Amanda Balionis shares heartfelt moment with a little girl 

Amanda Balionis recently posted a heartwarming selfie with a little girl on her Instagram story on January 2, 2025. The golf pundit is an active user on social media platforms. With 322K followers on Instagram, Balionis keeps sharing glimpses from her personal and professional life.

In the picture in her story, she could be seen sitting on the couch while the little girl was lying on her lap. Balionis was sporting a full black drawstring hoodie and a dark green velvet cap on top. She was spotted sitting with the girl in the picture on the sofa, covered with a dark grey blanket. From the caption, it might be evident that the little girl with golden hair could be Balionis' niece. Posting the selfie on Instagram, Amanda Balionis wrote in the caption:

""Aunt Mandy come snuggle!" my heart."

Amanda Balionis' Instagram story/source: @balionis on IG

The picture was taken during Balionis' stay at her friend's house over the New Year's Eve week. The small hint of the Christmas tree behind the sofa captures the festive mood. In a now-deleted Instagram story, Balionis was seen dancing with her friend Andrea's children while wearing glow sticks. The little girl who called Balionis 'Aunt Mandy' might be Andrea's.

Amanda Balionis is a well-known name in the world of journalism. She spent time away from rescuing puppies and being a sports reporter during the last weeks of 2024. She enjoyed her off-time by spending time with her close friends, family and loved ones.

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How Amanda Balionis and Puppies and Golf aim to bring about a change?

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The popular golf journalist started her journey with a Broadcasting Journalism degree from Hofstra University. Balionis joined Callaway first; from there, she started her journey as a CBS Sports journalist back in 2017. Apart from covering the sport, she has also contributed beyond the golf courses.

Amanda Balionis is the founder and CEO of Puppies and Golf, which is a non-profit organization. In an interview with GolfDigest.com in December 2020, Balionis shared how they grew:

"I started to reach out to animal rescues in the cities that I was in and visit them on the road. The amount of work and selfless love that’s put into these dogs and the horrible stories that these dogs have are heartbreaking. The volunteers and the people who own these places are hemorrhaging money into this for no other reason than they want to do the right thing. I would visit the shelters and feature some of the dogs that were up for adoption on my Instagram, and I was absolutely blown away by the response."

Puppies and Golf and Amanda Balionis aim to make the lives of stray dogs and puppies better by providing them with a permanent home. This organization has been instrumental in bringing together shelter homes, pet supply stores and other rescue centers. In 2024, they marked their fourth anniversary and to celebrate that, Puppies and Golf held a fundraiser.

The organization also raised over $30,000 in funds for the damages caused by Hurricane Helene. Amanda Balionis and her company extended their help to Atlanta and Charlotte with donations. Puppies and Golf also sponsored National Service Dogs Day with K9s For Warriors this year. Till now, they have donated around $150,000 to different animal welfare centers and rescue homes.