The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA), based in Summit, teamed up with Willie Colon, retired NFL Super Bowl Champion and current sports analyst with the NFL Network and FS1, to host the 12th Annual Willie Colon Golf Outing.
More than 300 golfers joined Colon at the annual fundraiser, held in honor of his late mother, Jean Davis, who had lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that impacts millions of people worldwide.
The star-studded event for the world’s largest private funder of lupus research has raised more than $3.28 million since its inception.
Sports celebrities attending the 12th Annual Willie Colon Golf Outing benefiting the Lupus Research Alliance included Oday Aboushi (Los Angeles Rams); David Harris, Quincy Enwau, Chris Ivory (New York Jets); Amani Toomer, Jonathan Casillas, Mike Adams (New York Giants); Adalius Thomas (New England Patriots); Darnell Stapleton (Pittsburgh Steelers); Phil Alexander (Houston Texans); and Brian Custer (ESPN), among others.
Growing up, Colon watched my mother try to cope with lupus at a time when there were no treatments developed specifically for the disease.
“While no longer with us, my mom would have been so proud to see the treatments that research has helped deliver, and the advances getting us closer to a cure,” Colon said in a release.
The outing’s chairs included Xavier V. Goss, Portfolio Manager, Capital Group; Ted Knauss, SVP, Market Leader – NNJ, NYC, CT Commercial Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking, The PNC Financial Services Group; Nidhi Patel, Portfolio Manager, BlackRock; and Julius D. Williams, Head of Municipal Trading, Senior Portfolio Manager, Invesco.
Primary sponsors included Tunnels 2 Towers, Morgan Stanley, Texas Regional Bank, Mesirow Financial, Paul Miller Porsche, Tito’s Vodka, Corona, and Energy Capital Partners.
