Everyone remembers Marty Lyons, the All Pro defensive end for the famed “Sack Exchange” New York Jets of the 1980s. After his playing days ended, this native of Takoma Park, MD and an All-American at the University of Alabama, stayed around the New York area, where his Marty Lyons Foundation (MLF) now hosts an annual celebrity golf classic.
This year, the 31st annual classic is coming to the Roslyn area. On Monday, July 11, the classic will be held at the Old Westbury Golf and Country Club. Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes & Noble, Inc., is the foundation’s 2016 Man of the Year.
The golf outing is the biggest fundraising event of the year to benefit the Foundation’s mission to grant children with life-threatening or terminal illness their special wishes. Registration and brunch will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. A cocktail and dinner reception, including an award ceremony, raffles and auctions, commences at 5:30 p.m.
“Leonard Riggio, our honoree this year, has demonstrated his commitment to the Foundation’s mission. We can count on him to help us make
the dreams of our wish children come true. The members of our board, our volunteers and the families of all the children appreciate his support,” said Lyons.
The MLF provides wishes to children ages 3 to 17 years old who have been diagnosed as having terminal or life-threatening illnesses. It is unique in that it will consider granting a second wish to a deserving child who may need the hope and inspiration to face the battle of their lives for the second time around. Several personal events, especially the death of a young man to whom Lyons had been a Big Brother, inspired the All Pro to establish the MLF to work with terminally ill children, providing them wishes. He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1984 as a result of that work. In December 2011, Lyons was honored by the Heisman Trust as the recipient of the sixth annual Heisman Humanitarian Award for his work with his Foundation. For his work, Lyons won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1984. In December 2011, Lyons was honored by the Heisman Trust as the recipient of the sixth annual Heisman Humanitarian Award.
Since 1982, the MLF has granted 7,200 wishes that have brightened the lives of countless children. By playing a fun-filled day of golf or attending the dinner, supporters help provide the Foundation with the much needed resources to fulfill its mission of granting children their special wishes. While golf foursomes are at a premium, residents are welcome to join the festivities during the cocktail hour and dinner.
For more information, call Jeanne Ellis at 631-43-9474 or email jellis@martylyonsfoundation.org.Information is also available at the Foundation’s website: www.martylyonsfoundation.org.
