Upstate Towsley Pro-Am

Where CNY PGA Pros & Amateurs Team Up & Tee Off! 

2026 Recap

For 50 years, the Upstate Foundation has helped turn donor generosity into meaningful impact for patients, families, students and programs at Upstate and for community health and well-being.

The 42nd annual Towsley Pro-Am, held on Aug. 31 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, proved another powerful example of that legacy in action, bringing together IBEW and NECA chapters, labor unions from across the region, corporations, and community partners to raise more than $262,000 to support Friend in Deed.

Friend in Deed is the annual fund for Upstate University Hospital. It provides funding for vital programs, services and unmet patient needs identified by Upstate physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. The fund helps provide resources that can make a meaningful difference in a patient’s experience and help bridge needs that may otherwise go unmet due to a lack of financial resources.

“This year’s Towsley Pro-Am was a wonderful example of what can happen when a community comes together around a shared commitment to helping others with purpose and passion,” said Julie Simms, senior director of development and campaign management at the Upstate Foundation. “As we celebrate 50 years of philanthropy, we are incredibly grateful for our longtime partnership with IBEW Local 43, NECA Finger Lakes Chapter and the PGA of CNY.  Their leadership, along with a dedicated team of volunteers, makes events like the Towsley Pro-Am  possible.”

IBEW Local 43 and NECA Finger Lakes Chapter have served as the tournament’s presenting sponsor for decades.  As the longest and largest pro-am golf tournament in the region, teams at Shenendoah were paired with CNY PGA professionals, while foursomes at Kaluhyat enjoyed a separate tournament experience, bringing together golfers of all skill levels for a day of fun, fellowship and philanthropy. The event carries forward a tradition spanning more than four decades and has generated more than $2 million to support programs, projects and patients at Upstate Medical University.

“Every year, we see firsthand what the Towsley Pro-Am means to the Upstate community,” said Alan Marzullo, business manager, IBEW Local 43 and tournament co-chair. “We are grateful to the loyal sponsors who have been faithful in their support over the years and celebrate 18 new sponsors who pushed us past an ambitious $250,000 goal.  Because of the generosity of many,  we are making a meaningful difference to patients assisted by the Friend in Deed fund.”

The event honors the legacy of tournament namesake Bill Towsley, a former IBEW Local 43 business manager, Community General Hospital Board member, and devoted volunteer, who helped shape the event’s enduring mission. The 2026 tournament also coincided with the Upstate Foundation’s 50th anniversary and the CNY PGA’s centennial anniversary, adding another special milestone to an event built on decades of partnership and generosity.

To learn more about Friend in Deed or make a contribution, please visit upstatefoundation.org/friendindeed.

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Towsley Pro-Am Impact 

For more than four decades, the Upstate Towsley Pro-Am has supported programs and projects at Upstate Medical University totaling more than $2 million. This year’s tournament benefited the Upstate Foundation’s Friend in Deed fund, an important source of funding for vital programs and services, and unmet patient needs at Upstate University Hospital and Upstate Community Hospital. These are needs identified by those who care for the patients – doctors, nurses and other health care professionals – and their desire to make the patient experience as positive as possible. Because of your sponsorship, Friend in Deed will have a greater impact on Upstate programs and patients in ways that make a genuine difference.

A note of gratitude from Spencer Champagne, Director of Grateful Patient Programs at the Upstate Foundation

When a patient is facing a serious illness, the last thing they should have to worry about is how to afford the things that insurance does not cover. Thanks to your generosity, more of our community members will be able to put their energy where it belongs, on healing.

The Friend in Deed fund helps bridge the gaps that can otherwise go unmet, and with every dollar donated, a person can breathe a little easier, and a family feels less alone. Because of your extraordinary support this year, we will meet the most critical needs that Upstate physicians, nurses, and care teams bring to our attention. 

Thank you for being a devoted Friend In Deed to the patients and families we serve!

 

As the Upstate Foundation celebrates its 50th anniversary, we honor the many Upstate Towsley Pro-Am sponsors and supporters who stepped forward to help us surpass the ambitious $250,000 fundraising goal and raise a record-breaking $262,000!

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A LIFE-CHANGING DIFFERENCE!