Swing for a cure: Tournament raises money for diabetics
Charli Rae tees off at the Prairie du Chien Country Club’s first hole, with Gospel Udelhoven in the background. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press
Brogan Mezera and Rosie Moss, two of the tournament’s honoree golfers, stand in front of the Breakthrough banner. Both teed off at the first hole to start the event.
Tom Moss spoke to the tournament participants about Breakthrough TD1 and their work to support families dealing with type-1 diabetes.
By Steve Van Kooten
At 9 a.m. on September 15, patrons started to fill up the Prairie du Chien Country Club’s parking lot, ready to compete in a golf tournament to support Breakthrough TD1, a diabetes research and advocacy nonprofit. Tom Moss, one of the event’s assistants, called the event a “swing for a cure.”
“Breakthrough TD1 is an organization that raises money for research and education for families that have new diagnoses for type-1 diabetes,” said Moss. “It’s the largest nonprofit funder of type-1 research.”
By 9:45 a.m., competitors were registered and had their clubs stashed in golf carts, drinks in hand and scorecards in their pocket, waiting for the 10 a.m. tee off. Each cart in the veritable fleet had a blue balloon tied on to it, the international symbol of diabetes awareness.
Before the official tee off, Moss introduced five honorees who had been diagnosed with type-1 diabetes early in their lives. Each of them took a swing on the first hole to begin the tournament.
Brogan Mezera, 15, a student at River Ridge School in Grant County, was diagnosed in 2013 at four years old.
Aidan Thomas, a student at Prairie du Chien High School, was diagnosed in 2016 at nine years old.
Gospel Udelhoven, 11, a student at Bluff View Intermediate School, was diagnosed in 2019 at six years old.
Charli Rae Bode, 8, a student at BA Kennedy, was diagnosed in 2018 at two-and-a-half years old.
Rosie Moss, 9, a student at St. Aloysius in Sauk City, Wisc., was diagnosed in 2019.
After the honorees, Kaitlyn Balk, the event’s organizer, thanked the participants and more than 30 sponsors that supported the tournament this year.
“I started it because my daughter was diagnosed at two and a half years old, and part of me felt like I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing and wait for someone else to find a cure,” said Balk.
The tournament, in its third consecutive year, has grown exponentially and outperformed expectations, according to Balk and Tom Moss.
“First year, I was hoping to raise $5,000,” said Balk. “In three years, we have raised more than $71,000, so I think we will continue to do this to help find a cure.”
Tom Moss added that everyone is hoping the tournament will cross the $100,000 mark this year.
After the opening ceremony, the carts took off, a wave of blue and balloons flopping around on green grass, to different starting points on the course, drivers and putters ready for action. Along with the golf tournament, silent auctions, raffles and other attractions were available.
Balk and the other organizers and helpers certainly made their swing for a cure, and, by the looks of the turnout this past Saturday, they didn’t miss.
Founded in 1970, Breakthrough supplies funding for research to prevent, cure and educate the physiological, behavioral and community effects of type-1 diabetes.
As of 2024, the organization has more than 500 grants available for therapy development, research advancement, advocacy and community support.
To learn more about type-1 diabetes research and Breakthrough TD1, visit www.breakthroughtd1.org.
