Reeve Golf Classic 2023 Honoree: Michael Levine
In 1985, Michael “Vino” Levine was spending a carefree summer attending Camp Baco Che-Naw-Wah in Minerva, NY, when a tragic car accident took the life of one of his counselors and left another, Danny Heumann, fighting for his life after sustaining a spinal cord injury. For Levine, it was an impactful trauma that still resonates 38 years later. Heumann “was always a blast as a counselor,” Levine recalls fondly. “He was hilarious. He coached tennis and had a rapper shtick that I recall vividly and made everything fun, even when he was drilling serves at me!”
Levine, at just 13-years-old, didn’t know it at the time, but Heumann’s jarring misfortune would continue to shape Levine’s life for years to come. Levine and Heumann shared a deep bond, as the lively counselor “was always so supportive and playful. Nothing has changed in our friendship since then.”
If anything, it’s safe to say, they’ve grown closer.
Blighting devastation met Levine and stayed with him well beyond that summer as a motivating factor to raise awareness and funds for the paralysis community; one of his earliest efforts was as one of the event Chairmen at Camp Baco Che-Naw-Wah Bazaar with funds directed towards the Daniel Heumann Fund for Spinal Cord Research.
As anyone who knows Vino or his family, Camp Baco has remained at the epicenter of his life, with many of his closest and longest-standing friendships rooting from that network.
“The friendships I made at that camp, and at that stage in my life, are still hugely important to me,” Levine shares. “I’ve yearned to maintain that magical feeling ever since I was a kid, through the friendships that have lasted, including my relationship with Danny.”
Just a few short years after what Levine considers the first real tragedy of his life, he found himself in an uncomfortable, yet familiar, reality when spinal cord injury struck his inner circle once again. In 1988, Alan T. Brown was vacationing in Martinique when a wave flipped him over resulting in quadriplegia. In what seemed like a surreal connection, Brown’s younger brother Daniel, was college roommates with Levine’s best friend and bunkmate from camp, Eric Steinert.
Levine vowed to support spinal cord injury awareness since that fateful day nearly 38 years ago and the desire to help was then bolstered even more.
These unexpected life turns were a wake-up call for Levine, leading him to “a more personal sense of purpose philanthropically,” Levine says, “as I hoped, and still hope, to change the future for those living with spinal cord injuries.”
On July 24, Levine, a member of the Board of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Co-Head of CAA Sports, will have a full circle moment as the 2023 Reeve Golf Classic Honoree as he shares a deep connection to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s mission.
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“Injuries are being repaired and the quality of life for many is improving dramatically,” Levine says of his honor bringing together robust and enthusiastic friends and loved ones to raise valuable funds for the Reeve Foundation. “As we get closer to a cure, our efforts are more important and can be felt dramatically in the immediate and near term. That’s super exciting.”
As someone who is indelibly linked to high-level sports, Levine is much more aware of how fleeting a moment can be as athletes risk it all for their livelihoods every day. Citing the example of NFL fans around the world collectively pausing on January 2 when CPR was administered on the field to Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, Levine recalls it being an “aha” moment.
“The fragility of life is proven in how rapidly life can change and impact everyone around you,” Levine articulates. “And especially for those living with spinal cord injuries, there is not a single minute of the day that they can lose sight of their health and take it for granted.”
Levine firmly believes the Reeve Golf Classic is about much more than merely a fun round of golf with friends. While July 24 will be a special day at Winged Foot Golf Club, Levine notes, “it isn’t lost on me that we will all be there for a vitally important reason – to support those like Danny and Alan.”
“I’ve been connected to this fight for 38 years and have witnessed the progress being made over nearly four decades,” Levine says. “It inspires me to push that much harder, knowing that science has made such incredible strides. I can’t wait to give Alan and Danny a hug standing up… and someday soon.”