Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) raised more than $315,000 at its 2026 Celebrity Golf and Pickleball Classic held June 8 at Greenwich Country Club, with proceeds supporting research and patient programs focused on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

The event drew patients, advocates, sponsors, and celebrity participants including former Major League Baseball players Josh Booty and Jim Leyritz, alongside Tebucky Jones, Garrison Mathews, and Chris Ortiz. Event chair Charles Balducci led the day's program, which combined golf and a second-year pickleball tournament with an evening Champions Award Dinner.

"This cause is personal for me. Every dollar raised today means better research, earlier diagnoses, and fewer families blindsided the way mine was," said Balducci. "Watching this community come together, from players to sponsors to volunteers, is what gives me hope. Thank you to everyone who showed up. We're just getting started."

A highlight of the Champions Award Dinner was the presentation of the Spirit of GLA Award to Dylan Dinolfo, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease, Bartonella, and Babesia before graduating from Boston College and has since become an advocate for awareness and policy through local politics and GLA's Next Gen Junior Board.

Sponsors included the Robert and Nancy DelGenio Family Foundation, The Snyder Balducci Group, Tradewind Aviation, Star Mountain Capital, Bedgear, the Napa Institute Foundation, Baker McKenzie, the Berger Family Foundation, the Busch Family Foundation, the Garner Foundation, the Heidi and Richard Sontag Foundation, and The Kristoff Family. GLA's mission centers on curing Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through research, awareness, and patient support.