Our Story
It Began With A Simple
Vision:
Golf and Giving Back.
OUR STORY
Champions for Cures, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, was originally named Birdies for Cures, the namesake of our largest fundraising golf event. The charity was inspired by combining our love of golf with the desire to give back to our community. Early on, we had some good times and raised some decent money in the process. We originally donated all proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital supporting pediatric cancer research and treatment.
Our efforts evolved as we came to understand the deep support needed to battle cancer with families in our local community and personal networks. Not just for patients, but for caregivers as well. Our growth, and the response of the community inspired us to incorporate a bigger vision and we became Champions for Cures with the mission of becoming among the most respected and recognized local charities in the Chicago area; with the goal of raising more than $1 million dollars in the fight against cancer.
Each year the proceeds raised by the organization are designated by our annually elected “Champion” to be used in support of families fighting cancer and research for cures with approval from the Champions for Cures Board. We earmark 50% of the net proceeds to go towards cancer research and funding clinical trials for treatments that the elected Champion received or is still receiving. The other 50% goes towards a financial need to support the Champion and their family as many are burdened with medical bills, medical visits, lack of excess funds to support children’s education, and the list goes on. We have made it our purpose to deeply support these heroic Champions and their journey!
OUR TEAM
Kort McCulley
Co-founder
How and why you choose to get involved
It all started with pairing my love for the game of golf and giving back. It’s grown to supporting people in our network that are on the journey to fighting cancer and supporting their families. We continue to refine our purpose and I’m thankful we found our way down this path of supporting local families.
Position / title and responsibilities
Co-founder but that was just the start. We all must wear several hats to continue moving things forward. Throughout the year it’s nearly every aspect of the charity operations.
Why this matters on a personal level
Like so many, it has hit way to close to home with several friends and family members being impacted. I just don’t have it in me to sit around and do nothing. I feel like the only reasonable thing to do is take action, raise money, connect with families that really need the support, fund cancer research, and keep going…everyday!
Hopes for the future development / mission etc
$1 million raised for families fighting cancer and funding cancer research. That’s the next basecamp we are focused on but in the bigger view, I’m not sure there’s a limit on what can be done. We are making some strategic investments that should allow us to increase our ability to support families fighting cancer and funding cancer research that far exceed our prior accomplishments. We are excited and motivated to serve going forward.
Eric Kingdon
Co-founder
How and why you choose to get involved
Starting something to give back felt like the right thing to do. Growing up in a small town, it’s part of the culture that becomes ingrained in you.
Position / title and responsibilities
Co-founder of the organization. That’s resulted in many different levels of commitments from year to year.
Why this matters on a personal level
Unfortunately, it’s too close for me to accurately describe. My father became one of our Champions as he passed from Prostrate cancer after a 10 year fight. Perhaps my greatest achievement in life to have helped donate enough $ to the Chicago research center where he was partially treated to fund a research assistant for a year.
Hopes for the future development / mission etc
I believe the road will take us down the best path organically if we keep focusing on doing the right thing. It almost always does if you put others first!
Gary Benedik
Board Member
How and why you choose to get involved
How is easy – I made time. The why is why I made time – to attack this uncontrollable disease we all see and fear daily.
Position / title and responsibilities
Board member and part of the founding group. I am hyper-focused on creating awareness and enhancing the participants’ experiences, while also thinking of ways we need to expand Champions for Cures (aside from just the Birdies annual outing) to a much larger, national scale. We’ve learned a whole lot in eleven years and excited to see where we are in another decade!
Why this matters on a personal level
Like most, I’ve known friends and family members that have directly dealt with – and lost to – cancer. The uncontrollable disease is something we all fear and I want to be a part of something that is contributing to not only the unfortunate, but also research and R&D. F@ck cancer!
Hopes for the future development / mission etc
The road for strategic growth is limitless. We’ve grown from just an idea stemming from a group of golfers to passing the $500k mark in total money raised this year. 2022 brought another record year – which we’ve been achieving YoY – and the momentum needs to continue. And by continue we need to create additional events (to cater to those that don’t golf), digitize the experience for previous and future participants, and also create an environment where people want to be a part of this mission.
Jason Nash
Board Member
How and why you choose to get involved
When Kort and Eric shared their idea for the charity, I knew it was something I needed to be involved in from day one. It’s been incredible to see the natural evolution over these past 11 years. And to think we are just scratching the surface.
Position / title and responsibilities
Founding Board Member. Responsibilities include driving the strategic vision of the charity forward in collaboration with the Co-founders and other board members. Ongoing outreach to devoted supporters and sharing the mission of the organization with new donors.
Why this matters on a personal level
Unfortunately, we are all directly impacted by cancer. My family went through a very personal battle as my father-in-law courageously fought metastatic colon cancer for 2 1/2 years, ultimately succumbing to the disease at the age of 60. Part of our mission is to continue to fund necessary research toward a cure. We will continue to fight on behalf of our champions until a cure is found.
Hopes for the future development / mission etc
I hope through our ongoing outreach within the community we continue to build awareness of our mission, ultimately driving our fundraising efforts forward. We have been incredibly blessed by the generosity of so many individuals and families through the years. I hope we continue to make them proud as we fund innovative research and support deserving champions.
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