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Camp Quality selected for Bridgestone Award

Golf group gives away $917,000 to charities

By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Thursday, Mar 19, 2009

Mary Beth Palmer and Angie Matesevac arrived Wednesday morning at the Bridgestone Akron Technical Center in a state of enthusiasm.

They left in a state of shock after receiving an unexpected gift.

''It's truly unbelievable and shocking what happened,'' said Palmer, assistant director of Camp Quality at the Portage Lakes.

''I'm at a loss for words, but I don't mind it because what happen was so unexpected and so wonderful.''

Camp Quality received a $2,000 grant from Northern Ohio Golf Charities as part of the $917,000 the group distributed in money generated from the 2008 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Grants went to 48 worthy causes in Northeast Ohio.

The $2,000 grant will enable Camp Quality, which is a yearlong service provider for children with cancer and their families, to purchase a sound system, screen and projector for the summer camp.

That gift was expected.

What wasn't expected was an additional $5,000 check directly from Bridgestone Americas Inc., which selected Camp Quality as the recipient of the first Bridgestone Award.

''The Bridgestone Award will enable us to do more things for the children who are cancer patients, both when they are in the hospital and throughout the rest of the year after they get out,'' said Palmer, whose group hosted 95 kids at Camp Quality last summer.

''We don't know exactly where the money will go because we had no idea that we'd be getting it. It is truly a wonderful thing, and we're very grateful to get the first Bridgestone Award.

''We're all about hope, but we never could have hoped to have gotten all of this. It's truly wonderful for the children.''

Bridgestone Americas CEO Mark Emkes said the creation of the Bridgestone Award is another way that Bridgestone can give back to the community.

''The community has been great to us, and we're showing our appreciation,'' Emkes said. ''This [Bridgestone Award] simply takes it to another level.

''The Bridgestone Invitational certainly is a win for everyone involved. Bridgestone gets exposure, the city of Akron wins because of the economic impact [$30 million] and the charities win.''

Paul Brady, president of the executive committee of Northern Ohio Golf Charities Inc., said that more $18 million had been distributed by his group since its inception in 1984 as the charity arm of the major golf tournament held each summer at Firestone Country Club.

''We've touched the lives of many since 1984,'' Brady said, ''and we hope to touch the lives of many more in the years to come.''

Among the other local charities that received grants Wednesday were the Akron Zoo, Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs, First Tee of Akron, Akron Children's Hospital, Red Cross of Summit and Portage Counties, Beacon Journal Charity Fund, CYO & Community Services, East Akron Community House, Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio, Interval Brotherhood Home, Pregnancy Care of Summit County, Project LEARN, Rebuilding Together Summit County, Summit County Historical Society and the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

Attending the luncheon and honored for reaching 50 years of volunteering at the golf tournament were longtime Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. employee and legendary area athlete Frank ''Whitey'' Wahl, Barbara Dieterich, who was the women's chairman of the 1981 golf tournament and Jerry McFadden, co-chair of the 1959 Rubber City Open.

Also honored for serving 50 years were Sharlee Guster, women's chairman in 1957, and Dr. Jim Claypool, chairman of the 1965 World Series of Golf. They are in Florida.

Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.

 

Mary Beth Palmer and Angie Matesevac arrived Wednesday morning at the Bridgestone Akron Technical Center in a state of enthusiasm.

Get the full article here.

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