Catherine Hill’s spirits were not dampened by the rain that soaked the golf courses or by the size of the check she presented at the conclusion of the Vera Bradley Classic on Monday night.
Hill, the executive director of the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, saw too many smiles at Sycamore Hills Golf Club to be disenchanted with Mother Nature.
And the $782,952 raised in the 16th Classic surpassed too many expectations in these tough economic times for Hill to be anything but gleeful.
“We did way better than what was projected,” Hill said.
This is the second straight year the Classic failed to raise as much money as the previous summer’s outings. After making $1,045,250 in 2007, the event raked in $1,032,450 in 2008.
There were 596 participants in this year’s athletic events, which began with tennis exhibitions Friday at Wildwood Racquet Club and concluded with two golf tournaments Monday.
The nine-hole golf tournament at Pine Valley Country Club went on without a hitch, but the 18-hole event at Sycamore Hills was cut in half because of morning rain.
“It’s wonderful to see our honored guests, the breast cancer survivors, volunteering for us and participating in the golf and tennis events,” Hill said. “They are the people that inspire us to continue this work.”
The Classic was founded by Patricia Miller and Barbara Baekgaard, after a mutual friend, Mary Sloan, died of breast cancer in 1993.
It has raised more than $9.3 million since its beginnings in 1994, when the first events brought in $64,000.
Despite a decrease in money raised this year, Hill saw nothing but positives.
“As we began this year fundraising, we were cautiously optimistic,” Hill said. “We are delighted to see that nothing can stop Fort Wayne from making a huge impact toward putting an end to breast cancer.”
More than 500 volunteers were part of the Classic through the course of preparations, committee work, the weekend’s events and a celebratory dinner attended by about 750 people Monday night.
“The volunteers really make this tournament a success,” Hill said.
