A fundraising effort by the Elon University men’s golf team and spearheaded by an MBA student debuts next month with “Eagles for Haiti,” a pledge drive that asks sponsors to donate money toward recovery efforts in the battered Caribbean nation for every eagle scored this season by male golfers in the Southern Conference.
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Organized by MBA candidate and current golfer Jayson Judy, all proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross as it assists a nation devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in mid January. Two corporate sponsors and three individuals have already pledged $1 for every eagle. Additional sponsors are in talks with organizers.
The Southern Conference averages between 80 and 100 eagles each year, Judy said.
“It’s an added benefit to a player knowing that when he makes an eagle, it’s not just helping his team, he’s sending money to Haiti,” said Judy, a 2008 alum who finishes his final season of NCAA eligibility this spring. “I wanted to get involved with Haiti and get a relief effort going. This was the most logical way.”
“Eagles for Haiti” joins another project underway by an Elon sports team, “Pinch Hit for Haiti,” where a baseball squad led by senior catcher Mike Melillo challenged NCAA programs across the country to make donations to the Red Cross and report those contributions for tracking on a web site hosted by the Department of Athletics.
Judy, a Gibsonville, N.C., native who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business, completes his MBA program in May. He is engaged to Megan Thomas ’01, G’09. “This should mushroom into a pretty big amount,” he said. “My goal, along with Mike Melillo’s ‘Pinch Hit for Haiti,’ is that Elon will be able to raise quite a bit of money.”
For more information on Eagles for Haiti, or to inquire about making a pledge, visit www.eaglesforhaiti.org or email helpnow@eaglesforhaiti.org.