Centex's Legacy Villas Named Title Sponsor for Gullikson Foundation Event

The Legacy Villas Desert Smash presented by Jaguar and Land Rover will take place at La Quinta Resort & Club March 9-10, 2005. The tennis and golf event will benefit the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation which assists brain tumor patients and their families with the social, emotional and physical challenges brought on by the disease.

La Quinta, CA (PRWEB) February 23, 2005 -- Several of the worlds most respected companies have reached into their wallets to help support Legacy Villas Desert Smash, presented by Jaguar and Land Rover-a fund raiser benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation (TTGF) at La Quinta Resort & Club, March 9 and 10, 2005.

The two-day tennis and golf pro-am kicks off the Chicago-based Foundations 10-year anniversary celebration, but it also provides the sponsors with the dual opportunity to give back to those who need assistance as well as attract and entertain customers and prized clients.

We are truly excited to be the title sponsor and have the opportunity to help this important cause," said Steven Guy, director of sales and marketing for Legacy Villas at La Quinta. We wanted to establish a relationship with the Foundation, and we felt this would be a great way to do it with this event. We want to help the Foundation with its goals any way we can."

The Foundations anniversary theme is TENacious Teamwork." Athletes, celebrities and companies that have stepped forward since the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation was founded to assist brain tumor patients and their families have been the reason for its success and longevity. Many of them, such as NIKE, Wilson Sporting Goods and the United States Tennis Association are back with new partners at La Quinta Resort & Club, the host sponsor of the benefit.

Among the players and celebrities scheduled to appear are tennis legend Pete Sampras, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, Todd Martin, Olympic tennis silver medalist Mardy Fish, Xavier Malisse, actor Joe Pesci, who will host the golf on La Quintas Mountain Course, and tennis commentator Bud Collins, host of the opening night dinner and auction.

The event takes place at a time when Southern California and the desert will abound in tennis players. The first round of Davis Cup is March 4-6, 2005 in Carson, Calif., and the Pacific Life Open mens and womens pro tournament will be in full swing across town at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

La Quinta Resort & Club has a long history with tennis," said Mike Islava, the resort's director of sales and marketing. What is now the Pacific Life tournament, was started here. This cause coincides with La Quintas long tennis history and philanthropic culture. We know our guests and clients are big tennis fans, and we are proud to contribute to the legacy of Tim Gullikson."

While that influx of upscale consumers provides the bang for the buck" that sponsors seek, some of the motivation also comes from the heart.

Tim, the former coach of Pete Sampras, lost his battle to brain cancer in 1996, a year after starting the Foundation with his twin brother Tom and their families. Legacy Villas at La Quinta, like the Gullikson family and the pro tennis world, has been touched by brain cancer. Loretta Mosher, Legacy Villas area marketing director, has a brother who is a brain cancer survivor, and its data coordinator, Misty Blair, lost her father to the illness.

Legacy Villas is a new addition to the TTGF support group. One of the nations premier quality home builders, Legacy Villas is the resort division of Centex Homes, a subsidiary of Centex Corporation, a Fortune 250 company lauded by Fortune magazine as one of Americas most admired companies."

Mosher feels that the event is a perfect match for their business. The area its in, the type of people who will be coming to the event are the type of people wed be reaching out to for our business," she said.

Sponsorships are still available, as are corporate competition packages starting at $6,510 for four player spots in both the tennis and golf pro-ams and invitations to the gala dinner and auction at La Quinta Resort & Club. Additional packages may be customized. For more information about sponsorship packages, event tickets or how to donate, contact the event office at (310) 562-7316.

The Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to help brain tumor patients and their families manage the physical, emotional and social challenges presented by the illness. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $3 million to fund care and support programs nationwide and provide scholarships for college-bound students whose lives have been affected by brain tumors. For information, call 1-888-GULLIKSON.

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