Jimmy Fund Golf Program
Get on the right course to fight cancer®
Jimmy Fund golfers share driving determination to beat cancer
Every tournament organizer, volunteer, golfer, and sponsor involved in the Jimmy Fund Golf family has had his or her life touched by cancer in some way, spurring them to passionately raise funds for Dana-Farber. From tournaments new to longstanding, the commitment of these individuals proved as strong as ever in 2009, as they helped raise more than $2.9 million in the first half of the program's 27th season.
"The success of the Jimmy Fund Golf season thus far is a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone involved," said Jimmy Fund Golf Director Nancy Rowe. "Whether it's a tournament's first year or its 30th, each is essential to making our lifesaving mission possible."
Original founders of the Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament/Jeffrey Vinick Memorial, Stuart Meyers (left) and Institute Trustee Jim Sadowsky (second from right) are honored by Suzanne Fountain, director of the Jimmy Fund, and Mike Andrews, Jimmy Fund chairman, for their 30 years of involvement with the event.
Before Jimmy Fund Golf was an official program, the first Jimmy Fund Celebrity Golf Tournament was held in 1980, raising $2,500 to support Dana-Farber. Now known as the Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament/Jeffrey Vinick Memorial, the 30th annual event was held on four courses in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut on June 15, 2009. Run by the Jimmy Fund Council of Western Massachusetts, the tournament celebrated this milestone by raising nearly $460,000.
Later in the summer, the 23rd annual Mark R. Ungerer Driving for the Cure Memorial Golf Tournament held its golf and dinner event July 12 and 13 at The International in Bolton, Mass. Chaired by Jim Coghlin and Tom Mack in memory of one of the original founders of the Worcester Area Jimmy Fund Golf Tournament, this year's event raised $525,000, bringing the event's total giving to nearly $6 million.
The second annual John R. Svenson Golf Classic teed off June 1 at the Belmont Country Club in Belmont, Mass. The event was held in memory of Svenson, a co-owner of the Boston Celtics and CFO of The Abbey Group, and run by a committee that included John's wife, Ellie, their children, and close friends. Several Boston Celtics notables attended, including point guard Rajon Rondo, former player JoJo White, and owner Wyc Grousbeck. This year, the tournament raised $220,000 toward an endowed fellowship in genomics at Dana-Farber.
Marking the 'front nine'
Institute Trustees Mike Champa, Jim Dow, and Paul Severino ran the ninth annual Jimmy Fund Players Tournament June 15 at the Tournament Players Club in Norton, Mass. The event raised more than $125,000 for the High-Tech Multidisciplinary Research Fund at Dana-Farber. Bolstered by an impromptu fundraising session after participants were encouraged by Dow to collectively give $1 for every one of the 20,000 genes mapped as part of the landmark Human Genome Project, this event brought the tournament's cumulative giving to more than $1 million.
Also celebrating its ninth year was the Jimmy Fund/UGL Unicco Golf & Tennis Classic, held at the Black Rock Country Club in Hingham, Mass., on June 15. Boston Red Sox pitcher Manny Delcarmen attended the event and received the Jimmy Fund Council of Greater Boston Man of the Year Award, an honor he shared with Boston Red Sox Manager Terry Francona. In the end, this year's event raised more than $150,000.
"UGL Unicco is thrilled to be involved with Jimmy Fund Golf and Dana- Farber Cancer Institute," said UGL Unicco Service Company Senior Vice President Michael Dunn. "They sincerely care about their patients, doing whatever is necessary to raise awareness and, more importantly, raise money to find the cure for this dreaded disease."
