A Legacy of Impact: The CCA Invitational Celebrates a Sweet 16 Years

Friends and supporters of JoyRx gathered together on Monday, August 5, 2024, at the beautiful Willamette Valley Country Club in Canby, Oregon, to tee off for the sixteenth annual CCA Invitational.

A long-standing tradition in the Pacific Northwest, this tournament directly benefits JoyRx | Children’s Cancer Association and our JoyRx Music, Mentorship, and Nature programs. Building on the foundation set by Grant Hammersely, this event’s founder, we are delighted to report that this year our community of golfers and supported banded together, helping to raise over $215,000 (and counting), meaning that the CCA Invitational has raised $3.5M since its inception 16 years ago!

This year, the CCA Invitational continued the incredible legacy of impact with some changes to the tournament and location. We welcomed team captains and players to the Willamette Valley Country Club, home to JoyRx PNW Leadership Council Member and PGA Professional John Grothe, who served as the committee chair for this year’s tournament. John was joined by Pat McCabe, Rennie Muzii, and Travis Schoen as our 2024 CCA Invitational event committee, and we are grateful for their leadership.

The tournament was a rousing success, with teams taking to the course with vigor and friendly competition.

We’d like to extend a hearty congratulations to our winning team:

• Tim Kerr (Captain)

• Justin Fisher

• Clayton Madey

• Tyler McCarty

Congratulations to our pro competition winner:  Andrew Edmunds from Willamette Valley Country Club!

Finally, let’s give a big round of applause to our contest winners:

• Closest to the Pin, Hole #3 (Men): Michael Goulet

• Closest to Pin, Hole #13 (Women): Gretchen Johnson

• Closest to Pin, Hole #13 (Men): Steve Elorriaga

• Putting Contest: Ron Merryman

As the tournament ended in the evening, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour featuring a putting contest, barbeque, and bubbles from Lytle Barnett and wine from Aubaine before gathering for a dinner and program.

Guided by Miss Oregon 2022 and current JoyRx Mentor, Sophia Takla served as our host alongside Dale Johannes, who led attendees through an exciting auction and paddle raise to gather transformational philanthropic support for JoyRx programs.

The highlight of the program was when guests had a chance to hear about our programs and mission first-hand. Launa Lowery, our honored speaker, shared the powerful story of her daughter, Hadley, and the revolutionary friendship between her and Sophia, her JoyRx Mentor. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, with all guests rising to give Launa, Hadley, and Sophia a standing ovation at the conclusion of her remarks.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, Willamette Valley Country Club, our sponsors, and the steering committee, the sixteenth annual CCA Invitational was a huge success. We’d like to thank our Hole-in-One Sponsors, Mercedes-Benz of Wilsonville; our Flag Sponsors, Atlas Motors; our sponsors, Mattress World; and Johnny Nelson & Walter E. Nelson for their support. We’d also like to recognize our in-kind sponsors: Breakside Brewery, KOi Fusion, Lytle Barnett and Aubaine, and Tito’s Vodka.

We look forward to next year and the joy we’ll create for more kids who need that powerful feeling now more than ever.  Until then, see the joy in action by checking out these photos from the event!