When Mary Anne Dunlop first golfed in the Rose of Hope Tournament seven years ago she was impressed by the strong volunteer leadership, and the sight of so many women coming together, bonded to a common cause, as passionate about giving as they were about playing.
The Annual Rose of Hope Golf Tournament at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, July 31, welcoming 150+ players to a spirited day of golf, live and silent auctions, a keynote speaker, and the announcement of a number that will push the Tournament toward its $500,000 goal to help configure, equip, furnish and improve the breast screening unit at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) Hotel Dieu Hospital Site.
For the past six years Mary Anne has served as Caddy Master—recruiting the men-in-pink whose bold fashions on tournament day are outdone only by their generosity—and on the Rose of Hope Tournament Committee. She is grateful to all of the people who have made it one of the most successful fundraising events in Kingston. As of last year the fundraising total stood at in excess of $1.6 million for cancer services in southeastern Ontario.
“The women of Cataraqui put it on, but people come from all over to play,” says Mary Anne, crediting the, “broader community of sponsors and friends who give so generously to help Rose of Hope achieve its goal.”
The common thread that unites everyone, though, is the deeply personal nature of the cause. “There is a basket of empty petals,” she says, “people buy them, write names on them, and pin them to a big stem.” Mary Anne speaks of the remembrance board that grows throughout the day, bearing the names of so many of the players’ loved ones—sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers—who have fought cancer, or lost their lives as a result of the disease.
“That board really speaks to the spirit of the tournament,” she says, “There isn’t anybody that plays in that tournament who doesn’t know someone who hasn’t been affected by cancer.”
Make a donation to Rose of Hope today and join the women of Cataraqui in supporting breast cancer screening at KHSC’s HDH site.