Tee Up Fore the Cure is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Tee Up Fore the Cure:

How it all started

George Lucas Leef
1924 – 2007

Diabetes research is a cause close to the heart of the Leef family and ITU AbsorbTech. George L. Leef, ITU AbsorbTech’s second-generation president, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1929, shortly after the discovery of insulin. With the help of exercise and diet management, George lived a full life with the aid of hundreds of thousands of blood checks and shots. He suffered from diabetic neuropathy for years before passing away in 2007.

During his lifetime he generously gave to diabetes research. He was a kind and devoted family man who gave so much to all those who had the privilege of knowing him.

In honor of George’s love of the game, the first Tee Up Fore the Cure was played in 2006. It was a modest start on a cold fall day where 72 players helped raise $7,000 for type 1 diabetes research.

Celebrities join the event

In 2016, Tee Up Fore the Cure partnered with Milwaukee Brewers pitching great, Ken Sanders, to add many new dimensions to Tee Up, including celebrity golfers.

Robin Yount was Tee Up’s first featured celebrity for the 10th-anniversary celebration followed by fellow Hall of Famer, Rollie Fingers, in 2017 and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Dave Robinson in 2018, Gorman Thomas and Jim Gantner in 2019, and Fergie Jenkins in 2023.

The event has grown to become a sell-out event that has raised more than $1.25 million to date for local Type 1 Diabetes research.

Ken “Bulldog” Sanders
Former Brewers Pitcher

Past Featured Celebrities

Robin Yount

2016

Rollie Fingers

2017

Dave Robinson

2018

Jim Gantner

2019

Gorman Thomas

2019

Junior Bridgeman

2021

Paul Molitor

2022

Fergie Jenkins

2023

Bonnie Blair

2024

Past Celebrities in Attendance

Scroll to see some of the past celebrities in attendance.

Bonnie Blair

December 23, 2024

February 12, 2016

Milwaukee Brewers

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2025 check presentation. A total of $244,000 was presented to Children’s Wisconsin and Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)

Supporting T1D Research

Proceeds from Tee Up Fore the Cure are donated to Breakthrough T1D and the Max McGee Research Center at Children’s Wisconsin.

Learn more about the T1D Research Supported by Tee Up

Blue Circle Fund

The Blue Circle Fund, a part of Tee Up Fore the Cure, supports organizations with specific needs for type 1 diabetes research in southeastern Wisconsin. Donations for the Blue Circle Fund are raised through various events, Blue Circle sponsors, and the Blue Circle Drop as well as on-course challenges at Tee Up Fore the Cure.

Freezer for Blood Samples (2016)

In 2016, the Blue Circle Fund met its goal to purchase vital equipment for a research study at The Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes at Children’s Wisconsin.
The equipment freezes and maintains blood samples from siblings of those with type 1 diabetes in order to study the genetic link that leads to the development of diabetes.

New Database (2017)

In 2017, the Blue Circle Fund efforts raised funds to upgrade The Max McGee Center’s 20-year-old software and server used to store the study’s data and sample information.
Data from more than 2,000 individuals from 500 families, some of which have been sampled and studied for a decade, are housed in this database (sample data shown above).

Genetic Analysis System

In 2018, the Blue Circle Fund met its goal to replace an aging piece of essential equipment at The Max McGee Center. The Applied Flex Biosystems QuantStudio 7 Flex Real-Time PCR System is a genetic analysis system used to study DNA and gene activity associated with type 1 diabetes susceptibility.

DNA Sequencing Technology (2019-2021)

In 2019 and 2020, the Blue Circle Fund raised funds for The Max McGee Center to invest in new DNA sequencing technology, which will enable more cost-effective research and allow the center to study cell function and compare genetic differences between healthy cells and those with type 1 diabetes, improving understanding of immune cell activity and how therapies may alter or normalize affected immune cells.

Vizgen Merscope (2023)

In 2023, the Blue Circle Fund efforts raised funds for The Max McGee Center to purchase a Vizgen Merscope.

The Vizgen Merscope will allow researchers to more closely analyze gene and protein expression at the tissue level. Researchers want to look at and identify differences between genes with Type 1 and those without, in the hopes of one day being able to intervene and stop the disease from progressing.

Vizgen Merscope (2024)

In 2024, we continue our multi-year Blue Circle initiative aimed at raising funds to provide researchers with cutting-edge spatial transcriptomics technology. The Vizgen Merscope offers exceptional precision in analyzing gene and protein expression at the tissue level, allowing scientists to closely examine differences between individuals with type 1 diabetes and those without. These insights bring researchers closer to the goal of intervening and halting the progression of the disease.