Want to golf for a good cause? The WMC Foundation and SEARHC are offering the women of the community an opportunity to do just that at the Rally for Cancer Care fundraiser at Muskeg Meadows on Aug. 5.
The event will feature a luncheon, beverages, prizes, a silent auction and a “fun and frolic” golf tournament — a non-scored, no-skills-necessary take on the game. The tournament is ladies only, but organizer Patty Gilbert said she “wouldn’t mind men attending” the lunch, games and auction.
The fundraiser will support the WMC Foundation, a charity that subsidizes travel and housing for cancer patients in small communities throughout Southern Southeast. Small, local medical providers often do not offer the kind of specialized treatment that cancer patients require, meaning that these patients have to travel to receive care.
“We give up to $1,200 per year for patients who are seeking cancer care and treatment outside of the community,” explained Gilbert, whose husband started the WMC Foundation.
People submit receipts for their travel and lodging expenses that can then be reimbursed by the foundation. The funds cover communities of 5,000 people or less south of Petersburg.
As of last month, the organization has granted nearly 200 requests for financial assistance — coming to about $150,000 total — since its founding around 2010.
The upcoming cancer care rally is the organization’s only annual fundraiser. Last year, the event brought in nearly $17,000 and this year, “we’d like to raise more,” Gilbert said. In past years, the organization made its services available to Juneau residents, but the larger city’s high demand for assistance sapped the foundation’s resources and it had to limit its coverage to smaller communities.
SEARHC has signed on to provide goody bags, games with prizes and booths that will share informational material about cancer and early detection.
The golf game itself is designed to be lighthearted and low-pressure. Teams can be any size and participants don’t need experience — or even their own clubs. “We don’t play … the normal golf,” Gilbert said. She loves to see so many women out on the course during the fundraiser. Non-golfers can opt to come for the lunch, games and socializing.
“The money goes to our community,” she said, “to help them with housing and travel during a very stressful and difficult time. It’s our opportunity to give back to the community.”
Registration for the golf tournament starts at 9 a.m. and the event begins at 10 a.m.. Tickets cost $35 each and include lunch — drinks and games will cost extra, so have cash on hand. The luncheon, tournament and auction will end around 2 p.m. Contact Gilbert at 907-305-0777 for more information.
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