MARBLEHEAD — Tedesco Country Club has done a lot this summer. From individual tournaments to a once-in-a-lifetime anomaly (four aces in one day), the club has been busy.
Tuesday’s event, however, was perhaps its most important. The Swing Fore Pink Golf Tournament, coordinated and played exclusively by women, raised money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“It’s amazing to see the growth over the years,” committee member Mary Abramson said. “We did $12,000 one year and each year it would creep up just a bit over time.”
As for last year and this year, the tournament took it up a notch.
“Then, recently, it just took off on another level,” Abramson said. “Last year, we raised $100,000 and this year we are trending to break $100,000.”
Heading into the 2023 tournament, the initiative had raised approximately $350,000. Money goes towards clinical trials, developments of new cancer-fighting drugs, and updated equipment.
“We feel Dana-Farber is the best, and we love the research they do for trying to find a cure,” Abramson said. “They have the best equipment [and] the best technology. They’re just simply the best.”
Abramson, who’s been involved for eight years, added that “people love it.”
“This year, we had 20 $1,000 sponsors, five $2,500 sponsors, and one $5,000 sponsor,” Abramson said. “It sold out in about four or five days once we opened it up.”
She also credited Tedesco for its help in executing the event.
“Tedesco Country Club has really come behind the event and made this a premier event,” Abramson said. “They help us out tremendously. We couldn’t do it without them. They donate, they help out. From the groundskeepers to the board of directors, they all help.”
The 2023 committee included Abramson, Jennifer Brennan, Kacy Jauron, Amy Leveroni, and Becky White.
“Each year, it gets bigger and bigger,” Abramson said. “It’s an event that is run and played strictly by women only. Everyone is dressed in pink. It’s really beautiful.”
This year also came with a guest speaker in Cathy Burgess, a vice president and investment officer at Wells Fargo, big-time golfer, and six-year survivor of Stage 3 ovarian cancer.
“This was the first year we had a speaker,” Abramson said.
Burgess became a patient at Dana-Farber, and was impressed with the organization’s personalized attention.
“She had Stage 3, aggressive ovarian cancer and they cured her,” Abramson said. “It’s amazing.”
Abramson added how great it was to see repeat participants.
“Everyone had so much fun,” Abramson said. “We have a lot of repeaters come back. It’s great to see people wanting to come back to have a nice day out at Tedesco for a great cause.”
