Teeing off for charity
Jesse Ventura, left, Mike Dobbyn, and Dennis Haysbert were recently in town to participate in a celebrity invitational golf tournament to benefit local charities. Photo courtesy One&Only Palmilla.
By Ed Kociela
It seems like there’s always a reason to party in Los Cabos.
Sometimes, it’s simply because you’re in Los Cabos. Sometimes, however, there’s a greater purpose.
Last Thursday night there was a greater purpose.
The view from the balcony at Suviche at One&Only Palmilla. Photo by Cara Curfew-Kociela.
A group of Hollywood and sports celebrities got together with some big-time golf aficionados at Suviche, the classy but comfy bar and restaurant at One&Only Palmilla, the most historic resort in all of Los Cabos.
It was the kickoff event for the Cabo Celebrity Invitational golf tournament hosted by Dream Homes of Cabo to raise money for the Lorena Ochoa Golf Foundation, which was created to provide opportunity for children and adults with family based health, education and inclusion programs delivered through family golf activities, and Liga MAC, a charitable organization dedicated to helping low-income families and individuals in crisis in San Jose del Cabo.
Some high-profile friends of Los Cabos were there. Former politician-activist-actor Jesse Ventura mingled with a group from Hollywood that included actors Richard Burgi and Jeffrey Nordling from TV’s “Desperate Housewives,” Esai Morales from “La Bamba” and NYPD Blue,” Dennis Haysbert, and Brett Cullen, and producer, director, writer Dennis Leoni. They were joined by former NFLers Mike Saxon and Glenn Pakulak and pro
Lorena Ochoa
volleyballers Ryan Mariano and Ed Ratledge, as well as Ochoa, fellow golfer Elena Robles, and long-drive champion Mike Dobbyn, who claims the world record for smashing a golf ball 551 yards. I’ve owned cars that could barely drive that far. Members of the alternative rock band Rootdown, who would play at the awards dinner, were also there.
A light spring breeze wafted through the balcony of Suviche as the celebrities mingled with some of the players, sipped ginger margaritas, and snacked on the delicious hors d’oeuvres the night before they hit the Puerto Los Cabos Golf Course.
Dramatic lighting reflected off the waves as they crashed on the beach at One&Only Palmilla. Photo by Ed Kociela.
It was one of those beautiful Los Cabos nights when the sky lit up with color at sunset while the waves crashed angrily on the rocks below the One&Only Palmilla, tossing spray up into the sky.
As my wife and I sat, mesmerized by the boiling surf, I couldn’t help but think how lucky this community is to have people from faraway places willingly become a part of it and spend their hard-earned money to come down and help our local kids and families in crisis. This wasn’t some high-profile Hollywood image event with paparazzi crawling all over the place. I’ve been to enough of those gatherings over the years to recognize that this event wasn’t about all that. I mean, the nearest major media outpost is more than a thousand miles away. The vibe in the room was strictly one of fun for this group of people who got together to play golf and raise some money for a couple of very worthy causes.
Visitors to our tropical paradise don’t always see the flipside, the day-to-day struggle that takes place not far away from the beautiful beaches, luxurious resorts, and bubbling night life that is Los Cabos.
So, thanks, guys.
Hope to see you all next year.
Ed Kociela is a writer for Los Cabos Magazine. You can reach him by email at edkociela.mx@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/EdKociela.
How you can help:
To learn more about these two organizations or make a donation, please go to:
http://icfexchange.org/donateonline/index.php?webkey=ligamac
http://cabocelebrityinvitational.com/foundation.php