Jan. 18, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Fifth Third Bank spokesperson Johnny Bench will be a key figure at the Isleworth Golf and Country Club on Jan. 22 for the fourth-annual fundraiser benefiting the UCF Golf Practice Facility.
Bench, a 1989 inductee into the MLB Hall of Fame, will participate in the golf tournament that is being sponsored this year by Fifth Third Bank and also help emcee a live auction with fundraising chairman Brent Carli at a dinner that evening.
"We are excited to have a person of Johnny's caliber come to town to help us out with this special event," Carli said. "He has an enthusiasm for golf and along with Fifth Third Bank, we could not ask for a better partnership to help us reach our goals."
Bench will also be instrumental in kicking off a capital campaign for the facility that will call for golfers of all levels in the Orlando community to donate funds for the Golden Knights' state-of-the-art, short-game facility that is scheduled to open in September of 2007.
Arguably the greatest catcher of all time, Bench has successfully utilized his celebrity status to benefit charitable causes such as the Heart Association, the American Cancer Society (as National Chairman of "Athletes vs. Cancer"), the Kidney Foundation, Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Health System and Muscular Dystrophy. He also supports the Cincinnati Symphony, the Museum of Science and Industry, and his own Johnny Bench Scholarship Fund, which grants financial aid to Greater Cincinnati-area college students.
Bench's passion for golf has grown and spread into business opportunities from hosting Mastering Golf and Golf in Paradise, two cable shows featuring guests and golf tips. Johnny played in several Senior Professional Golf Association events since becoming eligible in 1998 and has also been a member of the Celebrity Golf Tour.
The target figure to raise in order to complete the facility is $500,000 and if you are interested in further information, please contact Brent Carli at 407-230-3600.
About Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank (Central Florida) is an affiliate of Fifth Third Bancorp, a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $105.8 billion in assets, operates 19 affiliates with 1,145 full-service Banking Centers, including 115 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,114 Jeanie® ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Fifth Third operates five main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, Investment Advisors and Fifth Third Processing Solutions. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of September 30, 2006, has $215 billion in assets under care, of which it manages $32 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded through the NASDAQ® National Global Select Market System under the symbol "FITB."