Bruce Berman leads the charge for the annual Golf Marathon at Chartiers Country Club benefitting UPMC Children’s. Since launching the event, Bruce and his team have golfed more than 1,000 holes and raised more than $300,000 to support the Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Clinic at UPMC Children’s.
The Hope for Boo Endowment
The marathon benefits the Hope for Boo Endowment, which was created by Jeff and Sandra Martchek and named in honor of Bruce’s daughter, Meredith.
Meredith was diagnosed with neuroblastoma shortly after her second birthday. The family spent about 200 nights in the hospital as she underwent two years of treatments, therapies, and surgeries. Bruce says the family’s experience at UPMC Children’s, and with Meredith’s doctor, Jean Tersak, M.D., was one of the reasons for beginning a fundraiser.
“We always wanted to do something to help Dr. Tersak and all the other caregivers affiliated with UPMC Children’s. She’s an amazing person. We felt strongly about helping.”
Over time, the effort became more focused on survivorship, supporting children not just through treatment, but into adulthood. Dr. Tersak explains why that matters:
“With so many survivors, we now have the opportunity, not to mention the obligation, to be sure we help childhood cancer survivors to live the healthiest, fullest lives possible as cancer survivors.”
Easy Fundraising That Makes A Difference
Bruce describes the golf marathon as one of the simplest ways to raise money through the game. Each year, he and three close friends aim to play at least 100 holes, gathering support from friends, family, and business associates before teeing off early in the morning and playing as many holes as they can.
Bruce and his team say their fundraising has helped the Survivorship Clinic expand its work, including doubling the number of clinical trials available to survivors. As treatments continue to improve and more children survive cancer, they believe survivorship care remains one of the greatest needs in pediatric oncology today.
“If you’re going to do a fundraiser for anything, do it for Children’s,” Bruce says. He hopes others will be inspired to support UPMC Children’s in their own way. To learn how to start fundraising, visit the Fundraise page.
