ORONO — Sheila Peabody of Yarmouth is one of the people who is a dedicated player in the Bud & Barbara Leavitt Memorial Golf Classic.
The tournament is named for former Bangor Daily News Executive Sports Editor Bud Leavitt and his wife Barbara, who both died of cancer in 1994 and 1990, respectively.
The event benefits the Jimmy Fund, the fundraising arm of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, The Jimmy Fund was one of Barbara Leavitt’s favorite charities.
Peabody’s dedication showed Monday in the 17th edition of the tournament, held at Penobscot Valley Country Club under the direction of Doug Quagliaroli.
“I told Doug I wanted to leave early [last year] because I wanted to get most of the drive done before it got too dark,” Peabody said Monday.
It didn’t work out, though, as a deer ran into the driver’s side of the car shortly after she got onto I-95.
But Peabody, former owner of the McDonald’s restaurant in Rockland, didn’t let that deter her. She was back in the tournament Monday.
“I’m good friends with Doug. I support him and he’s a big supporter through his McDonald’s,” said Peabody, who helps run Ronald McDonald Charities of South Portland.
She had refined her plan to return home, though.
“I’m definitely going to leave earlier this year,” she said with a smile.
Her dedication is matched by the people who volunteer for the Jimmy Fund.
Their efforts helped bring in the bulk of the money raised. And Quagliaroli praised board members for their work in a struggling economy.
“I think it’ll be comparable to last year,” said Quagliaroli of the money raised. Last year’s total was about $32,000.
In addition to the revenue from team entry fees and the tee signs, there was a silent auction. There were 23 teams this year, two more than last year, according to Quagliaroli.
One of the biggest items was a drawing for a special trip to The International in Bolton, Mass.
“We sold 80 tickets at $50 each. That’s $4.000 right there,” said Quagliaroli, a cancer survivor himself.
One person who gets very busy in the days leading up to the Leavitt tournament is John Foster, who donates his time and materials to produce the tee signs that are on display on each hole of the course.
More than 60 advertisers participated this year.
There isn’t much Foster can do ahead of time because they accept tee sign sponsorships up to nearly the last minute.
“At one point, you’re like, ‘We only have 10,’ then all of a sudden it’s 60,” he said.
“Hopefully, it’ll be bigger and better next year,” said Foster.
And Foster, who lost a sister to cancer last year, said his staff won’t mind the extra work.
Foster said, “It’s a great cause that affects us all.”
Part of the design of the signs includes Quagliaroli’s grandson, Luciano, who battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Like his grandfather, Luciano Quagliaroli was treated at Dana-Farber.
On Foster’s signs, Luciano is wearing boxing gloves in an effort to “KO” cancer.
“I’d like to be able to keep that in the future,” said Foster, who says he’s not a designer by trade. “I like that design, personally.”