The Funk-Zitiello Foundation, formed by professional golfer Fred Funk and his wife Sharon and Tommy and Judi Zitiello, will have the Champions for Hope Celebrity Golf Classic Friday and Saturday at TPC Sawgrass. The inaugural Champions for Hope golf tournament will benefit the JT Townsend Foundation and pancreatic research with the Mayo Clinic.

The JT Townsend Foundation (JTTF) was established in 2008 with a mission to help children and adults living with disabilities on the First Coast with financial assistance and adaptive equipment often denied by insurance and to fund spinal cord injury research. To date, JTTF has helped over 250 families with $500,000 given in assistance and equipment.

Judi Zitiello was the Townsend Foundation’s first executive director and led it through Townsend’s death in 2013. She is now the board chairwoman of the Townsend Foundation and the Funk-Zitiello foundation’s managing director. She credits Mayo for her surviving pancreatic cancer and has become an advocate to ensure others live through it as well.

First Coast News own Angelia Savage will cohost the gala with Curtis Dvorak, Friday, June 16th at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse. Curtis served 19 years as the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Jaxson De Ville and is a avid golfer. Angelia was a former Miss Florida USA and is currently a co-host on The Chat on First Coast News and also a radio co-host and personality on WOKV 104.5 FM Woman’s Worth.

On Friday, there will be a welcome gala with cocktails, private concert, dinner and silent auction at TPC Sawgrass that begins at 6pm. On Saturday, the golfers will begin the golf tournament at 9am with the awards luncheon starting at 2pm.