Touch ‘em all Joe, all 18 greens

TORONTO, ON – August 12, 2012 – By Danny Gallagher

Joe Carter and Mitch Williams are hooking up again Aug. 15.

Some 19 years after Carter hit a walk-off, three-run home run against Williams to give the Toronto Blue Jays the 1993 World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies, the two will be reunited.

Williams is coming to Toronto to lend support to Carter for the third annual Joe Carter Golf Classic at the Eagles Nest course near Maple, although they will not be golfing together. Carter has lined up close to 30 celebrities for the tournament, which raised more than $250,000 in its first two years for the Children’s Aid Foundation.

Other baseball celebrities scheduled to attend are Cito Gaston, Dave Stewart, Kelly Gruber, Vince Coleman, Bo Jackson, Kenny Lofton, Fred McGriff and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. Non-baseball celebrities include entertainer Alan Thicke, basketball’s Charles Barkley and hockey’s Doug Gilmour.

The tournament sold out in 48 hours with 40 foursomes of one celebrity each lined up to play, event publicist Nancy Vye said.

Last week, the Carter Classic organizers announced a $500,000 endowment to the Children’s Aid Foundation, which will go toward funding post-secondary academic scholarships and support for Foundation-led programs aimed at strengthening families and communities.

“Access to education and supportive programs, like the ones offered by the Children’s Aid Foundation, are essential to creating opportunities and breaking down barriers for at-risk youth and children,” Carter said in a statement. “Our hope is to create a lasting legacy that encourages these kids to stay in school, and provide the necessary support for their foster families and communities.”