AREA’S PREMIER GOLF EVENT  IN ITS TWENTY- THIRD YEAR

It started with a simple idea for a small golf tournament and turned into an organization that has touched more than a million lives of  children, adults, and families in need in western North Carolina.

And since that first ball was placed on a tee at Reems Creek Golf Club in the Spring of 1990,  Eblen Charities has grown to serve  those in times of need in our community.

On Tuesday, May 15th the quarterback of the Super Bowl XXXVII Champion  Tampa Bay Buccaneers  will again return home to  host the 23rd Annual Verizon Wireless / Brad Johnson Celebrity Golf Classic to benefit the work of  Eblen Charities

Thanks to Brad the tournament has grown since its inception from a 20 team afternoon event to a three day event fielding 68 teams in morning and afternoon rounds.

This will be the ninth year the Jack Nicholas Signature Golf  Course will host the event, and bring Brad and a host of other celebrities to their championship course along with local teams.

“I always look forward to this time of year, coming back to Asheville, and being able to be part of this wonderful event,” says Brad. “I get a chance to see my old friends, family, coaches and teammates from Owen. But most of all, it’s coming back home and joining Eblen Charities, Verizon Wireless and all the sponsors, teams, and their  outreach that touches so many children, adults, and families in their times of need here at home. I have yet to see a more effective  organization anywhere than Eblen. It is great honor for me be be part of their outreach and serve as honorary chairman.”

Through the combined efforts of more than 60 teams, dozens of sponsors, and more than 70 volunteers, the Verizon Wireless / Brad Johnson Celebrity Golf Classic not only has grown to be one of the premier tournaments in western North Carolina but has touched hundreds of thousands of lives during the past 22 years.

“This event is more than our and Brad’s signature event. It is where Eblen Charities began and everything we have done since that time.  The countless lives that have been touched never would have happened if it hadn’t been for the first tournament in 1990. Without the courage and vision of Milo Garren, Joe Ward,  Harry Giezentanner, Jamie Blue, Guy Roberts, Steve Whittington, and the others in the early years, the work of the Eblen Charities may have never happened,” remarks executive director Bill Murdock.

We are grateful to all  our sponsors and teams who are joining us again this year and who had so much to do with the tournament’s success and growth through out the years.

Thanks  also to Jim Anthony for his kindness and generosity in hosting us again this year. Paul Henriksen and his staff at the Cliffs put on a tournament like no other course we have ever played. Their professionalism and attention to detail have made Walnut Cove one of the most sought after venues anywhere.

If you or your company would like to join the Verizon / Brad Johnson Celebrity Golf Classic or if you would like to be part of this year’s golf committee, please contact Bill Murdock at 828-242-2848 or at eblenfound@aol.com.