By JODI SOKOLOWSKI
Buffalo Law Journal

Just as two heads are better than one, a two-sport fund-raising tournament is better than one focused on just one activity.

Based on that logic, Karen Nicolson and Giles Manias decided to combine the Bar Association of Erie County's golf tournament with Legal Services for the Elderly, Disabled or Disadvantaged of Western New York's - and to add tennis back into the mix.

"We decided to reintroduce the tennis element for those who don't play golf, and since it was done years ago (at BAEC golf tournaments), it's getting back to a tradition," said Manias, the Bar Association's vice president and president-elect.

The tournament will be held Monday, June 30, at the Brookfield Country Club in Clarence. All proceeds will benefit Legal Services for the Elderly, which assists seniors facing foreclosure and those in need of guardianships, among other services.

While the BAEC golf tournament goes back 32 years, Legal Services for the Elderly started its tournament in the late 1990s after funding reductions threatened its services.

This year's combined event will benefit both groups, as they were previously "competing against each other for the same audience," said Nicolson, the legal-aid nonprofit's executive director. The BAEC will no longer incur costs associated with the tournament, noted Manias, who is also vice president of the Legal Services for the Elderly board.

"Our need is huge, and that need is increasing each year," Nicolson said, noting that there will be one senior for every four people in Erie County by 2015. "Unfortunately, our funding is not increasing at all."

Jon Nichols is chairing the round-robin tennis tournament, which will run from 2 to 5 p.m.

The event will feature prizes, charity raffles and an auction. The golf trophies are named after BAEC tournament founders Ferdinand Ciccarelli and the late James Vogel.

Reservations are encouraged, as organizers anticipate a sell-out.

The $225 registration fee covers the cost of golf, tennis, carts and fees, lunch, snacks and refreshments, a cocktail reception and dinner. The cost of attending the reception and dinner only is $75.

"It's going to cost the players a little more to play (this year), but we feel it's going to be worth(because it's) for charity," Manias said.

For more information, call Nicolson at 853-3087, Ext. 205.