Achea and Michael Redd Named Honorary Chairs of Woody Hayes Celebrity Classic

February 25, 2019

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Central Ohio residents Achea and Michael Redd will serve as the honorary chairs of the 43rd Annual Woody Hayes Celebrity Classic at New Albany Country Club June 10. Funds raised from the golf outing will support behavioral health research and care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The Redds also will be the honorary chairs at the Pay It Forward Party at The Exchange at Bridge Park June 7.

Achea Redd launched the Real Girls F.A.R.T. (Fearless, Authentic, Rescuer, Trailblazer) community in 2017. The platform is dedicated to equipping women with the necessary tools to use their voices and become their most authentic selves. Achea regularly advocates for mental health awareness and ending the stigma surrounding mental health. In the fall of 2018, Achea helped Nationwide Children’s launch On Our Sleeves, a network of support for the millions of families around the country living with mental illness. On Our Sleeves addresses the stigma associated with diagnosis and provides the necessary tools to improve behavioral health outcomes.

Michael Redd, former guard on the Ohio State men’s basketball team (1997-2000) and the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks (2000-2011) and Phoenix Suns (2011-2012), will join his wife as co-honorary chair of both events.

The beneficiary of this year’s event, behavioral health research and care at Nationwide Children’s are combined in an effort to change the future for children and families living with behavioral health conditions. Nationwide Children’s addresses both the physical well-being and behavioral health needs of children for the best overall health outcomes.

Registration for the golf classic will begin at 8:30 a.m. June 10 at the New Albany Country Club. The shotgun start will begin promptly at 10 a.m. Participants can sign up for a Scarlet Team that includes a group of four players for $3,000 or a Gray Team of two participants for $1,500. Each Scarlet and Gray team will be paired with a local media or sports celebrity.

To reserve a place in the 2019 Woody Hayes Celebrity Classic or inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Cynthia Laux of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation via phone at 614-355-5413 or by email at Cynthia.Laux@nationwidechildrens.org

Prior to the golf classic on June10, The Pay It Forward Party will take place on June 7 at 7 p.m. and will include cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music, raffle prizes and a silent auction. Tickets to the Pay It Forward Party will go on sale online at bidr.co/events/nchpayitforward April 1 and cost $100 per person.

Organized by the Development Board of Nationwide Children’s, the Woody Hayes Celebrity Classic is named for legendary Ohio State football coach Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes. Hayes was an advocate for “paying it forward” or helping others in need.

The Development Board of Nationwide Children’s Hospital is a group of corporate volunteers dedicated to raising money to support the hospital’s mission. The Development Board raised more than $720,000 in 2018 through fundraising events, including the Woody Hayes Celebrity Classic & Pay It Forward Party, Rock ‘N Bowl, Columbus Duck Race and Slice of Columbus. Since its inception in 1971, the Development Board has raised more than $10 million for Nationwide Children’s.

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 16,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.8 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org