Andrea Medeiros
amedeiros@abc6.com
Smokey Robinson and Celtics legend John Havlicek were two of many celebrities in Rhode Island, Tuesday, for Jeffrey Osborne's star-studded golf tournament.
The event raised about 150–thousand dollars for local charities, and there were more than 20 celebrities at Carnegie Abbey Golf Club in Portsmouth.
Singer and Providence native Jeffrey Osborne put together the celebrity golf classic, raising money for local charities that help kids, like the Boys and Girls Club.
After all, before he was singing in music videos, Osborne was writing lyrics on the streets of Providence.
"Growing up here, I had always admired people that have come back and have tried to give back to the state, so I always wanted to do it and this was the perfect opportunity," said Osborne.
How it works is sponsors like Ed Medeiros, a business owner from Seekonk, pay thousands of dollars to play golf with celebrities like Osborne.
"I'm from a family of twelve, so I grew up poor," said Medeiros, "One of the things that drove me in my life was always having hand me downs, never really having my own stuff, so I just worked hard and when the success came, I felt the need to help others."
Medeiros also got to invite three of his friends to play along. David Mitchell was one of them, who said it was an honor working on his golf stroke with all these stars.
"Just be next to them and the greatness, like seeing John Havlicek, one of the greatest Celtics of all time, when you're a little kid," said Mitchell, "It gives you a little chill."
This is the first year of the event, and Osborne said as the years go on he wants to bring in spectators and donate to more charities. This year, there are four charities they're donating to.
