More than $300,000 raised by Tampa Bay sports stars for children
TAMPA, Fla. - On Friday morning, the fairways and tee boxes at TPC Tampa Bay weren't filled with the sounds of another round of golf, but the sound of hundreds of thousands of dollars being raised for charity.
When Bob and Donna Richie lost their son, Jason, to a car crash in 2009 they set out to raise money to help other kids that loved sports as much as Jason did.
"We just never knew where this would go from the beginning," said Donna Richie.
Their goals turned into the Richie Hockey Foundation, which offers scholarships and free clinics to young athletes both in Florida and around the country.
"It's about improving confidence. It's about improving self-esteem and it's about some skill sets," said Bob Richie.
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Six years ago, meanwhile, the Richies decided to up the ante and began hosting the Legends of Sport Charity Golf Tournament to raise even more money than before.
Now, the foundation has the help of hall-of-fame athletes like Warren Sapp and Barry Larkin, who have both played in the tournament for the last three years.
The Richie Hockey Foundation, which offers scholarships and free clinics to young athletes both in Florida and around the country.
"We talk about the people that come, the cause that it's for, it's a joy for me to come every year," said Sapp.
Since the foundation's move to the Tampa Bay area, the Richie Hockey Foundation has raised more than $2 million, and counting, for young athletes to live out their dreams.
"Good people and an even better cause. That's what I like to say," stated Sapp.
True to the foundation's beliefs, the weekend also includes a free baseball clinic and hockey goalie clinic coached by the same stars.
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"It's really important for us to understand that our time as professional athletes, now ex-professional athletes, is gone. So we want to leave the game in good hands," said Barry Larkin.
Over time this annual event has become more than just a fundraiser. It's a weekend of all-stars lending a helping hand to tomorrow's stars.
The charity golf tournament raised $300,000 for youth sports.
"I was that kid once," says Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson.
"And I know there was someone who gave me the opportunity to show me the right way and what it takes to be a professional."
This year the charity golf tournament helped raise more than $300,000 on top of the more than $2 million the Richie Hockey Foundation has already donated.