P.I.N.K. All Star – Cathy Daly
Our December P.I.N.K. All Star is Cathy Daly from Butterfield Country Club in Illinois. Introduced to our organization by the club’s original chairwomen, Cathy stepped up and remained committed to funding research, even during a pandemic. Here is Cathy’s story:
I grew up with a terminally ill brother who had Cystic Fibrosis. My family was deeply affected, and I saw first-hand the struggles that occur due to the health challenges of a loved one. When I saw that our club was supporting breast cancer, I felt compelled to participate because I knew how important financial support is to any cause that supports a cure. I also learned about breast cancer at a very early age because I had an aunt who passed away from it. Now I have many close personal friends who are survivors, and I have great respect for their journey.
I have to credit Camille Gianatasio, Shannon Smith (and her sisters), and Sharon Knitter for creating the original excitement for this event. Camille and Shannon researched and found Play for P.I.N.K. and learned that 100% of the proceeds go to research. Sharon, a survivor, had the passion to grow the event. The Estée Lauder goody bag gifts have been a HUGE hit with the ladies, and the cosmetics are high quality. I also enjoy the behind the scenes facts and research biographies. It connects the donation to an actual person doing the work. We used many of these facts on each hole of the golf course to educate people who played in the event. One in eight women gets diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives, and the more we learn about prevention and cure, the better our future will be for our granddaughters’ generation.
I love the teamwork attitude and excitement that happens at Butterfield Country Club. We all come together as a club from the grounds crew who paints a large ribbon on the grass and puts out the pink flags, to the bakery chef who bakes cookies, to the pro shop who donates lessons, to the ladies league who donates gift baskets for the raffle, to the men who play in our couples event; we all get involved and become united. Our club has many survivors who are also committed to supporting this cause.
It is impossible for anyone to not have a connection with breast cancer. We all have family and friends who have had to face the journey. I started helping with Play for P.I.N.K. back in 2017 when I was a part of our Ladies golf league executive board. I also do Therapy dog work with my dog Bogey, Cavapoo, at the Amita Cancer Center in Hinsdale. After a Therapy dog visit, it is always a wake- up call to not forget about those people who need our support. During this past year, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, and it motivated me to make sure we still offered a Play for P.I.N.K. event. Our head pro, Ian Brown, was also involved in promoting and supporting event. 2020 has been a hard year for many people financially, but we thought we should let the members decide if they wanted to donate, instead of just cancelling the event. We are glad that we chose to create that option, because we had a tremendous show of support from Butterfield Country Club.