The Sixth Annual Jack Dwyer Golf Tournament and Silent Auction (JDGT), held on Monday, June 11, at the Trophy Club Apalachee in Dacula, raised over $48,000 for the Georgia Cancer Foundation (GCF). This brings the five-year total for the tournament to well over $150,000, with all proceeds benefiting GCF.

Sam’s Club was this year’s Gold Corporate Sponsor, with a donation of $13,000. They also provided lunch and beverages. Twelve Sam’s Club General Managers took the day off to participate in the event.

JDGT is held in the memory of Katherine A. Dwyer, who succumbed to lung cancer on December 26, 2000. She was Jack’s wife of 42 years, mother of seven children, and grandmother of 13.

"On behalf of the Georgia Cancer Foundation, I would like to thank Jack Dwyer and his family, friends, sponsors, volunteers, and the 144 golfers for a very successful outing benefiting our foundation,” said Rudy Morgan, Executive Director of GCF. “Because of their continued support with this event, we are able use the dollars raised to continue 'Building Bridges...Touching Lives' for those affected by cancer.”

The entire Dwyer family and a handful of volunteers coordinate lunch assembly, and tournament set-up and cleanup. The Dwyers started planning and soliciting sponsorship in October of last year for the June event. This effort resulted in over 120 sponsors, 80 auction items, and 100 door prizes for the 2007 event. Cost is kept to a minimum by soliciting everything—food, prizes, signage, printing, golfer gifts, even ice. And they use their professional skills to market and run a successful tournament, spending hundreds of hours on designing marketing materials and website, signage, photography, planning, and accounting without using outside resources.

This annual event continues to grow in popularity. Once again this year, it was filled to two teams over the maximum of 144 golfers over a month prior to tee time. In comparison, during the tournament’s first year, only 52 golfers participated and 22 sponsors were signed on. The golfers were well fed and taken care of throughout the day. Atlanta’s Finest Catering served breakfast, Sam’s Club provided lunch and beverages, Sweetwater Brewers provided an assortment of beer, and Texas Roadhouse closed the day with barbeque sandwiches.

For more information on the JDGT, visit www.jdgt.org. For more information on GCF visit www.gacancerfoundation.org.