(From left to right) Actor Patrick Warburton, Rick Tinger, Jonathan Wilhelm, Lawrence Amaturo, Jim Forni and actor Richard Karn pose for a photo before teeing off in the 6th annual Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament.
The 6th annual Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament brought together more than 1,000 people in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital from March 6 – 13 in Palm Desert, California.
This year’s event raised more than $1.7 million, a record-breaking total. In its history, the event has raised more than $4.7 million to help ensure that no family receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
The fundraiser is hosted by actor Patrick Warburton, known for his role as David Puddy on Seinfeld, Jeff Bingham on Rules of Engagement, and now starring in a new series called Crowded.
The tournament, held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs and Classic Club, is now the centerpiece of what has grown to become “St. Jude Week in the Desert” with a 5K Run/Walk, Songwriters Night, and a Friday night Jam Session.
“This tournament is so extraordinary because of the way it incorporates musicians — we keep hearing consistently there is no other event like this in the desert,” said Clarke Rheney, tournament chairman. “We have rock and roll legends and hall-of-famers who come out to this event to share their music and do their part to raise money and awareness for the kids of St. Jude.”
The Jam Session featured performances by Kim Carnes, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Micky Dolenz, The Gin Blossoms, Alex Lifeson of Rush, Wally Palmar of The Romantics, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Alice Cooper and many more.
On Saturday of event week Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. CEO John Morberg announced the company had raised $300,000 for St. Jude through the group’s Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants. From January 15 to February 29, Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes patrons had the opportunity to donate to St. Jude at the register when paying for their meals.
“We are grateful to have such generous guests who want to help raise funds for St. Jude” Morberg said. “By donating $1 or more at the register, our guests are doing more than giving money, they are helping save lives.”
Event sponsors included Enterprise Holdings, BMW of Palm Springs, Greater Palm Spring Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, News Channel 3/CBS Local 2, Shakti Warriors, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
The presenting sponsor for the 5K was HighTower Palm Desert. It was hosted by Classic Club, with additional sponsors Anthony Vineyards, Desert Empire Insurance Services, Godecke Clark, Hyde’s Air Conditioning & Heating and Pro-tech Mats Industries.