University of Tennessee Athletics
Dave Serrano Golf Classic Tees Off in 2016
October 14, 2016 | Baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Third Annual Dave Serrano Golf Classic, presented by Regal Entertainment Group and EdFinancial, teed off with more than 130 participants on Friday at Avalon Golf Course in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee.
This year, the charity tournament witnessed an all-time high in funds raised for BBBS with the help of local community members, sponsorship partners, former Vol Baseball players and participants close to the cause.
"I get asked a lot why I'm involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters and it's an easy answer," Serrano said. "The joy it brings to me having this golf tournament and to see the funds that are raised to help bring in mentors for kids in East Tennessee, who maybe weren't raised with the lessons we've had in our life."
Doug Kose, chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, praised Serrano's involvement and thanked Serrano, sponsors and community members for their continued support of the tournament.
"Dave Serrano isn't a guy who just shows up," Kose said. "He is engaged and he's in all of our meetings. He gets sponsors on board, gets teams on board and he is one of the best in the business.
"With Big Brothers Big Sisters, we take a mentor and put them in a child's life and we have outcomes that prove how they can make a difference. They're making better decisions with their lives, avoiding misbehavior, making better choices and having higher aspirations for their lives. "
Lending a hand as tournament volunteers, the current Tennessee Baseball squad assisted golfers with arrival parking, loading participant golf carts as well as cleaning each team's vehicles once the tournament teed off.
Among the tournament teams, VFLs and former Tennessee Baseball teammates joined in support of Serrano's cause, including Craig Cobb, Scot Drucker, Brad Love, Beau Massey, Michael Rivera, Matt Sternberg, Derek Tharpe and Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar.
All proceeds from the Dave Serrano Golf Classic go to support one-on-one mentoring for children served through the BBBS program. The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring model is an evidence-based prevention and intervention strategy that is helping to improve the odds for children who face adversity.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee baseball program, visit UTSports.com/baseball, follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter and like the Vols at Facebook.com/VolBaseball.
