Riverhead, NY (August 28, 2012) – Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell along with Wall Street leader Geoff Boisi will host some of the greatest champions in sports, entertainment and business in the 2^nd annual MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge on September 9 – 10 on Long Island.  This exclusive two-day event will feature a Celebrity Roast of Bill Russell.  The roast will be hosted by actor Samuel L. Jackson and Golf Channel’s David Feherty and will take place on the evening of September 9^th.  Expected participants sharing their stories of Bill include NBA greats Julius Erving, Alonzo Mourning, Football legend Jim Brown and many others.  

This special celebrity-amateur competition will be held at spectacular Friar’s Head located on Long Island Sound.  Friar’s Head is the 23^rd rated golf course in America and 32^nd in the world, and was designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore the premiere golf course design team.

“I am very proud to have many of my friends join me at our golf tournament to support mentoring,” said Bill Russell. “They are still some pretty competitive athletes but more importantly they are donating their time and effort to reconnect with the youngsters of the country and that’s what mentoring is about.”

Among the participating legends and celebrities will include:  NBA greats  John Havlicek, Clyde Drexler, Sam Jones, Rick Barry,  George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Bruce Bowen;  Sports personality Ahmad Rashad; Baseball Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Reggie Jackson and Jim Rice ; and football legends Steve Largent and Jim Brown, the greatest athlete to come out of Long Island.  Brown has dedicated much of his life to helping inner city youth through education and mentoring.  

“The MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge this year will take its place as the signature celebrity amateur golf event in the New York Metropolitan area,” said Geoff Boisi.  “MENTOR has helped establish affiliates in 27 states around the country and impacted more than 3 million kids.  Bill Russell has been a world class leader inspiring kids and the mentoring movement his entire career.”

Proceeds from the MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge will benefit MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, the lead champion for youth mentoring in the United States, which Boisi founded with Raymond G. Chambers 20 years ago.  Bill Russell has served as a Founding Board Member.   In addition, the tournament will benefit MENTOR’s local affiliates: the Mentoring Partnerships of Long Island and New York City. 

The MENTOR’s Champions Golf Challenge is sponsored by Ernst & Young, LLC and Roundtable Investment Partners, LLC.

“To have so many leaders from finance to the sports and entertainment worlds participate with their time and financially speaks volumes about Bill Russell’s catalytic leadership and dedication to our nation’s youth,” said MENTOR President and CEO David Shapiro. “We are thrilled to have Ernst & Young and Roundtable Investment Partners return for a second year as the co-presenting sponsors as this event provides critical resources and attention for our work to expand mentoring opportunities for our nation’s youth that will widen pathways to successful adulthood.”

About MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership
MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) is the lead champion for youth mentoring in the United States.  MENTOR’s goal is to help children by providing a public voice, developing and delivering resources to mentoring programs nationwide, and promoting quality for mentoring through standards, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art tools.  MENTOR works closely with State Mentoring Partnerships and more than 5,000 mentoring programs and volunteer centers throughout the country, serving more than 3 million children in all 50 states.  There are currently 18 million children in America who want and need a mentor, but only three million have one.  MENTOR’s mission is to close the gap so that every one of those 15 million children has a caring adult in their life.

About The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island
The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island's mission is to enable every child in need on Long Island to be paired with a caring adult in a quality, structured mentoring program. We accomplish this by providing outreach, technical support, advocacy and resources to program providers and volunteers engaged in mentoring. The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island has: Touched the lives of 60,000 youth; Trained nearly 11,200 mentors; Connected 14,000 children with mentors and assisted 220 programs with technical support.

About The Mentoring Partnership of New York
The Mentoring Partnership of New York helps individuals and groups from different sectors to become involved in mentoring opportunities for youth. The Mentoring Partnership of New York has:  Touched the lives of more than 100,000 youth; Trained more than 14,000 mentors; Connected 18,000 children with mentors; Provided nearly 200 programs with staff and professional development and provided support to organizations like the Department of Education and Mayor’s Office for mentoring initiatives.