Celebrity golf tournament for charity returns to Broome County

TOWN OF UNION, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Celebrities from near and far came together on the golf course to support a local organization’s long history of supporting at-risk kids.

The 19th annual Maggie Memorial golf tournament was held at Traditions at the Glen on Friday. Founded by former NFL linebacker and Union-Endicott graduate Isaiah Kacyvenski, the event raises money for the Children’s Home.

Back when he was still playing professional football, Kacyvenski wanted a way to honor the legacy of his mother, Maggie, and support the place where she lived as a young child back when the Children’s Home was an orphanage. Today, the organization offers a variety of treatment programs and other supports for children in need.

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Since the tournament’s beginning, Kacyvenski has invited fellow NFL players as well as some local celebrities to pair with the golfers.

He says the Home showed his mother love which she in turn showered upon him and his four siblings.

“She had a very tough childhood. The first thirteen years of her life were in the Children’s Home but there were nuns there that actually took her under their wing and really gave her love that she wasn’t getting anywhere else. And it really helped shaped her, and it shaped then kind of our five lives as well,’ said Kacyvenski.

News 34’s Jim Ehmke was privileged to serve as one of the celebrity guests, despite his lack of game. Other notable celebrities included former NFL quarterback Christian Ponder and world record holding strongman Bill Clark.

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