Tickets Available for the Second Annual Dr. Alec Kessler Memorial Basketball Invitational December 28-30, 2009
Teams from around the southeastern United States have been selected to participate in this memorial tournament. All proceeds raised will support a scholarship and mentorship program in Dr. Alec Kessler's name.
Gulf Breeze, FL (Vocus) November 10, 2009
Tickets will be available for the Dr. Alec Kessler Memorial High School Basketball Invitational starting November 13, 2009 at the Life’s a Breeze event at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze, Fla. The Second Annual Basketball Invitational will be held December 28-30, 2009 at Gulf Breeze High School to honor the legacy of Dr. Alec Kessler who suddenly past away in October 2007. Eight boys teams and four girls teams from around the southeastern United States will make up the tournament brackets.
Alec Kessler was an All-American basketball player at the University of Georgia, graduated Magna Cum Laude, and was selected as the NCAA All-Sports Student Athlete of the year in 1990. After college, Kessler was drafted into the NBA by the Miami Heat, and after playing professionally for four years he pursued his life goal of becoming a physician. Upon graduating with honors from Emory University Medical School and completing a residency in orthopedic surgery, Kessler moved to the Gulf Breeze/Pensacola, Florida area to practice medicine with Baptist Health Care and the Andrews Institute, founded by renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
The Andrews Institute and Baptist Health Care have established a scholarship and mentorship program in Dr. Alec Kessler’s name. All proceeds of the Basketball Invitational will support the scholarship and mentorship program which seeks to help Escambia and Santa Rosa County high school athletes overcome social and personal challenges and achieve academic success. Support of the scholarship and mentorship program will ensure that deserving young people will have the opportunity to follow in Dr. Kessler’s footsteps. The goal is to obtain the funding necessary to positively influence a minimum of 100 student athletes annually, and also to extend our mentoring program to include young women as well.
The scholarships will be awarded December 28, 2009 to four Escambia County and/or Santa Rosa County seniors. High school seniors still have the opportunity to submit an application for the scholarship. The deadline for the scholarship application is November 15. For more details, http://www. TheAndrewsInstitute. com (http://www. TheAndrewsInstitute. com)
Tournament organizers are also seeking support in the form of sponsorships from local area businesses. For more information about the tournament or for sponsorships, call (850) 916-8650 or visit: http://www. TheAndrewsInstitute. com (http://www. TheAndrewsInstitute. com)
TOURNAMENT FACTS
WHEN:
Monday, December 28, 2009 - Wednesday, December 30, 2009
WHERE:
Gulf Breeze High School
675 Gulf Breeze High School
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
WHO:
Boys Tournament: Eight Teams from the southeastern United States
Gulf Breeze High School (Gulf Breeze, Fla.); Fairhope High School (Fairhope, Ala.); Milton High School (Milton, Fla.); Navarre High School (Navarre, Fla.); Catholic High School (Pensacola); Roswell High School (Roswell, Ga.); Ooltewah High School (Ooltewah, Tenn.) West Florida High School (Pensacola, Fla.)
4-Team Girls Tournament:
Gulf Breeze High School (Gulf Breeze, Fla.); Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.); Northview High School (Dothan, Ala.); Robertsdale High School (Robertsdale, Ala.)
COST:
$5.00 per game day. Ticket purchase also qualifies for automatic entry into raffle drawings.
Tickets can be purchased at the Pillar’s for Promise Booth at the Life’s A Breeze Event.
November 13-15, 2009 - Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
After November 15, tickets will be available at:
Athletes’ Performance at the Andrews Institute
1020 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
BACKGROUND:
The Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze, Fla. provides world-class care and service for the athlete in everyone. The one-of-a-kind center focuses on the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries while using the expertise of internationally renowned orthopaedic surgeon James Andrews, M. D. More information available at: http://www. theandrewsinstitute. com (http://www. theandrewsinstitute. com).
The Andrews Institute is an affiliate of Baptist Health Care. Baptist Health Care is a community-owned, not-for-profit health care organization committed to improving the quality of life for people and communities in Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Nationally recognized for performance excellence and quality achievement, Baptist has been recognized by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to work for; received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2003; and has consistently ranked in the 99th percentile for patient satisfaction as recognized by Press Ganey. Baptist Health Care includes four hospitals, two medical parks, Baptist Manor, Baptist Home Health Care and Durable Medical Equipment, Baptist Leadership Institute, Andrews Institute for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine and Lakeview Center. With more than 5,000 employees, Baptist Health Care is the largest non-governmental employer in northwest Florida. For more information, please visit http://www. ebaptisthealthcare. org (http://www. ebaptisthealthcare. org)
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