Long Island golf pros swing to support American Cancer Society
$347,000 raised through golf marathons held in 2021
The American Cancer Society celebrates 16 golf professionals from 11 country clubs who participated in golf marathons this year, while raising $347,000 to support the mission of the American Cancer Society.
Meaning Behind Each Swing
The objective of golf marathon participants is to play as many holes as possible from sunup to sundown while raising funds for the American Cancer Society. The pros chose dates from June through November. The long stretch of hours and commitment are symbolic reminders of the challenges and difficulties faced by cancer patients and their families. Several of this year’s golfers hosted marathons to honor loved ones affected by cancer, according to Megan Stewart of the American Cancer Society.
Cody Homer from Fresh Meadows Country Club dedicated the day to the memory of his mother, whom he lost to breast cancer. Homer’s dedication and the generosity of the club membership led to a $30,000 donation to the American Cancer Society. With sentiment for her dad who is bravely fighting cancer, Kacie Mulligan hit the Southward Ho course just weeks before her wedding in mid-November. With her fiancé as caddy and parents in the gallery, she braved incredible fall winds and an early sunset to triumphantly finish her marathon.
Players and Awards
The American Cancer Society offered two awards at the start of the season for Most Holes Played and Most Funds Raised. Brittany Ferrante of the Village Club of Sands Point played 280 holes on September 7th, 2021, securing the title of Most Holes Played. Kacie Mulligan of Southward Ho Country Club raised over $70,000 in her highly successful endeavor, securing title of Most Funds Raised.
Participants this year include Wayne Leal and Sean Sanders of Muttontown Country Club; Pat Gunning and John Stoklosa of Noyac Golf Club; Cody Homer of Fresh Meadows Country Club; Jimmy Farrell of Hamlet Golf and Country Club; Alex Willey of Meadowbrook Club; Melissa Rath and Rich Burns of Brookville Country Club; Matt Livolsi and Zack Yashnyk of Cherry Valley Club; Brittany Ferrante of Village Club at Sands Point; Kacie Mulligan of Southward Ho Country Club; Tim Shifflett & Scott Ford of Glen Oaks Club. Additionally, Jarett Leonard joined the Babes Against Cancer marathon up north in New England at Norton Country Club in MA.
Golf Marathons
The first golf marathon to support the Society’s cancer fighting mission on Long Island originated in 2019. Matt Demeo, an assistant golf professional from the Indian Hills Country Club honored his mother’s battle with breast cancer and tested his ability to play as many holes and raise as many funds as he could. His efforts resulted in a $14,000 donation to the American Cancer Society. In 2020, three individuals held golf marathons which helped to raise funds at a time when traditional fundraisers were on pause due to the restrictions in public gatherings due to COVID 19. These golf marathons provided a safe, socially distant, and fun way to support the American Cancer Society. In 2021, the program greatly expanded, and 16 golf professionals joined the ranks.
To learn more or to participate in an upcoming American Cancer Society golf marathon, contact [email protected] or visit acsmove.org/GolfMarathon.
About The American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. For more than 100 years, we have helped lead an evolution in the way the world prevents, detects, treats, and thinks about cancer. As the nation’s preeminent cancer-fighting organization, we fund and conduct research, share expert information, support people with cancer, spread the word about prevention, and through our advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), advocate for public policy change. We are committed to ensuring that ALL people have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer – regardless of income, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, or where they live. Thanks in large part to our decades of work, a cancer diagnosis does not come without hope, and the cancer journey is not one that is traveled alone.
