SOLANA BEACH, CA — July 14, 2009 — National Football League Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers will headline the Gale Sayers Stroke of Genius Open golf tournament on July 17, 2009 at the Maderas Golf Club in Poway. The inaugural tournament will benefit the Human Development Foundation (HDF), a San Diego-based organization that cultivates the brilliance of local underprivileged and minority youth to achieve greatness through education and opportunity.

Sayers, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977, and is still the youngest inductee in the Hall’s history, will be joined by a number of celebrities including David Justice, Jim Weatherly, David Smoot, Reggie Berry, Craig McEwen, Brian Sullivan, Willie Buchanan, Bradford “Dokie” Booth, Leroy Irvin, Lance Zeno, Le Coach Sam and Felix Giles. Sayers was named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and its 1960s All-Time Team. He retired from football in 1971. A signed Gale Sayers jersey and football will be available for bid at the tournament’s silent auction. Other items up for auction include a two-night, three-day stay at Mission Bay, a Swift River photograph of Yosemite National Park, Golf for Three at Santaluz, and Golf and Lunch for Three at The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, and three nights at a beautiful fully-staffed, 13-bedroom Texas Plantation in the historic community of Egypt, Texas complete with all meal and beverages provided as well as transportation to and from Houston Airport.

The Stoke of Genius title sponsor is The Wallis Foundation. Additional sponsors include HoyleCohen, LLC, Wespac, David and Diane Zeiger, San Diego National Bank, Joseph and Lou Anne Kellman and TargetSafety, Ray and Gina Ellis, Glorious Journey Photography, Plumbing Plus, Rudolph & Sletten, Priority Pharmaceuticals, Rancho Santa Fe Insurance, Kearny Mesa Ford, Liquid Assets Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and Jake-Ryan Cellars.

Marjorie Fox, president and CEO of HDF, said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for companies to promote their organizations to a very distinct group of professionals and join our sponsors in helping HDF educate hundreds of gifted children from low-income families in San Diego.”
To register for the golf tournament and to view numerous Sponsorship and Participation opportunities, visit http://www.humandevelopmentfoundation.com/golf.html.

The Human Development Foundation (HDF) was founded as a nonprofit 501(c) 3, tax-exempt organization, in January 1998. The mission of the HDF is to provide educational opportunities for children with very limited economic means. The organization’s OPEN GATE Program is the Foundation’s primary initiative, providing the resources, advocacy and logistics needed for intellectually gifted children in very low-income families to attend special Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) classrooms in San Diego and Escondido. The philosophy of HDF is one of social prevention as well as social advancement. It is based on the principle that access to challenging, appropriate levels of education for all children is key to a sustainable, healthy society. And, the benefits are multiplied for extremely gifted, economically disadvantaged children. For more information on HDF, call (760) 944-9224 or visit www.HumanDevelopmentFoundation.com.