Dennis Quaid hosts The Los Angeles Police
Memorial Foundation
Celebrity Golf Tournament & Family Fun Day
On May 31, 2014 an array
of stars joined together to help raise funds for the Los
Angeles Police Memorial Foundation at Brookside
Golf Club in Pasadena.
The
42nd Annual Event was hosted by Dennis
Quaid who was a champion for the cause before the event began appearing on
morning shows and calling in to radio shows to talk about the event. The stars were aligned and all showed up
early morning for the cause. The event
opened with Dennis Quaid arriving in an armored SWAT vehicle and opening the
event alongside Police Commissioner
Steve Soboroff and Teri
Hatcher. Not far from their sides
was boxing Champion and soon to be Hall of Fame inductee Oscar de la Joya and Comedic heavyweight George Lopez along with The People’s
Champ MMA Fighter, Tito Ortiz, basketball legend Jerry West, basketball players Jason Collins, Jarron Collins, Hockey Hall
of Famer Grant Fuhr, Luche Libre
wrestler Mil Mascaras, Danny Masterson,
Patrick Warburton, CS Lee, C Thomas Howell, Neal McDonough, Quinton Aaron,
Chris Knight, Dennis Haysbert, Mark Moses, Kirk Fox, Richard Karn, Emilio
Riviera, Willie Gault, Steven Bauer, Greg Itzin, Paula Trickey, Brandon Molale, Ron Masak,
Adrian R’Mante, Robin DiMaggio, Major Crimes stars Michael Paul Chan, Raymond
Cruz and Phillip Keene, KTLA’s Frank Buckley, Rizzoli & Isles Stars Bruce
McGill and Jordan Bridges.
And
the stars continued to pour in throughout the day. Supermodel
Joanna Krupa arrived and spent the day meeting with Officers and posing
for photos with fans. Baseball legend Tommy Lasorda stopped in to show
support paying his respects first to the Memorial Wall before cruising around
in the golf cart to say hello to friends, spectators and fans. Teen sensation Nathan Kress, film star Danny Trejo, fan favorite Apollo Creed
aka Carl Weathers, Mike &
Molly’s Nyambi Nyambi, House of
Pain’s Danny Boy, Power Ranger Najee De-Tiege took to the autograph
booth to interact with the crowd of fans swarming the course. Media
personalities Vic the Brick Jacobs & Pete Demitriou spent the day MC’ing
the golf tournament.
As
each celebrity arrived they autographed a custom Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation & PokerStars Poker
Table. Each celebrity was
photographed while autographing the table which will be auctioned online in the
near future to benefit the Memorial Foundation.
The past few months have been
a difficult time for the LAPD. This event was a strong reminder
that the community cares a lot about our police department and their families.
Officers, celebrities, sponsors, and spectators came together to show their
support to those who have lost their lives while keeping us safe.
In
recent months, the department has lost five Officers in unrelated
incidents. With heavy hearts, the
Memorial Foundation paid tribute to Officer
Nicholas Lee, Officer Chris Cortijo, Detective Ernest Allen, Officer Robert Sanchez
& Officer George Nagata as well as all Officers killed in the line of duty acknowledging
their service to the community. These
Officers & the Officers who have lost their lives before them, will not be
forgotten. The Los Angeles Police
Protective Memorial Wall was transported to the event where many paid respects.
Proceeds from this event benefits officers who have been
killed or critically injured in the line of duty. The Memorial Foundation is the cornerstone of
the LAPD employee wellness program & has granted over $15,000,000 without
any direct taxpayer money.
The support of the community, sponsors & entertainment
industry has been heartwarming. Recently music superstar Rihanna made a contribution to the Memorial Foundation as well as
the Los Angeles Police Foundation after meeting LA Police
Commission President Steve Soboroff at a Clippers game. Stevie Wonder performed at the funeral service of one officer and
TV Stars Ray Romano & Betty White also made charitable
contributions.
The Elton John
Charitable Fund has been a long-time supporter & continues to be a great help
to the Memorial Foundation as well as Live
Nation the world’s largest concert promotion company, Kaiser Permanente, In–N-Out Burger, Ahmanson Fund & Outback Steak
House who continue to contribute throughout the years. After hearing about the recent tragedies, PokerStars also joined in to help
again. They became a supporter of the
Memorial Foundation early in 2013 when they sponsored the Foundation’s
Celebrity Poker Tournament hosted by the late James Gandolfini.
Photos
Available at WireImage.
For more information or further details about the
event: LAPDMemorialFoundation@yahoo.com
