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PHILIPSBURG, Pa. – July 3, 2016 — The second annual "Tee Off for T-Cells" charity golf tournament is set to take place at the Philipsburg Elks Lodge & Country Club on Friday, July 15, 2016. The event, held by the Emily Whitehead Foundation, will bring together community members and golfers, including local sponsors and special guest celebrity athletes, to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

The CNB Bank sponsored event will again be hosted by Oakland Raiders long snapper and Philipsburg native Jon Condo. Both Condo and the Emily Whitehead Foundation are looking forward to holding “Tee Off for T-Cells” a second time.

“It has always been important to me to be involved with charitable work and to be a part of the Emily Whitehead Foundation is quite special,” says Condo. “Tom [Whitehead] and I thought it would be a fun way to get the community together and bring awareness to the awesome work that the doctors at [Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia] are doing.”

Last summer’s inaugural tournament raised over $40,000—the funds of which went toward Emily Whitehead Foundation’s first grant in the amount of $100,000, awarded to Dr. Stephan Grupp, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and used to further develop and provide T-cell therapy to children with cancer.

Special guests will include: Matt McGloin, former Penn State quarterback and Oakland Raider; Nate Stupar, of the New Orleans Saints; Jon Weeks, of the Houston Texans; Zak DeOssie, of the New York Giants; and Kerry McCoy, former Penn State wrestler, two-time Olympian and University of Maryland wrestling head coach. Golfers and community members may have the opportunity to meet these celebrity athletes by attending the post-tournament social hour.

Golfers have already filled all available spots for the tournament; however, the public is invited and encouraged to attend the silent auction and post-tournament live auction and social hour.

Auction items will include various sports memorabilia, donated from professional athletes and teams such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Raiders; vacation packages, to several destinations including NIZUC Resort & Spa, Cancun, Mexico and Sonoma Valley, California; and tickets to professional sporting events, including the World Series and NFL Pro Bowl.

While attending the live auction and social hour will require purchase of a ticket, the silent auction will be free admission and open to the public—a change from last year. Other changes include having separate morning and afternoon tee times to accommodate more golfers and the implementation of mobile bidding for the silent auction, so golfers can place bids while on the course.

Donations for additional auction items are still being accepted and sponsorships for tee signs and hole advertisements are still available to purchase.

Emily Whitehead Foundation Co-founder Tom Whitehead says the goal in hosting this charity golf tournament is to have a lot of fun and save the lives of children who need to receive T-cell therapy when other cancer treatments fail.

“We feel blessed for every day that we get to spend with Emily,” says Whitehead. “There are families all over the world that are trying to get into the trial that saved Emily.”

“Everyone who supports the golf tournament is helping other children receive the breakthrough T-cell therapy treatment that Emily received,” says Emily Whitehead Foundation Co-founder Kari Whitehead. “We started the foundation to help save other children's lives and with all of the support we have had we can say we are definitely making a direct impact.”

Emily Whitehead Foundation also looks forward to keeping the event local, in Philipsburg—the hometown of both the Whitehead family and host Jon Condo.

“Having the event in Philipsburg means a lot to myself and the foundation,” says Condo. “The community has done a tremendous job in supporting Emily throughout the years and this tournament is just a small way to show our appreciation.”

More information on “Tee Off for T-Cells”, including a complete list of auction items and social hour ticket information, can be found at www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/golf.

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CONTACT:

Tom Whitehead
Emily Whitehead Foundation
P.O. Box 681, Philipsburg, PA 16866
Phone: 814-577-4696
Email: ewf@emilywhiteheadfoundation.org
Website: www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org/golf

About the Emily Whitehead Foundation:

The Emily Whitehead Foundation is a non-profit that raises awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. The Foundation aims to provide funding to researchers to develop innovative and less toxic treatments, such as immunotherapy, for pediatric cancer patients. Emily Whitehead is a three-time cancer survivor who is alive today because of T-cell therapy, a form of immunotherapy. Emily was the first child in the world to receive T-cell therapy. The Foundation shares Emily’s story to inspire others to take action in the fight against pediatric cancer. We believe in a cure!

For more information on the Emily Whitehead Foundation: www.emilywhiteheadfoundation.org

UPDATE (July 5, 2016): Jon Weeks of the Houston Texans, listed as a special guest, will no longer be attending the tournament. All remaining special guests should be regarded as subject to change.