FightSMA Chapters: FightSMA of Tampa Bay
Hannah Elliott and her godfather John Bell of the band Widespread Panic (2010)
Duncan and Laurie Elliott
719 Orleans Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33606
Tel: (813) 251-1611
E-mail: Click here
MySpace: Click here
Facebook: Click here
Upcoming Events:
12th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic
January 21-22, 2011
Orlando, Florida
Golf Tournament, Dinner, Auction, and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
Click here for the event website
Click here for the details on Facebook
Golf Tournament
January 21, 2011
Grand Cypress Golf Club
Tee Time: 12:15PM EST
Orlando, Florida
Register online here
The Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic attracts more than 250 golfers from around the U.S. each year. The tournament includes a four-person scramble at the Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida. Following the tournament, there will be an award reception with live music.
Golf Registration Includes:
- One spot in the tournament (Jan. 21)
- Goody bag
- Lunch on the course
- Post golf awards reception
- Two tickets to Galactic and the Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio at HOB (Jan. 21)
- Two entries to the dinner/silent auction (Jan. 22)
- Two tickets to JB & Friends with special guests Drive-by Truckers at HOB (Jan. 22)
Dinner, Live Auction, and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
January 22, 2011
House of Blues
4:30PM EST
Orlando, Florida
Buy tickets online here
On January 22, golfers and supporters will gather again at the House of Blues for a dinner and silent auction. Each golfer may bring one guest for the evening. Following the dinner and auction is the John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash beginning at 8:00PM EST. Two tickets to the concert are included with golf registration.
If you are not golfing, you may purchase tickets for the event below. This is a great chance to hang out with friends, eat dinner, have a beverage and bid on some great auction items. Oh, and you are supporting Hannah’s Buddies and the fight against SMA. For $125, you get dinner and beverages from 4:30pm to 7:00pm on February 20 plus one ticket to the JB & Friends that evening.
Sponsor/Donate
There are a number of sponsorship opportunities available to support this effort to raise funds and awareness of spinal muscular atrophy. Exposure for your company includes branding in all promotions of the event on the web and on-site. With more than 250 golfers, their guests and the 2,500 attendees to the concert, your on-site exposure can take many forms:
- Hole Sponsorships
- Cart Sponsorships
- Golf Reception Sponsorship
- Longest Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin Sponsorships
- Dinner/Silent Auction Sponsorships
This is a great opportunity to support a worthy cause in a positive environment and garner long-term goodwill for your brand and products. Please click here for specific information for each.
Past Events:
The Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic
Celebrating 11 Years
February 19 – 20, 2010
Orlando, Florida
The Golf Tournament
The Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic is a four-person scramble played in Orlando on Friday, February 19th. A morning shotgun start sends more than 250 golfers onto the Nicklaus-designed courses to battle for great prizes and awards. The golfers range from scratch to high handicappers with a few first-time players sprinkled in for the fun. The competition is friendly and fierce at the same time-a low score of 56 in 2008 took top honors by one stroke. Following the tournament, a cocktail and award ceremony is hosted by John Bell of Widespread Panic and entertainment is provided by a regional music act.
Dinner and Silent Auction at the House of Blues
Participation in the golf tournament includes admission for each golfer and a guest to the dinner and silent auction at the Orlando House of Blues on Saturday, February 20th. The dinner consists of buffet of the infamous House of Blues Cajun-influenced cuisine. The silent auction consists of sports and music memorabilia displayed throughout the HOB music hall.
John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash at House of Blues
with Special Guests Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Nickel & The Bye Polar Bears
The weekend climax occurs on Saturday night (February 20th) when the House of Blues doors open to the public for the John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash. John Bell invites his friends to join in a night of music always filled with surprises and great performances.
 The volunteer crew prepares to check-in the sold-out field of golfers at the 11th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Golf Classic |
 Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Col. Bruce Hampton and Jimmy Herring entertain the crowd at the Hannah’s Buddies concert at House of Blues |
10th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
Hannah’s Buddies Charity Golf Tournament
February 27, 2009
Grand Cypress Golf Resort
John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
February 28, 2009
House of Blues
The first Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic was held in Orlando in 1999. Seventy-five golfers gathered with John Bell of Widespread for a round of golf, dinner, silent auction and sold-out concert at the House of Blues. The golf tournament grown to occupy two golf courses with more than 250 golfers from around the country and the concert has continued to draw massive crowds and a variety of performers. It all started with Bell wanting to do something to help his goddaughter, Hannah, and children like her afflicted with the neuromuscular disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). In its first nine years, more than $1.5 million dollars has been raised for SMA research through this event. Year ten promises to bring even more needed funds for this fight against the number one genetic cause of death in children under two.
For more details on these events click here!
Thank you to John Bell and Widespread Panic for their generosity and the years of support in the fight to defeat spinal muscular atrophy!
9th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
February 8-9, 2008
Grand Cypress Resort and House of Blues
The 2008 Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic will be held on February 8th and 9th at the Grand Cypress Golf Resort in Orlando, Florida. The tournament will begin on the 8th with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m and will conclude with an awards reception at the clubhouse scoreboard.
On February 9th, the golfers gather again at the House of Blues for the dinner and silent auction at 4:30 p.m. which will be followed by the John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash at 8:00 p.m. The line-up this year will be announced soon and it will be another great evening of music hosted by JB.
SMAsquerade 2007
FightSMA Tampa Bay is reintroducing the SMAsquerade on Saturday, October 20, 2007 from 8:00 PM until midnight. It will again be a costume ball with live music provided by Bobby Lee Rodgers and the Codetalkers. This fun event will be held at The Lafayette Room (venue located next to Mise en Place in South Tampa), 442 W. Kennedy Blvd in Tampa.
Click here to view the invitation
Click here to print a copy of the reply card
For more information email FightSMA of Tampa Bay or call (813) 251-1611.
8th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
January 20, 2007
Grand Cypress Resort and House of Blues
The 8th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic was another huge success! More than 230 golfers hit the Grand Cypress courses bright and early Saturday morning to the nicest weather in the event’s history. Scores were low and spirits were high. Then it was off to the House of Blues for the auction and dinner – lots of cool stuff and lots of money raised for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Research. The crowd rolled in for the evening of music with Michael Nichol, JB and Sam Holt, Outformation and Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. It was a great day…it was a great night. Thanks to everyone who participated onsite and from afar. And, congrats to this year’s winning team of David Veghte, Richard Veghte, John Veghte, and Larry Hill!
Thank you for the continued support!
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FightSMA Tampa’s Jelly Bean Fling
Date: Saturday, April 8, 2006
Time: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: Kate Jackson Park (Hyde Park)
Features: Easter Egg Hunt, DJ and Crafts & Games, and Bake Sale
Click here to check out pictures and sponsors
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The 7th Annual (yes, seventh!) Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic and John Bell and Friends Benefit Bash
The date is February 25, 2006 in Orlando. The fun-filled day begins at Grand Cypress Resort for the golf tournament and then off to dinner and a silent auction at the House of Blues for the golfers and their guests. The doors to the House of Blues open to the public at 8:00 p.m. for the Benefit Bash host by John Bell of Widespread Panic. This year’s musical guests include John Bell, Col. Bruce Hampton and Jojo Hermann and his Mardi Gras Band.
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The 2005 Charity Classic was in Orlando on January 22. It was held at the Grand Cypress Resort. The day included the dinner and silent auction at House of Blues for the golfers and their guests then another great night of music with some special guests.
Thank you for joining us in our efforts to fund needed research to make life better for Hannah and the tens of thousands of kids fighting Spinal Muscular Atrophy!
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The Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am Charity Foundation Inc.
is a 501 (C)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in October of 2003. The 2005 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am is an official Champions Tour event and was held on February 21-27, 2005 at the Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay. FightSMA/Hannah’s Buddies was one of four charities chosen as a beneficiary of the tournament proceeds. Following the 2004 tournament, this professional golf tournament generated more than $5 million in donations for area charities in Florida. Outback Steakhouse continues to demonstrate their generosity in 2005 as shown in the pictures below. Please visit www.outbackproam.com for more information about the tournament.
Press and Media:
St. Petersburg Times: A Fighting Chance (April 25, 2006)
Atlanta Peach Magazine: Widespread Stardom (Summer 2007)
Paste Magazine: John Bell – Travelin’ Light (June 21, 2007)
St. Petersburg Times: Parents issue urgent plea to politicos (October 19, 2007)
2008 Hannah’s Buddies Charity Golf Classic and John Bell Benefit Bash Announced (December 2, 2007)
Details of 12th Annual Hannah’s Buddies Charity Classic Announced (September 13, 2010)
Photos
 Trevor Smith meets with Rep. C. W. Bill Young (2008) |
 Hannah with John Bell at the House of Blues (2007) |
 Hannah with John Bell (2005) |
 Smith Family at FightSMA Annual Conference (2005) |