An Indianapolis golf outing this weekend will raise money for the Movember Foundation and its work supporting men’s health. The third annual event at Indian Lake Country Club is sold out, but organizers say people can still donate online
“This is our third annual golf outing in support of the Movember Foundation and their mission to help stop men from dying too young,” said Max Vandermark, the senior director of healthcare consulting for the Huron Consulting Group. “So the Movember Foundation was started in 2003, and since then, they’ve raised almost $1.5 billion to fund over 1,300 initiatives targeted towards men’s health.”
Its focus areas include testicular cancer, prostate cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
“One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes,” Vandermark said. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men, he said, and globally, a man dies by suicide every minute.
The fundraiser supports those causes
The fundraiser supports those causes. Organizers say the golf outing brings people together to raise awareness and money.
“It’s just another opportunity for outreach for us,” said Kyle Brunnemer, general manager of the Indian Lake . “It’s important to the club to get involved in our community. We support the local schools and the fire department and responders. And so when Max came to me with this idea, it seemed like a perfect fit for us.”
Vandermark said his work team at Huron built a relationship with the foundation over the past few years. He says the foundation’s support inspired the team to start an outing to raise awareness.
With Kyle’s support, with our community support, it’s
“With Kyle’s support, with our community support, it’s really just grown and taken off,” Vandermark said. “I gotta say, the Indianapolis community has shown up with overwhelming support.”
Vandermark also said more than 40 local businesses have donated money, sponsored holes or contributed items this year. The support helped organizers hold a silent auction in addition to the event’s third annual raffle.
“We’ve got enough for our third annual raffle, but this year with the overwhelming support, we’re able to host a silent auction in addition to just maximize our impact,” he said. “So that community outreach and support has been fantastic.”
Vandermark says the money raised supports the foundation’s
Vandermark says the money raised supports the foundation’s work through research and community programs. The programs educate people about monitoring for testicular cancer, staying current on prostate cancer checks, supporting their mental health and reaching out to people who may need help.
“There’s a lot of different avenues, a lot of different impacts that the funding can make,” Vandermark said.
People can donate through a website the organizers will share, he said. They can also help with future outings.
If they’d like to get involved
“If they’d like to get involved in a greater capacity in future outings, you know, we take all the help we can get,” Vandermark said.
Although this weekend’s golf is fully booked, Brunnemer said the course is a natural place for people to gather.
“It’s just a great gathering, and we’ve evolved over the years to create some fun things to do,” he said. “The golf just seemed like a natural fit for this.”
Brunnemer said the organizers have enjoyed the event and have raised more money and awareness each year.
More information about donating and getting involved is available by clicking here.
