Barbara and Frank Sinatra founded the Frank Sinatra Starkey Hearing Foundation Celebrity Invitational in 1988 to raise funds for the young Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, CA.
Frank gathered his golfing pals for a fun-filled weekend of golf and entertainment in support of the Center, and what was once called “Frank’s little party in the desert,” is now one of the most successful fundraising events of its kind.
The 25th Frank Sinatra Starkey Hearing Foundation Celebrity Invitational, February 21-23, 2013, will be held at the acclaimed par 72 Eagle Falls Golf Course and the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
The renowned two day celebrity-amateur golf tournament, three nights of dinner parties with entertainment, and a spectacular luncheon and fashion show are dedicated to the memory and music of Frank Sinatra. Golf legend Ken Venturi, one of Frank Sinatra’s best friends, will co-host the event with Barbara Sinatra. Frankie Valli will headline the Saturday night Gala.
Over the years, the tournament has been supported by top entertainers and athletes, including Dean Martin, Tommy Lasorda, Liza Minelli, Sammy Davis, Jr., Robert Wagner, Jill St. John, Angie Dickenson, Shirley MacLaine, Kevin Sorbo, Tom Selleck, Elke Sommer, Tom Flores, and Chad Everett. Long-time Sinatra friend and Children’s Center supporter Dick Van Dyke is the Honorary Spokesman for the tournament. Another friend of the Center and Invitational, Joe Mantegna, star of the hit television show Criminal Minds, has often said there is a very short list of things that he wouldn’t do for Barbara Sinatra. (Coincidentally, Mantegna played Dean Martin in the Emmy Award-winning HBO television movie The Rat Pack.)
The Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center’s mission is to provide counseling for young victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to focus on prevention, community education and breaking the generational cycle of abuse. Barbara Sinatra is quick to thank supporters of the Frank Sinatra Starkey Hearing Foundation Celebrity Invitational, and is proud to say, “The children who come to us for help continue to receive the therapy they need and deserve – no child is turned away due to a family’s inability to pay.”
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