CF Foundation Hosts 20th Ultimate Golf Experience, Raises $500,000

Last month, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation celebrated the 20th year of its annual golf tournament and successful fundraiser, the Ultimate Golf Experience. Over 100 longtime members and supporters of the CFF gathered at the Pinehurst Resort in Durham in North Carolina, where the golfing-fundraising tradition for CF first took place back in 1994. This year, the foundation proudly announced it was able to raise almost $500,000 to fund research and patient support services for cystic fibrosis nationwide.

Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., the President and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, expressed his gratitude to all who attended the event, and to those who contributed and showed their support remotely, since without their generosity and time, the Ultimate Golf Experience would not be possible. Next year’s event is already set for October 21-25, 2015 at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain Resort outside Tucson, AZ.

After the tournament, the foundation’s guests headed over to the Cardinal Ballroom at the Carolina Hotel for dinner, cocktails and evening entertainment from host Lewis Black, an acclaimed comedian, writer, producer and longtime supporter of the CFF. The event was graced by musical performances from singers Victoria Shaw and Bob DiPiero, and country music artist Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn.

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The event also invited Perry Clark as one of its guests of honor and speakers, whose 13-year-old son is battling CF. “Because of the generosity of those of you here tonight, my family and CF families everywhere have so much hope for a bright future,” Clark said. “You are helping to fund new therapies and drugs that can potentially change the course of this disease. For that, I am very thankful.”

The program took time to give due recognition and thanks to the key supporters of the event and the CFF. This year’s tournament champion, Ryan Belanger, was selected to receive the Gio Award, named after Giovanni Villani who found his passion in golf while fighting CF until he was 14 years old. The Sheri Mount Champion for a Cure Award went to Dick Behrenhausen, which is named in memory of the event’s co-chair who only recently passed away from her own battle with CF.

The Ultimate Golf Experience was made possible by The Huggins Family, Roche Bros. Supermarkets, and AbbVie, in cooperation with American Airlines.