Local philanthropists tee up to support cancer services at McLaren Port Huron

Support from the Tee It Up to Beat Cancer golf outing helps purchase equipment for cancer services.
As Dana Fabbri looked out her back window onto the golf course of Lakeview Hills a few years ago, she noticed something she had never seen before. Everything was pink; pink balloons, ladies dressed in pink clothing and hats, the carts were even decorated in pink. Curiosity arose, and she learned it was a fundraiser golf outing for a group whose purpose was to raise awareness for breast cancer. “It looked so amazing,” says Dana. 

Dana began to tell her friends what she saw, and while doing so, she learned every cancer had its color. She imagined a golf outing that could represent the various cancer colors. 

Dana and Dennis Fabbri are invested in supporting cancer services through McLaren Port Huron.“I envisioned the golf course full of different colors such as pink, green, orange, and yellow,” she says. “Every team could wear their color if they had a special someone to support, honor or remember.” 

The idea, along with her passion for helping others and having fun, led Fabbri to organize an event called Tee It Up To Beat Cancer.  Now in its 6th year, groups register and represent a person close to them who has had cancer or survived or sadly passed away from cancer.  

“Teams get so involved that they wear matching outfits head to toe,” she says. "People are proud to be there for their loved ones.”     

Initially, Fabbri donated the outing’s proceeds to the American Cancer Society, but she says she never knew exactly how the gift was used.     

n July 2015, Sara Tait, Major Gifts Specialist for the McLaren Port Huron Foundation and close friend to Dana, suggested she attend the groundbreaking of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Port Huron. A close friend of theirs, who had undergone cancer treatment at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, was involved with the event and would be speaking. Sara and Dana later met and talked about philanthropic opportunities available to help local cancer patients in St. Clair and Sanilac counties.

“We are very excited about the money we donate to the McLaren Port Huron Foundation,” says Fabbri. “We can actually tell
the people who contributed to the outing what we’re doing with the funds, and how it impacts people we may know – family, friends or neighbors.” 

“Thanks to the Tee It Up To Beat Cancer annual golf outing efforts, we have been able to purchase heated massage chairs for Golf outing supporters represent hope for cancer patients. patients, state-of-the-art equipment for our radiation oncology patients and sponsor a private infusion bay for patients receiving chemotherapy. The golf outing, to date, has raised $110,000,” says Tait.

Fabbri says, “It is so touching to be able to actually see the equipment and meet the staff who put it to good use and to hear that doctors and patients truly appreciate it.” 

It hit close to home when she found out her uncle had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  To think that he would possibly be using the equipment that was purchased last year was moving to Dana. Tait explained that donating is full circle — money comes in from Tee It Up To Beat Cancer, equipment is purchased, and Dana and her husband, Dennis, meet the staff and patients using the equipment. 

“It’s heartwarming for everybody,” says Tait. “Dana is a businesswoman, and she invests in her community.  She’s an incredible person who simply wants to make a difference in others’ lives.”

Dennis and Dana Fabbri present a check to the McLaren Port Huron Foundation.Anyone in the community is welcome to support Tee it Up to Beat Cancer or the foundation directly. 

Donations can be made by mailing a check to:

McLaren Port Huron Foundation, 1201 Stone Street, Suite 11, Port Huron, MI 48060;
or online at the McLaren Port Huron Foundation 

For more information, call the McLaren Port Huron Foundation at 810-989-3776.