The 2009 Norma DiMarco Tee Up for Life event hosted by PGA Tour player Chris DiMarco announces the successful completion of this year's charity golf tournament at the Country Club at Heathrow on Monday, Nov. 2, where it raised more than $330,000 - bringing its nine-year total to more than $4 million.
Benefitting the American Cancer Society's Reaching Out to Cancer Kids, or R.O.C.K. Camp, as well as a variety of research initiatives, proceeds from the two-day event help send sick children and teenagers to Camp Boggy Creek in Orlando. Established in 1976 as the first camp for children with cancer in the U.S., the year-round R.O.C.K Camp offers participants an opportunity to experience the fun and adventure of summer camp without having to feel different from other kids.
"I'm 71 years old, and I've seen way too many of my friends and family eaten up by this terrible disease," says Rich DiMarco, Chris' father, the Tee Up for Life tournament director and also a cancer survivor. "Tee Up for Life is a wonderful way for us to give back as a family, and through it we hope to help ensure that every child accepted to R.O.C.K. Camp gets to attend at no cost."
The annual outing, named for Chris DiMarco's mother who died in 2006, included a celebrity pairing party on Nov. 1 followed by a golf clinic and 18-hole shotgun tournament at the PGA Tour star's home course on Nov. 2. The unique experience concluded with silent and live auctions during a banquet dinner. Prevailing upon his colleagues, Chris DiMarco collected a variety of golf memorabilia for bidders, including signed pin flags by Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover, Stewart Cink and Y.E. Yang from the tournaments they won this year - the Masters, U.S. Open, Britsh Open and PGA Championship.
"I've been privileged to play in some of the country's most elite charity tournaments, but this is truly an amazing event," says Jeff Herold, founder of Club Glove, a Tee Up for Life sponsor. "No one raises money for a cause better than Chris, and it's wonderful the way he and his entire family get involved."
In addition to Chris DiMarco, this year's star-studded roster of celebrities - who donate their time to play with each foursome - featured NBA legend Artis Gilmore, Hall of Fame golfer Nancy Lopez, MLB pitcher Frank Viola, boxer Gerry Cooney and famed NHL player and coach Phil Esposito, among others.
For more information, visit www.teeupforlife.com.
