ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – What has become one of the most high-profile golf events in the Commonwealth has a powerful genesis.
In September of 2018, Kelly and Jess Woolwine began a journey they never imagined needing to take with their three-year-old daughter.
“We took our daughter Charlotte to a pediatrician’s appointment because we thought she had a stomach bug. By that night, we were told she had hepatoblastoma, a rare pediatric liver cancer, stage four, metastatic to both lungs, probably not going to make it,” Kelly Woolwine, Life Ring Foundation President remembers.
But with surgeries, chemotherapy, and a healthy dose of support, Charlotte did and is doing well.
However, the event lit a newfound passion in the Woolwine family for providing more resources to fight pediatric cancer. A partnership between the Life Ring Foundation and Carillion Clinic formed, where more than four million dollars has been raised in the last two and a half years.
The Charlotte’s Play Yellow benefit golf outing is part of that, where local and national celebrities have come to play at Bally Hack to raise money and awareness for the last three years.
“There’s probably not a single person on the planet who hasn’t been impacted by cancer,” begins Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen. “I think any time that we can impact or help in any possible way to eliminate cancer or to help people get treated that need the treatment, I’m going to try to do that. That’s pretty simple.”
“We can all get behind that,” adds Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith. “I think that the generation of players and all the guys here understand the importance of giving back. We’re here because we can use our celebrity to bring awareness to a certain cause and I guess here in the Virginia area, they don’t have a lot of pediatric care. So bringing awareness to it while raising some money at the same time while also getting a chance to play some wonderful golf.”
For the Woolwine family and so many others across Southwest Virginia, the generosity on display at events like this serve as a reminder that even the scariest of battles are best fought on a team.
“Renewing our hope in humanity a bit,” Woolwine laughs. “Maybe human beings stock is going up with us. Just when you think ‘what are they thinking?’ Maybe there’s hope. I think it’s making us more optimistic.”
While this event has raised a lot of money in just the last couple of years, Woolwine also wants to remind people the Life Ring Foundation operates year round.
He also says that even if you can’t make it to events like this, even simply further educating yourself on pediatric cancer can make a difference.
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