On October 31, Jim and David Leef presented checks totaling $244,000 to representatives from Breakthrough T1D 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 Monday, September 16 at Grand Geneva 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 guests, Jerry Augustine and Bill Castro.

“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, Fergie Jenkins, and Bonnie Blair,” says Jim Leef, Executive Chairman of the Board at 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 Breakthrough T1D will be directed to the New England Center of Excellence to support groundbreaking research projects focused on T1D cures.