Golfers are rallying for the cure

By CASEY RESSLER

Valley Life edito-

PALMER -- The Valley Women's Golf Association is teeing it up to help find a cure.

The association is sponsoring the fifth-annual Rally for a Cure golf outing on June 22, with money raised going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, one of the world's leading breast cancer research organizations.

"Last year we had 122 people, a record for us, and this year we're hoping for more," said Jean Krause, the VWGA Rally for a Cure coordinator.

Krause stressed that it is a golf outing, not a tournament, and the reason for the event is to raise money and have fun rather than formal competition among the participants.

"We don't give away awards for best scores or anything. We're there to enjoy the day and raise money and awareness," Krause said.

The Rally for a Cure starts at 8:30 a.m. June 22 at Palmer Golf Course. People should be there and registered by 8:15 a.m., Krause said. There will be a shotgun start, with teams on every hole of the golf course at 8:30 a.m.

Rally participants pay a $25 entry fee, which includes lunch, a door prize ticket and a contribution to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Green fees and cart fees are separate and are payable to the Palmer Golf Course.

Krause said foursomes can decide how they want to play, whether it be a scramble or best-ball format, for example. All skill levels are encouraged to participate.

If you have a good drive, you may become a driver yourself -- Tony Chevrolet is sponsoring a hole-in-one contest, with a new truck as the grand prize.

"We try to get through there in about four hours so we don't hold up the other people who are out golfing," Krause said.

Krause said that except for a few expenses, all money raised goes to the Komen Foundation, which works to provide breast cancer screening and breast cancer research.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women.

Early detection is the key to beating breast cancer. Men as well as women can develop breast cancer, and men go through the same types of treatments.

Rally for a Cure is a nationwide program to raise funds for research grants and to improve treatment options until a cure for breast cancer can be found.