Join Annika and Friends for Charity in Sandestin May 12-13, 2012

The inaugural ANNIKA & Friends at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort will take place May 12-13, 2012. Annika, along with her celebrity friends and famous athletes, will join in an amazing weekend filled with golf, social events and fine dining.

All proceeds from ANNIKA & Friends at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort will go toward implementing SPARK – the leading physical education program for children in schools – in elementary schools in Northwest Florida and across the state.

Annika is often considered the greatest female golfer of all time, and her extremely successful career changed the way women’s golf is played, viewed and covered. After stepping-away from professional golf at the end of the 2008 season, Annika began concentrating her efforts on the ANNIKA Foundation, whose mission is to teach children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and offer aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams.

In 2009, the ANNIKA Foundation partnered with SPARK and Annika became its national spokesperson to help educate America’s youth about the benefits of physical fitness and proper nutrition. Proceeds from ANNIKA & Friends at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort will provide support for the implementation of SPARK in selected elementary schools in both Okaloosa and Walton Counties.

The weekend’s events will include a cocktail reception featuring ANNIKA wines and dinner party with Annika, celebrities and sports personalities on Saturday, May 12 and a SPARK demonstration, Annika-led golf clinic, celebrity golf tournament and VIP reception prior to the concert on Sunday. 

Saturday’s pro-am tournament will consist of 26 teams of four amateurs paired with a prominent celebrity, LPGA player, PGA Tour player or sports personality. The teams will play at Sandestin’s Raven Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., and compete for great prizes.

As an extra-special ending to the festivities, ANNIKA & Friends at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort will feature a charity concert by country music star Darius Rucker, former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, on May 13, 2012 in North Park Lawn at Grand Boulevard, Sandestin.  Performers include Atlanta rockers The Shadowboxers, country music duo Coldwater Jane and American Idol Top 40 contestant Richie Law. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the ANNIKA Foundation and northwest Florida schools.
North Park Lawn gates will open at 4 p.m. with opening acts beginning shortly thereafter.

The Atlanta-based Shadowboxers have a passion for captivating lyrics, tight harmonies, and soulful vocals. Founding members Scott Schwartz, Matt Lipkins, and Adam Hoffman, together with drummer Jaron Pearlman and bassist Ben Williams, have forged a cohesive sound inspired by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, D’Angelo and The Beatles. The band has sold out many southeast venues and festivals, including 30A Songwriter’s Festival. This summer, the Shadowboxers will open for the Indigo Girls on a comprehensive tour across the country. The band has also toured the East Coast with Matthew Sweet and opened for Ben Folds in March.

The Shadowboxers released an EP in 2011 with the help of Shawn Grove (Sevendust, Collective Soul) and Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra). The band recorded its first full-length album in March. The album is produced by Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews) and engineered by Chris Bell (U2, Destiny’s Child, and Earth, Wind & Fire). More information about The Shadowboxers is available at www.theshadowboxers.com.

Coldwater Jane is an American country music duo comprised of sisters Leah Crutchfield and Brandon Jane. The duo released their debut album, Marionette, in August 2011, which made iTunes’ list of Top 100 Country Albums. Coldwater Jane released its single, “Bring on the Love” in 2010, which charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and was made into a music video that has aired on Country Music Television and Great American Country. The sisters count Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Linda Ronstadt and Patty Loveless among their influences. Coldwater Jane will be featured in a Revlon commercial airing on GAC starting in April 2012. More information about Coldwater Jane is available at www.coldwaterjane.com.

Richie Law was Colorado’s winner for the 2010-2011 Country Strong Competition, as well as 2010-2011 grand champion of American Country Star. In 2012, he sang his way to the top 40 on “American Idol” in a pool of 132,000 entrants. He has completed a demo album and will finalize the full album this fall. He will be opening for Jewel at the NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship in Denver this year. He was a member of the 2010 International Gold Medal Barbershop Youth Chorus Grand Champions 52Eighty, and is also a 2011 member of Sound of the Rockies, the internationally 3rd ranked men’s barbershop chorus.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now at www.dariusconcert.com. Wine World is the official food and beverage provider for the Darius Rucker concert. No outside food or beverage will be allowed. The ticket price is $59 for adults, $25 for children 12 and under and $10 for children 5 and under. Proceeds will benefit the ANNIKA Foundation and Northwest Florida schools.
 

Saturday, May 12

6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres reception with Annika, celebrities and sports stars at Grand Lawn

7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
ANNIKA & Friends Dinner in the Magnolia Ballroom, Grand Sandestin

8:30 – 11:00 p.m.
Draw Party and Private Concert in the Magnolia Ballroom, Grand Sandestin

Sunday, May 13

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
Mother’s Day Breakfast with Annika

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
ANNIKA & Friends Golf Clinic at the Raven Golf Club

11:00 a.m.
Pro-am shotgun start at the Raven Golf Club

4:00 p.m.
Doors open for Darius Rucker concert

5:00 p.m.
VIP awards reception hosted by Fleming’s at Grand Boulevard

7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Concert by Darius Rucker and others at Grand Boulevard