3rd Annual Wild Bill Guarnere Memorial Golf Outing

Time just flies as it seems like yesterday I was in Vegas with the infamous Wild Bill Guarnere- the man that had more than 9 lives. I really thought he would outlive all of us.

I woke up to the sound of rain on Friday, April 21st, 2017. Dark, gloomy, and an absolutely depressing view from my bedroom window. Then, my daughter yelled, “There is a cardinal in the back yard”. I ran down the steps, with my phone in hand, to get a quick picture of the cardinal in my yard. When I looked out the door, the cardinal flew away. I stepped outside to tell the cardinal I wished the rain would stop long enough for our golfers to play their game. Things were not looking hopeful. Then, the cardinal came back, and I knew it would all be ok. Gramps was making sure the golfers would finish their game.

Because of the iffy weather, registration for the event was held inside of Anthony’s. As the golfers signed in they were treated to PICA’s delicious pizza, Soprano’s hoagies and pretzels from Pretzel Boys. As if the food was not treat enough, the golfers were excited about their swag bags. The bags were filled with Herrs’ chips, coupons for golf shops, two drink coupons, Wild Bill Golf tees and a an awesome Wild Bill Golf towel from Palm Printing sponsored by PECO.

In no time at all, the golfers made their way to their assigned carts and waited for their instructions from Dan, the golf pro. One by one, the carts darted off with the passengers excited for the chance to win a car donated by O’Reilly Buick GMC.

Golfers were greeted by the stunning Kathi Cotrufello at the putting contest. Her enthusiasm and encouragement made each golfer feel special. Congratulations to our winner Chris Guglielmo, and a huge thank you to Chris for donating a portion of his winnings back to our fund. Dennis Dobrowolski’s foursome came in first place with a 55, Frank Palm’s group took second and rolling in at number three was The Hahns’ foursome with a score of 58. Closet to the pin was Sean Lockhead (24”) and longest drive Matt Sullivan.

Although the golfers had a great time, no one was able to walk away with any of the fantastic prizes that were sponsored by O’Reilly Buick GMC, including the beautiful car. However, the golfers did appreciate our beer cart sponsored by ParadoxLabs and West Chester Mechanical.

I have no idea when the sun came out, but it was a very welcomed and beautiful sight. I knew that Gramps must have been up there raising hell to Mother Nature.

The golfers started coming in around 5 and relaxed at the bar waiting for the evening festivities to begin at 6. Despite the horrible weather I woke up to, the day turned out to be a lot of fun for all the participants.

The ceremony began when the General Smedley D. Butler Marine Corps League presented colors. The national anthem was sung by Wild Bill’s great granddaughter, Gianna Anthony. Her voice touched many as there was not a dry eye in the room. I know could feel Gramps was up there smiling down at her.

Councilmen David Oh and David White were among the local politicians who came out to support our event. Both have been with us since the beginning and have been a valuable resource in helping us accomplish our goals. In addition, we had many Veterans from various branches and of all ages showing their respect for a true American Hero. To our surprise, Mike Mamula, ex-Eagles defensive end/linebacker, even took out his clubs for our event.

There were over 70 raffle items including gift certificates from Teca’s, Anthony’s, The Porch, Casey’s, Stephen’s on State, Twenty9 just to name a few. A beautiful Basket from Harvest Seasonal Grill, Currie Hair Skin & Nails, Wild Bill’s Brat Wagon (filled with kids items), a crock pot, movie baskets and so much more. We were even lucky enough to have a lottery tree donated by Debra Michaels- on behalf of her non-profit, the Yo Cuz Foundation.

The silent auction items consisted of a basket donated by one of our very generous supporters, actor and Veteran advocate, Gary Sinise. The basket was loaded with goodies that included an autographed photo. Once again, we had various trips including two wonderful hotel get-a-ways donated by the Ruccis. A hot ticket for the golfers were the sports’ items and tickets to local sporting events. In addition, we had a Camping Package and Tailgate Party Package. The Tailgate Party included tickets 4 Phillies’ tickets that came with parking. I wonder if Scott Hahn will be inviting me?

DJ Hugo, aka John Useller was our fabulous MC and Dj. He gets the crowd motivated and inspires fun. You can’t stay in your seat once he gets the music going. We did plan on having a live auction, but it turned into just fun and games.

After a beautiful day of golf, we all enjoyed a delicious meal, even though the restaurant was still under construction. Thank you to John, Melissa, Pat and Jenna! You did a fantastic job making sure our day and evening ran smoothly.

Clean-up was a breeze with all our helpers, including Dan Moore, who traveled all the way from Dallas to lend a hand for our outing.

A huge thank you to all of our Event sponsors, hole-sponsors, golfers, friends and family!

And a big heart felt thank you goes out to Lisa, Mario, Laurie, Kathi, Brandi, Ashley, Michele, Bobby, Richie, Justin, Joe Masek & Bob D’Anjolell, Sr, Broomall Rotary, Dan, Arlene and Gene. And of course, Kim and Heather!