RMCH CHARITY INVITATIONAL MARKS A DOZEN SUCCESSFUL YEARS

This Friday, on September 21, we will host the RMCH CHARITY INVITATIONAL #12. As always, there will be a worthy honoree, and this year, the committee has truly hit a "home run" (well, a 350 yard Hole in One), by naming Joyce Graves (left posing by our putting green) to receive the honor. Charity Invitational, without the support of "national celebrities", has raised, with great community involvement, well over $4,000,000.00 in these 12 years and they are not slowing down. This year, with the hard work of Dr. Phil Kamps, Tournament Chairman and his tournament committee and staff headed by Elaine Bobo and Marilou Donkersloot, and the help of Lindsay Boris & Lindsay Mapes, the tournament will be another financial success.

But, lets get back to Joyce Graves and this year's cause: Mrs. Graves, now a retired teacher, has given countless hours of dedicated service to the American Cancer Society in her spare time before she retired and full time, after she retired from teaching. A woman of strong convictions and character, Mrs. Graves even did volunteer work through her treatments! She now coordinates the Relay for Life and is involved in other ACS programs such as Reach to Recovery and Road to Recovery, and if that is not enough, she also drives patients to their appointments when it is necessary. If what she said at the “Kick-Off” party last July 12 was a prelude to her whole story, I can’t wait to hear all that she has to say to close the tournament on September 21st during the “dinner-ball-awards presentation” party. For all I care, she is also our “Tournament Marshall”. However, none of this would be possible without the right cause, and this year, I am very pleased to say that it is something worthy: CHILDREN!!

A new life is always a life changing experience. As technology and science have grown, there is a lot of equipment that helps our doctors with monitoring new lives that are still unborn, particularly those that might have some complications at birth. It is this year’s Charity Invitational goal, to raise money to purchase some of that equipment to help those children (and mothers) as well as others who are critically ill after their birth.

As parents, even if have been blessed to have healthy children, we all can identify with the pain and suffering of all of those who were not as blessed, because, like it or not, at one time or another, we have thought or said, “I don’t care what gender my child is, I JUST WANT MY BABY TO BE BORN HEALTHY!”

Be generous, and support Charity Invitational XII, it will all be used with appreciation and responsibility.

Thank You!!