Governor Thompson Teams With Verizon Wireless To Produce A Winning Event

LAKE GENEVA, WIS. — More than 110 golfers braved the blustery conditions in a struggle to become the inaugural champions of the 1st Annual Tommy G. Thompson Charity Invitational. While the tournament winners consisted of the team of Joe Chrnelich, Rich Tennessen, Tim Hoven and Jason Manke, the real winners for the day were the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin (GFW) and the Badger State Games Foundation.

Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless communications provider, teamed up with Governor Tommy Thompson to present this unique golf event that generated more than $50,000 for two worthy charities. The tournament was held on Friday September 15 at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa and featured a competitive golf event, reception and silent auction.

In his remarks to the participants, Governor Thompson saluted Verizon Wireless for their "outstanding support of important community organizations like the GFW and the Badger State Games Foundation" and for making a significant contribution to the well being of the state of Wisconsin. Organizers of the event also unveiled plans to make annual scholarships available in the name of Tommy Thompson and officially recognized his contribution to the growth of sports in Wisconsin under his administration.

"Verizon Wireless is proud to be a part of Wisconsin and a part of this worthy effort," said Eric Schaefer, General Manager-Wisconsin for Verizon Wireless. "Providing opportunity for young people to enjoy recreational programs is an important endeavor and we are thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of this first class event." Verizon Wireless has been the official wireless communications for the GFW over the past few years and provides support for GFW with several special programs.
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About Golf Foundation of Wisconsin
Since its inception in 1978, the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin, Inc. (GFW), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, has been dedicated to the mission of preserving and promoting the game of golf in Wisconsin. To satisfy this mission, the GFW has established numerous programs to present golf and its values to individuals who may otherwise never have the chance to learn the game. GFW programs are designed not only to teach the physical skills of the game, but also to instill honesty, self-discipline, camaraderie and an appreciation for tradition. These values benefit individuals and the communities in which they live. For more information please visit our website at www.gfw.org

About Badger State Games Foundation
Established in 1999, the Badger State Games Foundation supports the efforts of the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, governing body of the Badger State Games. The corporation provides and promotes, for the citizens of Wisconsin, healthy sport environments and activities in which participants of all ages can benefit socially, mentally and physically. The goal of the foundation is to help grow and develop the corporation by ensuring its long-term financial viability.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the largest wireless communications provider in the U.S. with more than 25 million wireless voice and data customers and nearly 3.4 million paging customers. The new coast-to-coast wireless provider was formed by the combination of the U.S. wireless businesses of Bell Atlantic Corp. and GTE Corp - now Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) - and Vodafone (LSE:VOD; NYSE:VOD). The new company includes the assets of Bell Atlantic Mobile, AirTouch Cellular, GTE Wireless, PrimeCo Personal Communications and AirTouch Paging. The new company has a footprint covering nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population, 49 of the top 50 and 96 of the top 100 U.S. markets. Verizon Wireless, headquartered in New York City and Bedminster, NJ, is 30,000 employees strong. Reporters and editors can find more information about the company in its Media Center on the Web at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/mediacenter

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