A Look Back

In 1938, cystic fibrosis was merely a concept discovered by Dr. Dorothy Andersen.  In 1955, it was still not widely known and children rarely survived to go to kindergarten, but a group of dedicated parents found their purpose in creating an organization whose mission it would be to cure their children. In 1995, our son was born and within months, a CF diagnosis presented us with decisions that would not only test our fortitude but would drive our family’s purpose. Then, through the sport of basketball, with the compassion of players and coaches alike, Coaches Cure CF made a name for itself in 2008, dedicated to supporting research programs and fundraising initiatives founded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Purpose has fundamentally been the driving force behind the mission of Coaches Cure CF for the past 16 years and while this pillar of our organization has not changed, our lives have.  There is a time for all seasons and sadly, the season of CCCF is coming to a close.  While our heartfelt purpose of supporting the cause of cystic fibrosis will never change, our organization will be hosting its FINAL event on May 13, 2024, at Hamilton Farms Golf Club in Gladstone, NJ. 

For 16 years, Coaches Cure CF has made an impact on the CF community in the areas of research, patient endowments, Care Center support, and overall disease awareness.  Hosting numerous awareness games throughout the northeast and gaining support from collegiate teams such as Iona College, Seton Hall University, Providence College, the University of Albany, Hofstra University, St. Peter’s University and Bryant University has helped to spread awareness of cystic fibrosis, not only at games but also at tournaments with national exposure. Through the success of our annual golf invitational, CCCF has donated over $400,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in support of their annual research programs focusing on a variety of CF-related initiatives including lung transplants, gene therapy, rare mutation research, drug development, and others. Over these 16 years, drug development far surpassed our wildest dreams with the development of modulator therapies from the Vertex Corporation, which currently offers,Trikafta, a drug that addresses the root causes of cystic fibrosis for 90% of the population.

While Coaches Cure CF’s main directive was to further the mission of a cure for CF, we were drawn to the ongoing patient struggles of battling this vindictive disease.  The CCCF Assist and the Karen and Dick Power Annual Toy Drive were born out of our desire to do more for those on the front lines of cystic fibrosis.  The Karen and Dick Power Annual Toy Drive sought to address the need of CF patients as they spent weeks hospitalized and due to infectious disease protocols, were not permitted to interact in the Child Life playrooms of the hospital. While the toy drive had large ambitions early on, we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of thoughtful kindness that grew from year to year.  As family, friends, and strangers donated toys by the dozen, our golfers pursued the opportunity to be the high bidder at the auction and have the toys donated in their name, ultimately to three different children’s hospitals.  Over the past 5 years, CCCF has raised $24,600 and has placed hundreds of toys in the hands of sick children in Boston, MA; Providence, RI; and Morristown, NJ. 

Annually, a local family has been honored for our Coaches Cure CF Assist award, which highlights their specific and individual conflicts as they endeavored to live with CF.  Coaches Cure CF presented each Assist recipient with a monetary award and is proud to have been able to directly impact the livelihoods of eight families whose circumstances have been gravely affected by cystic fibrosis with $24,000 in awards over the past 5 years. 

It is our hope that this, our last gathering, will allow our golfers and guests alike to participate in our most successful event yet, knowing that their generosity continues to impact the lives of countless children and young adults, that science as we know it has been furthered and developed because of them, and that while Coaches Cure CF  is making its final lay-up, we could not have accomplished this and so much more without them by our side.

Register for our final golf outing today.