EDDIE GUARDADO’S STARS & STRIKES ANNUAL CELEBRITY BOWLING TOURNAMENT
PRESENTED
BY THE EDDIE GUARDADO FOUNDATION HELD JANUARY 27 RAISES $170,000
Over
30 Celebrities Helped Stars and Strikes
Raise Funds
To
Provide Grants and Financial Assistance to Families Impacted With Autism
TUSTIN, CA – January 30, 2013 – The lanes were rockin’ as the
All-Stars of sports and entertainment rolled in at Eddie Guardado’s Stars & Strikes, the annual celebrity bowling
tournament and fundraiser presented by The Eddie Guardado Foundation in
conjunction with ACT Today!, (Autism Care
and Treatment Today!) held Sunday, January 27 at Bowlmor Lanes at The District
in Tustin (2405 Park Avenue, Tustin, CA). This year’s Stars & Strikes raised approximately $170,000.
Whether it was MLB Pitcher LaTroy Hawkins
donning Olympic Swimmer Katilin Sandeno’s multiple gold-medals, MMA’s Jake Ellenberger
trading high fives with MLB’s Jerred Weaver, or MLB’s Michael Young and Vernon
Wells arriving at the event together ready to bowl strikes, bowlers from ages 6
to 60+ enjoyed the fun, casual event, getting pictures and autographs from all
of their sports heroes.
The evening raised more money for the
foundation than ever before, due to the sponsors, silent auction and the live
auction, which was a huge hit thanks to several items including an Albert
Pujols signed bat and a spontaneous addition of two lunch dates for four with
actor, Noah Munck (iCarly). In
addition to the monies raised, attendees also purchased 24 iPads during the
“Fund an iPad” portion of the auction, which will be placed directly into the
hands of children with autism as part of their therapy.
“Once again, we are in awe of the generosity of
our friends, neighbors, and corporate community sponsors, who came out to Stars & Strikes to assist us in aiding
the growing number of families impacted by autism,” says Eddie Guardado. “The energy and love in the room was
palpable and as a result we were able to surpass our fundraising goal, which is
more than we could have hoped for this year.”
(The Guardado Family - Niko, Ava, Lisa, Jacob and Eddie)
Sold out a month before with 350+ people in
attendance, there were over 30 celebrities, athletes, actors and actresses, who
each lead a team of guest bowlers. While everyone was bowling, attendees also enjoyed the Stars &
Strikes Photo Booth, Bowlmor’s arcade, classic bowling alley fare and music provided
by DJ Krispy.
This year’s list
of celebrity All-Stars included:
- · “Everyday Eddie” Guardado, 2-Time All-Star Pitcher
- · Michael Young, 7-Time All-Star, Philadelphia Phillies
- · Adrian Beltre, 3-Time All-Star, Texas Rangers
- · Jered Weaver, 3 Time All-Star, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- · Garret Anderson, 3-Time MLB All-Star
- · LaTroy Hawkins, MLB Pitcher
- · Scott Feldman, Chicago Cubs
- · Vernon Wells, 3-Time All-Star, Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim
- · Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks, 2-Time All-Star
- · Shawn Green, 2-Time MLB All Star
- · Carlos Fisher, Oakland Athletics
- · Derek Holland, Texas Rangers
- · Matt Treanor, MLB Player
- · Stan Frazier, Drummer – Sugar Ray
- · Noah Munck, Actor, “iCarly”
- · Sasha Pieterse, actress “Pretty Little Liars”
- · Annie Mumolo, actress, “This is 40,” Writer, “Bridesmaids
- · Lisa Foxx, On-Air Radio Personality, 104.3 MYFM
- · Denny Hocking, Retired MLB Player
- · Adam Melhuse, Retired MLB Player
- · Gary Pettis, Texas Rangers Coach, 5-Time Gold Glove
- · Jamie Moyer, All-Star Pitcher
- · Kaitlin Sandeno, Olympic Gold Medalist, Swimming
- · Jake Ellenberger, UFC Welterweight Title Contender
- · Mark Munoz, UFC Middleweight Title Contender
- · Jacque Jones, Retired MLB Player
- · Scott Ullger, Minnesota Twins Coach
- · Derek Deese, Retired NFL Player
- · Kyle Negrete, USC Trojans Punter
- · Erin Murphy, Actress
- · Musetta Vander, Actress
According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s latest numbers, 1 in 88 children in America is diagnosed with
an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making ASD more prevalent than juvenile
diabetes, pediatric cancer and childhood AIDS combined. The net
proceeds generated by this star-studded event will be used to provide direct support
and assistance to families who do not have the means to provide the necessary
treatment, therapy and tools for their children impacted by autism.
VIEW ADDITIONAL EVENT PHOTOS -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomediaco/sets/72157632632291373/
About
The Eddie Guardado Foundation:
Major League All-Star Pitcher, Eddie Guardado
and his wife Lisa established The Eddie Guardado Foundation, a non-profit
501(c)(3) in 2008 after their youngest child, Ava, was diagnosed with autism.
Lisa and Eddie understand the emotional and financial hardships families
impacted with autism experience and founded the Eddie Guardado Foundation to
help other families receive access to therapy and treatments that they could
not otherwise afford.
In January 2011, The Eddie Guardado Foundation
joined forces with ACT Today! (Autism Care and Treatment Today!), as both
non-profits share the mission of providing awareness of and access to effective
therapies for children with autism. Since their partnership began, the Eddie
Guardado Foundation has enabled ACT Today! to provide an additional 100 grants
to help children with autism achieve their highest potential. The organizations
continue to collaborate together with Eddie and Lisa serving on the ACT Today! board.
www.eddieguardadofoundation.org
About
Eddie Guardado:
Eddie Guardado is a former Major League Baseball
relief pitcher. Throughout his career, Guardado played with the Minnesota Twins
(1993–2003, 2008), where his durable arm earned him the nickname “Everyday
Eddie,” the Seattle Mariners (2004–2006), Cincinnati Reds (2006–2007), and the
Texas Rangers (Two separate stints in 2008 and 2009). Over Eddie's career, he
appeared in 908 games. Only 21 other pitchers have appeared in more games. www.eddieguardado18.com
ACT Today! is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization whose mission is to raise awareness and provide treatment services
and support to families to help their help children with autism achieve their
full potential. In 2010, ACT Today! launched ACT Today! for Military Families,
the first national program to address the unique needs of the 1 in 88 military
families impacted by autism. www.act-today.org
