ONEIDA NATION HOMELANDS - A distinguished group of civic and business community members from throughout Central New York comprise the 2009 Honorary Host Committee for the Upstate New York Empowerment Fund.

Their role is to help create awareness of the Empowerment Fund and to help promote the charitable component of the Oneida Indian Nation’s PGA TOUR event, the Turning Stone Resort Championship.

The Empowerment Fund is the fund-raising vehicle created by the Oneidas in concert with the Championship. This year, the event again will be held at The Atunyote Golf Club on Oneida Nation lands near Vernon. It is scheduled for Sept. 28 through Oct. 4.

In 2007 and 2008, the Empowerment Fund helped participating charities collectively raise nearly $500,000. The charity groups sold tickets to the championship and could keep 100 percent of the face value of all tickets they sold.

Oneida Nation Representative and CEO Ray Halbritter, who chairs the Honorary Host Committee, announced today that the philanthropic initiative’s leadership committee for 2009 are:

*Beth Baldwin of Syracuse; executive director of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Inc.

*J. Patrick Barrett of Manlius; owner, Exec Air; member, New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority; former chief executive of AVIS.

*Jim Boeheim of Fayetteville; NCAA men’s basketball national championship winner; SU head basketball coach for more than 30 seasons; and annual host of one of the highest-earning Coaches vs. Cancer events in the United States.

*Juli Boeheim of Fayetteville; who with husband Jim hosts the annual Coaches vs. Cancer event, a well-known charitable function that has earned more than $300,000 annually for the last several years.

*Maurice Bordell of Chittenango; Madison County real estate developer; former auto dealership owner; and well-known civic leader;

*Charlie Constantino of New Hartford; executive vice president and director, PAR Technology Corporation, New Hartford.

*Patrick Costello of Whitesboro; assistant business manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 43, Utica and Syracuse Chapters.

*Christopher Destito of Rome; longtime Oneida County tourism bureau and Rome Chamber of Commerce leader; co-owner of the third-generation family restaurant/catering/motel business, The Beeches/The Savoy/Paul Revere Motel.

*RoAnn Destito of Rome; New York State Democratic assemblywoman who was first elected in 1992 to represent the 116th District including the cities of Utica and Rome.

*Michael J. Falcone of Syracuse; chairman, The Pioneer Companies;

*William Fitzpatrick of Syracuse; Onondaga County district attorney since 1992.

*Admiral Edmund Giambastiani Jr. (Ret.); former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

*Maureen Green of Syracuse; former WTVH 5 anchor and an active participant in many of the region’s community and charitable causes.

*Darlene Kerr; president, Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.

*John Kinsella of the Chittenango/Manlius area; co-owner of Kinsella Quarries of Fayetteville.

*Joanne M. (“Joanie”) Mahoney; Onondaga County executive;

*John F.X. Mannion of Syracuse; chairman of the Board of Unity Mutual Life Insurance Company; an active participant in many regional charitable causes.

*Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., Ph.D of Syracuse; president, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

*Nicholas J. Pirro of Syracuse; former Onondaga County executive.

*James E. Sartori, M.D of Syracuse; general surgeon.

*Kenneth A. (“Buzz”) Shaw, Ph.D; chairman, Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse board of directors and chancellor emeritus and University Professor at Syracuse University.

*David R. Smith, M.D. of Syracuse; president of SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse.

*Melvin T. Stith, Ph.D. of Syracuse; dean of Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.