April 5, 2017

4th Annual Golf Tournament and Evening of Dreams Gala

Daniel and Danielle Kamm, Cooper and Billie Fratt, Michelle and Pete Batschelet, and Nicole and Billy Cundiff

Arizona-based Colleen’s Dream Foundation raised $250,000 for ovarian cancer research during the nonprofit organization’s two-day fourth annual Golf Tournament and Evening of Dreams Gala on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25. Most recently, the foundation granted $30,000 to the TGen Research Institute. Over the past four years, the gala has grown from 300 to 500 attendees and has raised more than $650,000.

Colleen’s Dream Foundation raises funding to support research that will lead to improved treatment and reliable early-detection of ovarian cancer. No such test currently exists. According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women.

Annually, the nonprofit hosts its gala and golf tournament on the anniversary of Colleen Drury’s passing, the namesake of Colleen’s Dream Foundation. She died following a five-year battle with ovarian cancer. Colleen’s Dream leverages these events to educate women on the signs and symptoms of the disease.

“Colleen’s Dream was created so that other families would not have to suffer the impacts of this devastating illness,” says Nicole Cundiff, CEO of Colleen’s Dream Foundation and one of Drury’s four daughters. Cundiff co-founded the foundation with her husband, Billy Cundiff.

This year’s golf tournament was held at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, where participants were grouped into foursomes with professional NFL players, including Drew Stanton, Jay Feely, Lorenzo Alexander and Richie Incognito. The following evening, local celebrities, NFL players, media, sponsors and guests from across the country gathered at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn for the gala.

The event featured cocktails from Tito’s Vodka, live music by The Walkens and a live auction. The foundation named Tom Ross, a sponsor with Nova Home Loans, as the “Dreamer of the Year” for raising more than $23,000 for Colleen’s Dream in 2016. Ross used his climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise the funding and also spread Colleen’s ashes at the summit, a destination she wasn’t able to check off her bucket list.

PHOTOS COURTESY COLLEEN’S DREAM FOUNDATION

Danielle Kamm, Billie Fratt, Michelle Batschelet and Nicole Cundiff, Colleen Drury’s four daughters

Tony Steward, Neil Rackers, Mat McBriar, Johnny Hecker, Jon Weeks, Jeff Locke, Billy Cundiff, Pat O’Donnell, Pat Scales, Lorenzo Alexander and Nick Novak