halo Distributing; Marriott Plaza
San Antonio; Marriott Rivercenter/Riverwalk; Mission
Pharmacal; Pape-Dawson Consulting Engineers, Inc.;
San Antonio Economic Development Foundation; Sterling
Foods; Tesoro Petroleum Companies; Yantis Company
Grants/Foundations
The Alfred S. Gage Foundation, Bexar
County Health & Human Services CDBG; Bexar County
Women's Bar Foundation; Brown Foundation; Charity
Ball Foundation; Coleman Foundation; Criminal Justice
Division JJDP Grant; Criminal Justice Division Safe
and Drug Free Schools Grant; GAC Halff Foundation;
Light Foundation; Myra Stafford Pryor Charitable Trust;
The Sequor Foundation; David & Betty Sachs Foundation;
Smith Barney; Women’s Sports Foundation
Founding
Sponsors
City of San Antonio; H-E-B; USAA Foundation,
A Charitable Trust; Valero Energy Corporation
|
