The Have a Ball Golf Tournaments based in Danville have established themselves as one of the largest privately held golf tournaments in the world. The Have a Ball Foundation has raised more than $2.75 million for cancer since 2005 through two “double shotgun” (that’s 300 people at each event x 2!) golf tournaments.
This year alone, the Have a Ball Golf Tournaments are on pace to raise $310,000.00 through 600 participants, 56 corporate sponsors, 64 hole sponsors and over 200 corporations in all. The foundation hopes to break its own record (currently at 20) and send funds to 22 to 24 different cancer organizations this year.
Several local companies are on board including the Rodney Worth Restaurant Group, the Danville Brewing Company, Norm’s Grille, Faction Brewing and many more.
Founded by two-time cancer survivor Bob Hammer and his wife Kim, the little engine that is the Have a Ball Foundation is making an impression globally in the cancer community. “When I started this, I had a goal of sending $2,500.00 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation in an effort to say thank you, and here we are today, sending money to possibly 25 different organizations out of our garage in Danville. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to give back.”
Bob Hammer endured 26 rounds of chemotherapy in 1999 and 2001 and was set to have a surgery that would have left him unable to have more children (he had a daughter) when he met a famous oncologist at an Armstrong event in 2001. He ended up taking the advice of the famous oncologist and did not have that surgery. A year later, he and his wife Kim had their son Josh (now 14) and since then they have helped thousands through their non-profit.
The Hammer’s benefit many local organizations including the Cancer Support Community in Walnut Creek, Camp Okizu in Novato, the HERS Breast Cancer Foundation and the John Muir Health Foundation. They also created, and have now awarded 14 oncology nursing scholarships.
For more information, visit www.haveaballgolf.com
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