Golf event chairmen hope for hole in one

— Connie and Ed Bennett of Maumelle had never shared a leadership role until the Make-AWish Foundation's Mid-South Chapter recruited them to serve as co-chairmen of its fourth annual Celebrity Golf Classic. Organizing, selling tickets and raising money for the June 2 event at Maumelle Country Club also puts them in charge of the same day's Wish Fest celebration and the preceding evening's Pocket Full of Wishes Party.

"We've been going to the party for four years now, and every time, I would leave extremely emotional," Connie said, after listening to parents relate the stories of the wishes granted to their children with life-threatening medical conditions. "You hear the parents speak about these children and the time that they had granted to them because of Make-A-Wish, and that it wasn't about medical tests or diagnosis or anything, it was just about their dreams and what they wanted to do, their wish."

The Bennetts have one daughter, Stacey, 18, who will be a freshman at the University ofCentral Arkansas this fall.

"As a parent of a basically grown kid, I know that children are very resilient, but to see a guy get up there and talk about the loss of his child, I don't know where that strength comes from," Ed said.

This year, the Mid-South Chapter will grant 270 wishes to children living in Arkansas, western Tennessee and northern Mississippi. Since it was established in 1986, the chapter has granted wishes to almost 3,000 children ages 2 1 /2 to 17. The good news is that nationally, 70 percent of "Wish Kids" are still alive.

"That's one of our biggest misconceptions," explained Kat Tucker, the Mid-South Chapter's Arkansas Development Coordinator. "With medical breakthroughs and technology, a lot of our kids are growing up to be adults."

For $2,500, four players can form a golf team as well as acquire eight tickets to the two associated parties. Each team is paired with a celebrity. This year's list includes boxer Jermain Taylor; Todd Day, former University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and NBA basketball player; Clint Stoerner, former Arkansas and NFL football player; former NFL player Jim Weatherley; and comedian Nehl Bobal. Individual players can also sign up to playand be assigned to a team. Nongolfers can buy individual tickets to either of the associated parties.

"It's fun to play with them," Ed Bennett said. He has played in the Classic with former NFL player Lance Zeno and actor Gary Hudson.

Ed is a senior vice president at Regions Insurance. His company traditionally buys a team at the golf tournament and previously sponsored a wish for a little boy, an experience he says he'll never forget. He also serves on the board of Women and Children First. Wife Connie teaches 3-year-olds at Miss Selma's. The couple are corporate co-chairmen of next year's Heart Ball, for which they will solicit corporate sponsorships to benefit the American Heart Association.

Children's wishes cost $5,000 on average. The most common wish granted is a visit to Disney World. Others include trips elsewhere, new computers or other electronics, shopping sprees and opportunities to meet celebrities.

Ed said that wishes benefit families of all socioeconomic levels because even wealthy families dealing with expensive medical treatment may not be able to afford trips and other luxury expenditures for their children.

Pocket Full of Wishes begins at 6:30 p.m. June 1 at Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St. The Swingin' Franks will perform, and there will be a live auction.Individual tickets are $45. The Make-A-Wish Celebrity Golf Classic is June 2 at Maumelle Country Club. That night's Wish Fest at the River Market Pavilion features Josh Green, Chris Denny and the Dempseys. The VIP party begins at 6:30 p.m.; tickets are $35. General admission opens at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $15. More information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation is available by calling (501) 376-9474 or online at www.midsouthwish.org.

High Profile, Pages 50, 54 on 05/18/2008

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