Golf Fights Cancer’s 15th Annual Golf Marathon took place on June 3-4, 2021 at Juniper Hill Golf Course in Northborough, Massachusetts, to raise funds for DetecTogether and other cancer organizations. The Golf Marathon is a unique fundraising event where golfers of all abilities play 100 holes in a single day to support cancer-related organizations. This year’s partnership exceeded all expectations and records.
The 2021 Golf Marathon brought us together with Golf Fights Cancer, an organization that is also deeply committed to fighting cancer and saving lives. Funds raised during this year’s GFC event primarily benefit DetecTogether, and will enable us to bring 3 Steps Detect to more firefighters, young adults and community groups at no cost.
For the first time, GFC organizers added a second day to the event with a record 85 golfers participating. Together, GFC and DetecTogether golfers raised a historic $763,000. The previous fundraising record was set last year, with $362,000 raised by 43 golfers.
“The excitement for this year’s event was amazing, as is the collective power of our fundraisers,” says GFC Chairman & Co-Founder, Brian Oates. “It’s incredibly inspiring to see the impact that people who share a common interest can make in the fight against cancer.”
Among the participants were U.S. amateur golfer, Matt Parziale, and his father, Vic Parziale, a retired Brockton firefighter, who played to help raise awareness about occupational cancer and to encourage firefighters, who have a 9% higher risk of developing cancer than the general population and a 14% greater risk of dying from cancer, to understand the life-saving power of early detection. Wellesley firefighter and cancer survivor, Joanie Cullinan, also participated with her brother, Brian Cullinan.
Colin Whitney raised $16,317 and played to honor his sister, Caitlin Whitney, who used DetecTogether’s education when she discovered a lump in her breast during a self-exam. “This organization helped my sister Caitlin detect breast cancer in the early stages,” he says. “She is now 7 years cancer-free.” A highlight of the 2021 Golf Marathon was Colin’s hole-in-one on a par 4 hole. It was the first time in Juniper Hill’s history that a golfer had a hole-in-one on this particular hole.
Henry Carr, 20, died from osteosarcoma in 2017. His father, Bob Carr, played in the Golf Marathon and his mother, Kim, a 12-year cancer survivor, drove the golf cart to honor their son’s memory. “As the outcome of his diagnosis became clearer, Henry would at times reflect on his fear that if he were gone, he would soon be forgotten,” said Bob. “Jim Coghlin and the entire family at DetecTogether keep his memory alive through their expanding programs designed to help detect the signs of cancer when the chances of treating it are greater.” The Carrs raised $12,865.
Other top fundraisers included DetecTogether Board of Directors members, Chris Coghlin, who raised $75,150, Chris Palermo, who raised $17,010, and Bill Durgin, who raised $13,403. Jim Coghlin Jr. raised an impressive $31,494, and Ian Levine raised $28,389 to honor his 20 year old son William who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year.
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