The Count On Me Family Foundation Hosts The 9th Annual Jim Mora Celebrity Golf Classic

Despite the early-morning clouds, the stars were shining bright at the Riviera Country Club for the 9th Annual Jim Mora Celebrity Golf Classic.  The golf tournament is hosted by UCLA football head coach Jim Mora and wife Shannon Mora and is the main fundraiser for their Count On Me Family Foundation which is dedicated to helping local children’s charities.

UCLA Bruins

Yesterday, Go Joe Bruin covered the VIP Appreciation Celebrity Cocktail Reception at the W Hotel in Westwood where we talked with to several football legends about the cause. Today at the Riviera in Pacific Palisades, we were able to meet and talk to even more high-profile names that came out to help spread the word about the Count On Me Family Foundation at the celebrity golf tournament.

There were a lot of the same faces from the reception the night before as we once again saw Jim Mora, Sr., Jonathan Ogden, Troy Aikman and Matt Stevens, just to name a few. In addition to that we got to see members of the UCLA basketball family, more UCLA football coaches, more former UCLA football players and more NFL legends. More is the key word here. You could not move about the entrance of the Riviera clubhouse without bumping into some sort of big-name sports figure.

It is quite apparent that the Count On Me Family Foundation has made a name for itself in the last 10 years and it is great to see so many well-known athletes participate in an event that aids the Mora’s foundation.

We got to once again talk to several of these guests which started with UCLA football defensive line coach Angus McClure who gave us his take on what the golf classic offers. “Well, the Mora Family are winners. We are winning on the field and we are winning in the community. I mean this is such a great event, raising money for all the right reasons, children’s charities in Los Angeles and certainly we all know there’s a lot of people out there that need support, need mentorship, need leadership and that is what the Mora Foundation is doing.”

Tyus Edney and Jason Kapono checking in at the Jim Mora Celebrity Golf Classic. Phot Credit: Mike W.R.

Former UCLA basketball star and NBA Champion Jason Kapono also talked about what this has done for the community, “It starts up top. Jim and Shannon have been doing this for years and years. It is an awesome chance for us to come back here and give what we can to obviously help kids out that don’t have those chances.”

We even got to speak to UCLA head basketball coach Steve Alford and get his take on what the Foundation has achieved, “It has been great. Jim and Shannon have been doing a tremendous job and the foundation is a special foundation when you are talking about something that benefits families and children, in particular here in the Los Angeles area. So it is an honor to be a part of it.”

NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis at the Jim Mora Golf Classic.

Photo Credit: Mike W.R.

If that was not enough star power, how about six-time Pro-Bowler, Super Bowl Champion and NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis talking to Go Joe Bruin about the golf classic, “It is incredible. Obviously it is a great course, but it is a great foundation, it is a great purpose and it is with great people. So when you put all of that together, you have a great event and that is exactly what this is.”

I think that is what it is all about, for us to try to lend ourselves to each other and use whatever celebrity we have to try to affect change.

We asked Bettis how he got involved with the Jim Mora Golf Classic and he mentioned that Mora called him a few years ago. “I said ‘I would love to help you out”, because I think that is what it is all about, for us to try to lend ourselves to each other and use whatever celebrity we have to try to affect change. So we are raising money and trying to do the right thing. And I have a foundation so I know what it is all about, that is why I was more than willing to come out.”

Bettis did not mention the name of his foundation, so we asked so that we can help spread the word, which is the Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation. Please check it out to get information on another great cause.

There were so many celebrities here, there was not enough time to talk to them but they were definitely worth noting which included Dick Butkus, Marcus Allen, Drew Bledsoe, Tyus Edney, Rick Neuheisel, Jordan Babineaux… the list goes on and we were glad to be covering it.

To learn more about the Count On Me Family Foundation, visit www.countonmefoundation.org. To learn more about the Jim Mora Celebrity Golf Classic, visit the site’s fund raising page.