On November 3, Jim and David Leef presented checks totaling $220,000 to representatives from JDRF and the Max McGee Center at Children’s Wisconsin on behalf of Tee Up Fore the Cure.

This year’s golf outing was held on Sept 18 at Geneva National Resort in Lake Geneva, WI, and saw an impressive turnout of 200 golfers and 50+ sports/media celebrities. Special guests included former Brewers relief pitcher, Ken Sanders, retired Bucks announcer Jim Paschke, and this year’s featured celebrity guest, Ferguson “Fergie” Jenkins.

“I never would have imagined that our small outing started in 2006 in memory of my dad would have grown to a sell-out event drawing in featured celebrities like Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, Gorman Thomas, Jim Gantner, Junior Bridgeman, Paul Molitor, and Fergie Jenkins,” says Jim Leef, president and CEO of ITU AbsorbTech.

“My family and I are thankful for the support of our generous sponsors, celebrities, and committee members, and in particular, our collaboration with Ken Sanders, who joined the event in 2016 for his grandson who has Type 1.”

The McGee Center plans to use the money to purchase a Vizgen Merscope to help support a research project identifying gene differences between those with Type 1 and those without. The funds for JDRF will be directed to the New England Center of Excellence to support groundbreaking research projects focused on T1D cures.

Since its start in 2006, Tee Up Fore the Cure has raised over $1.25 million to support T1D research.

Next year’s event will be held on September 16, 2024, with featured celebrity Bonnie Blair-Cruikshank.