Premier golfers are chipping in to help raise awareness and funding to address health and wellness concerns facing Native American communities during the annual event held at the award-winning Upstate New York resort.
Verona, NY (PRWEB) July 28, 2014
The Oneida Indian Nation today announced that golf legend Tiger Woods and an incredible field of accompanying PGA TOUR players will be teeing up with four-time PGA TOUR winner and golf analyst Notah Begay III for the seventh annual Notah Begay III Foundation (NB3F) Challenge. Returning to Turning Stone Resort Casino's Atunyote® Golf Club on Wednesday, August 27, the star-studded field revealed today will include Woods, Jason Dufner, Jimmy Walker, Jonas Blixt, Angel Cabrera and Louis Oosthuizen, in addition to Begay.
The largest fundraising event across Indian Country, the Notah Begay III Foundation (NB3F) Challenge aims to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes and support leadership development among Native American youth.
Longstanding partners like the Oneida Indian Nation have enabled the annual NB3F Challenge to raise more than $5 million since the tournament began in 2008, with all proceeds benefiting Native communities. Turning Stone Resort Casino, which hosts the NB3F Challenge, is an economic enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation.
“It's an honor to welcome Notah to once again use Oneida Nation homelands as a stage to shine a bright light on some of the major challenges facing Native children,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter. “The work the Foundation is doing to underscore the importance of health and to provide brighter futures for our youth is something we respect and are proud to support. As leaders in Indian Country, we are reminded that our decisions and actions will impact future generations, which is why supporting Notah's Foundation Challenge is so critically important as we work to confront the serious health challenges facing Native American youth.”
Begay said: “We are excited to announce an important shift in the focus of the Foundation from running programs to empowering Native communities by directing more strategic grant making, providing access to research and delivering advocacy on behalf of Indian Country. Our success over the past six years is due in large part to the success of this event and that gives us great optimism for what we will accomplish in the future. Thanks also to Oneida Indian Nation and all the passionate fans. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to return to Central New York and continue strengthening our partnership.”
Turning Stone, which has hosted the NB3F Challenge for several years, is an award-winning, four-season destination resort in Upstate New York. In addition to several PGA-level golf courses, Turning Stone offers world-class gaming, spa facilities, dining, entertainment and accommodations at its sprawling 3,400 acre facility.
It is predicted that half of Native children will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime, but NB3F is working hard to reverse that statistic. Since 2005, NB3F has piloted and evaluated comprehensive physical fitness and health programs, serving nearly 20,000 Native youth and families. Designing these models, which are easy to replicate and scale up or down, has laid the groundwork for NB3F to expand its services on a greater stage.
At the 2013 NB3F Challenge, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, NB3F launched its national initiative, Native Strong: Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures. This initiative focuses on research, grantmaking and advocacy across Indian County, and has since provided seed money to Native communities in eight states and 20 tribal communities. The positive impact of programs funded by NB3F highlights the meaningful change Native communities can create through collaborative efforts.
Field and Format
This year's Challenge will feature a field of eight golfers representing two teams of four players – Team USA and Team International, competing in a combined best-ball format. Each team is comprised of two pairs playing best ball; the team's final score will be determined by combining the score of those two pairs.
Team USA is headlined by Tiger Woods with his 79 PGA TOUR and 14 Major victories. Marking his fifth year in the Challenge, Woods once again will pair up with Begay, a testament to their enduring friendship and shared passion for NB3F's mission. Jason Dufner, 2013 PGA Champion, previous Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team member with three PGA TOUR victories, and Jimmy Walker, No. 1 in FedEx Cup rankings and 2014 Ryder Cup participant, will round out the team.
The talented pair of Jonas Blixt, two-time PGA TOUR winner and runner-up in the 2014 Masters, and Angel Cabrera, two-time Major Champion and four-time Presidents Cup team member, will join forces to represent Team International. They'll hit the links along with Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 British Open Champion, former Presidents Cup participant and runner-up in the 2012 Masters and a fourth international competitor to be announced shortly.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the 2014 NB3F Challenge are on sale now, and may be purchased by contacting the Turning Stone Box Office at 315-361-SHOW (7469) or visiting the Box Office which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at $50 for adults. Youth admission for 16 and under is provided complimentary with purchase of an adult ticket (must be requested at time of original purchase). Active Military receive a 50 percent discount upon presentation of a valid military I.D. Overnight packages also are available by calling 1-800-771-7711.
For more information about the NB3F Challenge, visit: http://www.nb3foundation.org.
Key Background
About Notah Begay III Foundation
In 2005, Notah Begay III established the Notah Begay III Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Notah established the Notah Begay III Foundation (NB3F) to address the profound health and wellness issues impacting Native American children and to empower those youth and help them realize their potential as tomorrow's leaders. The mission of NB3F is to reduce the incidences of obesity and diabetes and advance the lives of Native American children through sports and wellness programming. To this end, the mission NB3F supports is the development of sustainable, evidence-based and innovative soccer and golf programs designed by Native Americans for Native American youth that promote physical fitness, wellness and leadership development.
For more information on Notah Begay III and NB3F, visit: http://www.nb3foundation.org.
About Turning Stone Resort Casino
A premier four-season, destination resort in Upstate New York, the Oneida Indian Nation's Turning Stone Resort Casino is conveniently located about 30 miles east of Syracuse at NYS Thruway exit 33. Turning Stone was named “Most Excellent Golf Resort” in 2010 by Condé Nast Johansens. The Academy of Country Music named Turning Stone “Casino of the Year” in 2009. The resort offers world-class gaming, golf, entertainment, accommodations and spa facilities, and has earned AAA Four Diamond ratings for The Lodge, The Tower Hotel, and Wildflowers restaurant.
For more information and reservations, call (315) 361-7711 or 1-(800) 771-7711. Visit the websites at http://www.turningstone.com and http://www.oneidaindiannation.com
About the Oneida Indian Nation
The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. A founding member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy), the Oneida Indian Nation sided with the Americans in the Revolutionary War and was thanked by Congress and President George Washington for its loyalty and assistance. Today, the Oneida Nation consists of about 1,000 enrolled Members, most of them living in Central New York. The Nation's enterprises, which employ 4,500 people, include Turning Stone Resort Casino, the SāvOn chain of gas stations and convenience stores, RV Park, three marinas, Indian Country Today Media Network – the premier national multi-media source for American Indian news and information, and Four Directions Productions - a 3D animation HD cinematography studio. Proceeds from these enterprises are used to rebuild the Nation's economic base and provide essential services, including housing, health care, and education incentives and programs, to its Members.
For more information, visit the Nation's website http://www.oneidaindiannation.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/notah-begay-golf/turning-stone-resort/prweb12051421.htm
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