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Special Olympics Florida Golf Classic: 2 Days of Fun and Fans!

The 8th Annual Special Olympics Florida Golf Classic, presented by Publix, was held at ChampionsGate Golf Club, May 15-16. The sold out tournament was supported by more than 60 sponsors and raised a record amount of revenue for the athletes of Special Olympics Florida!

The weekend kicked off with a reception Friday night with over 150 of our "fans" enjoying great food and drink along with spirited competition.  Master of ceremonies Adam Barr, of the Golf Channel, oversaw the evening's events which featured four golf challenges: Putting Championship, Glow-in-the-Dark Long Drive Contest, Par 3 Team Championship and a Closest-to-the-Pin Shootout.

During Saturday morning's pre-tournament warm-up, instructors from David Leadbetter's Academy provided swing tips and Dr. Bob Winters of the Golf Channel delivered an inspirational message.

The great day of golf ended with players enjoying dinner, live and silent auctions and awards presentations.  Honorary Chairman Tom McLaughlin, Publix Lakeland Division Vice-President, thanked all the sponsors for their support.

This tournament is just one of the ways Publix Super Markets supports Special Olympics Florida.  Publix Super Markets is Special Olympics Florida's Premier sponsor and with 37 years of continuous support, is also the longest-standing sponsor in the history of Special Olympics Florida.

See photos from the tournament!

TD Bank: Still Going Strong!

There's still plenty of time to join TD Bank in supporting Special Olympics Florida, now through July 15!

As part of a national partnership, TD Bank stores (currently in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties) are asking their customers to "Be a fan" of Special Olympics by helping them raise funds for Special Olympics through a variety of unique and fun ways.

Here are just a few ways you can team up with TD Bank to support South Florida's Special Olympics athletes:

• For a $5 donation,  you can sport a cool "Be a fan" bracelet - just pick one up at any TD Bank location!
• Is all that loose change slowing you down? Take it to TD Bank, have it converted to bills and choose to donate a portion (or maybe all?) of your conversion to Special Olympics.
• Visit www.tdbank.com/beafan to make an on-line donation. Easy!
• Make an in-store donation next time you're in.
• Take part in one of their special in-store, fun events that will benefit Special Olympics. Could be a car wash, a dunk tank, a bake sale, a concert...who knows what they'll come up with?! And our athletes are attending many of these events, so you'll get to meet a hometown hero! A running list of events is on our website at www.specialolympicsflorida.org/tdbank
• Have a commercial account with TD Bank? Talk to your account representative about how you can make a donation.

So find your nearest TD Bank, stop by, and "Be a fan" of Special Olympics!

We've Got Spirit (On-line), Yes We Do!

And now you can too! Special Olympics' magazine Spirit recaps events, innovations, news, and stories of triumph from around the world. And now it's available on-line for your enjoyment!

Spirit is an inspiring reminder that we're all part of a global movement.

Visit Special Olympics' website to view the latest issue recapping the 2009 World Winter Games.

Follow Us On Twitter

That's right, you can follow Special Olympics Florida on Twitter! Just follow us at "soflinfo".

Twitter's a great way to keep up with cool news, facts and fun info about Special Olympics Florida and it's completely free!

Don't have a Twitter account yet? Sign up today, search "soflinfo" or "Special Olympics FL" and start following us!

Xtreme Kingfish Tournament Series

We first told you about the new Xtreme Kingfish Tournament Series, benefiting Special Olympics Florida, in our last edition, but they're such cool events, it bears repeating...

The United States Kingfish Organization has joined forces with us and is hosting  the Xtreme Kingfish Tournament Series (XKTS), with proceeds benefiting Special Olympics Florida.

The offshore fishing tournaments target the King Mackerel, and the vision of XKTS is to build a unique tournament series that not only gives back, but treats the participants to dining and entertainment as part of their tournament experience.

The 2009-2010 Series kicks off July 30 - August 2 in St. Augustine, followed promptly by another tournament in Sebastian, August 6-9 and then Port Canaveral, September 25-27. In total, 20 tournaments are already in the works for the 2009/2010 tournament season!

XKTS is a registered non-profit organization which adds a whole new dimension to offshore tournament fishing by entry fees (all or portion, consult your tax specialist) being tax deductible to participants.

Spots are limited and are filling up fast, so for rules, info, locations, registration and everything else you need to know, visit the Xtreme Kingfish Tournament Series website now!