A whopping $100,000 plus was raised at the recent Answer to Cancer Golf Tournament and Fundraising Dinner at Grand Harbor Golf Club, which will be used to help improve the lives of those affected by the devastating disease.
“That is more than we had hoped. We couldn’t believe how generous people are,” said Carole Casey, event co-chair with Terry Leggett.
More than 170 people turned out to play golf, with all passing by sponsored tee boxes that honored loved ones. They were joined later by another 50 or so guests in the club’s dining room, where everyone socialized over cocktails and a buffet dinner.
Spring colored Luminaria lined the driveway and also served as centerpieces on the tables as additional remembrances of lives lost, reinforcing the importance of the mission. As guests mingled and scrutinized some 150 silent-auction items amassed by the committee, others purchased chances for a 50/50 and mystery box raffle items.
Answer to Cancer was co-founded by the late Don Casey and cancer survivor Carole Plante, and their grassroots effort quickly evolved into a full-on initiative, embraced by Grand Harbor residents and club management alike. Carole Casey picked up the standard when her husband succumbed to the disease in December 2016, and, with help from an ambitious committee, has grown it even further.
Even when the pandemic caused the cancellation of last year’s event, it didn’t stop the giving. Answer to Cancer still raised more than $60,000 in donations, and received a surprise gift of music. Doris Hall generously donated a Young Chang Baby Grand Player Piano, which now graces the lobby of the Scully-Welsh Cancer Center.
Over the years, the money has been used to fund a variety of projects and equipment to improve the treatment of patients. Among them was funding to introduce DigniCaps, which cool hair follicles to help chemo patients keep their hair; to support the Oncology Nurse Navigation Program, which assists patients and families to better interface with physicians throughout the complicated cancer process; to purchase AccuVein technology to enable accurate venipuncture for chemotherapy patients; and to purchase five computers on mobile units.
This year Answer to Cancer is going to again fund the DigniCaps program. The caps themselves ($250) and treatment ($200 each time) would otherwise be out-of-pocket charges to the patient.
“It’s not covered by insurance, so now anyone who wishes to have these treatments to save their hair will be able to,” said Casey. “This pays for them to have their own cap. They can keep and take it with them if they have to travel somewhere else for treatment.”
Noting that Answer to Cancer has raised and donated roughly $958,600 since its inception, Casey said, “Not bad for a 9-hole golf tournament.”
Photos by Brenda Ahearn
