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.
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.