WAB Sports is organizing an upcoming charity celebrity golf tournament to raise funds to sponsor a youth day for the children of Murfreesboro.

This tournament will actually be a weekend-long community event taking place July 29–31 and hosted by WAB Sports, an organization designed to help nonprofits and individuals raise funds through hosting charity sports events.

Wayne A. Buckingham, a former professional basketball player hailing from Bell Buckle, Tennessee, created WAB Sports.

As a young athlete, Buckingham was given the opportunity to attend prep school in Atlanta on a full-ride scholarship, and this led to his basketball career at Clemson University, in the NBA, and later in Europe.

Buckingham has hosted youth camps and charity events to give back to the Middle Tennessee community since his retirement from basketball in 2005.

“My whole life has been charity since I retired,” says Buckingham. “As of last year we’ve impacted around 25,000 kids in the Middle Tennessee area.”

This will be the 11th year this annual golf event is taking place, but it will be the event’s first occurrence in Murfreesboro.

Participating in the event will be legendary boxers Riddick Bowe and Buster Douglas, and former NFL and NBA players such as Dale Davis alongside members of the Murfreesboro community, including MTSU athletes, small business owners and doctors.

The youth day will take place on Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on the MTSU football field.
This is free to attend for children grades K–6 and is first come, first serve. The organization has prepared for about 500 attendees.

Participating youth will be given the opportunity to hang out with the players while playing field games and other outdoor activities.

The children will learn about nutrition, concussion protocol, and how to be a good teammate from former professional sports players and esteemed members of the community.

Throughout his career, Buckingham has been able to build a network of professional athletes who want to do good work.

“I’m just trying to bring these guys back to give back to the kids in our communities, because you never know who you’re going to touch,” says Buckingham. “We’ve found out that kids really open up to athletes, so we’ve had a lot of great conversations with these kids.”

At the end of the day the youth will also be treated to a T-shirt, a free meal and a goodie bag filled with school supplies.

The contents of the goodie bag are donated by the community or funded by the proceeds from the golf tournament. For information on how to donate, call 331-472-9828.

Following the youth day, from 2:30–5 p.m. there will be an autograph signing at the Fish House, located at 1626 Middle Tennessee Blvd. Those who would like can purchase autographed Riddick Bowe boxing gloves for $250, among other memorabilia.

Finishing off Saturday’s activities will be a draft party from 5–11 p.m. for the golf tournament’s participants to mix and mingle before they play the following day.

The golf tournament will take place Sunday, July 31, at the Old Fort Golf Course.

Teams for the tournament will consist of four players each and will cost $150 per person; all of the money raised will go directly to the youth day.

There are still openings for advertising and sponsorships at the tournament.

For more information about how you or your business can get involved and on WAB Sports, call 331-472-9828 or visit wabsports.com. Register for the W.A.B Sports 11th Annual Golf Tournament on Eventbrite.