We're fighting cancer... one family at a time.
Now celebrating its 14th year, the BTB Foundation - Beat Tom and Bill Charity Golf Outing, Dinner and Auction has raised over $600,000 to help local families battling cancer and several cancer-related charities.
Our annual outing was started in 2002 to raise funds for a lifelong friend’s wife who was undergoing breast cancer treatment. That inaugural year we raised $3,000 with 30 friends in attendance. Since then, the outing has kept growing; last year we saw record crowds of over 270 golfers on the course and over 400 people for dinner, raising over $100,000 in net proceeds.
Tom and Bill Latourette, along with a host of friends, family and volunteers, want to continue helping local families and cancer patients. Our outing brings together complete strangers and turns them into lifelong friends.
Our mission: To award financial assistance as well as provide emotional support to individuals from the Chicagoland area who experience hardships due to cancer or a cancer-related illness.
Our annual outing was started in 2002 to raise funds for a lifelong friend’s wife who was undergoing breast cancer treatment. That inaugural year we raised $3,000 with 30 friends in attendance. Since then, the outing has kept growing; last year we saw record crowds of over 270 golfers on the course and over 400 people for dinner, raising over $100,000 in net proceeds.
Tom and Bill Latourette, along with a host of friends, family and volunteers, want to continue helping local families and cancer patients. Our outing brings together complete strangers and turns them into lifelong friends.
Our mission: To award financial assistance as well as provide emotional support to individuals from the Chicagoland area who experience hardships due to cancer or a cancer-related illness.
We've founded and raised over $85,000 for Sally's Studio
An Art Therapy program for cancer patients at Lutheran General Hospital, Sally's Studio began wheeling the weekly "art cart" in February, 2010. Click here for more info
In 2009, we sponsored Sally Gorney-Avila and her family and friends wanted to create a separate charity to directly help cancer patients on an ongoing basis.
Their journey begins with Lutheran General Hospital and their Advanced Center for Care. This program combines Sally's love of art with the strength and tenacity she exhibited while fighting this disease. Their goal is to help make a patient's day a bit brighter as they receive their cancer treatment. The hope of Sally's Studio is that this program will open the door to the art world, provide meditative meditative relaxation, or simply put a smile on each patient's face. It is our way of channeling our love and energy for Sally into a positive force by creating a program to honor her legacy.
Sally's Studio is made possible by The Schneider Family Fund, our BTB Foundation, and other private donations in conjunction with the Brickton Art Center. located at Busse Highway, Park Ridge, IL. Sally's Studio is completly free to all patients receiving cancer treatments at Lutheran General Hospital and is intended to promote healing, balance and good vibes
We've raised over $320,000 for local familes with cancer struggles!Families we helped in 2013
Families we helped in 2012
The Favia Family
Jinene Favia has been married to Pete for 20 years and together they have two children, son Giacomo is 15 and daughter Raquel is 14.
She found a lump on her right breast in December 2010. A biopsy came up positive for "Lobular Invasive Breast Cancer" no node positive with the possibility of some chemo and no radiation. She received a double mastectomy on Dec. 21, 2010 and her cancer went from stage 1 to stage 3C, hormone sensitive (hormones in my body would be a vitamin for the tumors), with 21 out of 22 lymph nodes positive. On January 20th (4weeks later) she had an offarectomy (ovarian removal) in hopes that the tumors would not spread and feed on the hormones in that area. As of January 2011 Jinene was "cancer free" and with all of the treatments hope to keep it that way. Funds from our outing helped pay their medical bills. "It's not the lode that takes you down....... It's the way you carry it" L. Horne The Neilson Family
We met and sponsored Cody for 2 years. Cody recently turned 6 years old and he's been going through his cancer fight since the age of 2 months. He's a brave little warrior! Cody still suffers from Multi-System Langerhan's Cell Histiocytosis, Von Willebrand's Disease and Bilateral Reflux. Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH) is an extremely rare white blood cell disease that affects 1 in 200,000. Confirmed when he was 2 months of age. LCH is a chronic, debilitating and life-threatening disease, similar in nature to cancer, that affects more than one part of the body. He continues to endure countless surgeries and procedures, including six colonoscopies and endoscopies, more than eight port related surgeries and a bone marrow aspiration. He has spent his entire youth on chemotherapy and steroid treatments. He takes a second form of chemotherapy on a weekly basis, in addition to monthly chemo treatmentsand to this day is still receiving intravenous chemotherapy treatments three consecutive days each month from both the hospital and home health care. Cody is truly inspirational and one of the sweetest children you will meet. He is a fighter and a true angel in every sense of the word. He wants nothing more than to not be tired and sick all of the time and to just be “normal”. His compassion for others and his strength in himself melts, and breaks, your heart. His big brother Sean Thomas reads him stories each night and takes good care of little brother. He just wants his little brother to be better. To take care of Cody and provide him with the constant care that he requires, Cody’s mom has had to stay home from work the past four years. Additionally, his dad took a considerable pay cut at work three years ago. These circumstances, combined with the mounting medical bills from over four years of surgeries and constant medical care, have financially strained the Neilson Family who struggle on a daily basis to make ends meet. The donations from our outins helped them tremendously. The Spachner Family
5-yr old Jake Spachner’s family was helped at the 2009 outing. We are pleased to report that Jake's cancer is in remission and he's doing relatively well |
In 9 years, we've raised over $85,000 for the Cancer Care Foundation!
Our affiliation with this tremendous organization goes back 5 years when Bill's mother and father-in-law, George and Lana Nellis were undergoing their cancer struggles.
When one is diagnosed with cancer, countless emotional, physical, and financial worries inevitably result. Yet with the financial burden of medical care, many are unable to receive psychosocial support. The Cancer Care Foundation is a nonprofit organization that offers free counseling and support services to cancer patients and their loved ones. Their services are most accessible to those who live in north suburban Cook County, although they have clients from all over Chicago land. Please click here for more information on their programs The goal of The Cancer Care Foundation is to help those who feel as if there is nowhere else to turn. We listen, support and empower We've raised almost $12,000 to support the American Cancer Society and Avon's Walk for Breast Cancer  The Serio Family
Lisa Serio is the proud wife to Dan and mother of two children, 12 year old Nick and 9 year old Lauren. Lisa was diagnosed with a very rare smooth muscle cancer known as Leiomyosarcoma (LMS). The initial tumor was discovered by chance after an unrelated procedure and thankfully, a most recent surgery does not show any further tumor growth at this time. Like the Doctor has said, now they can play offense instead of defense. As a NICU nurse at Lutheran General, Lisa knows her way around a hospital, but not as a patient. Funds raised from our outing helped decrease the burden the Serio’s were experiencing as they began the fight for Lisa’s life.
The Giampa Family
Michael Giampa, age 45, passed away in January of 2012, from Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage 4 Terminal Brain Cancer, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. It’s the same disease that took the life of Senator Ted Kennedy.
Mike's Christmas 2010 diagnosis presented an unanticipated sorrow that few could have ever prepared for. While undergoing intense treatment, healthy diet and vigorous exercise, Mike still needed to shoulder the responsibilities to support his wife Ulla and his three children, ages 6, 8, and 12. Mike’s wife Ulla was suffering from a chronic illness that left her unable to work or get out of bed many days. Michael was a graduate of Palatine High School and Memphis State University. He was also well known in the musical community. Michael loved God and saw his situation as a blessing. He was an active member in his church Harvest Bible Chapel in Gurnee. Funds from our outing went to help Mike and his family pay for medical bills. The Burde Family
In 2010, Karen Burde was diagnosed with breast cancer. This, after taking care of her 19yr old paralyzed daughter Stephanie who needed constant care and medical attention. Stephanie, a huge Cubs fan, passed away last year. Tim was out of work, taking care of both his wife and daughter so funds from our outing were very impactful
The Charalambous Family
Sharon Charalambous lost her brave 2-year battle with a very rare form of cancer called "Leiomyosarcoma" on April 1, 2010. We honored Sharon with her husband Harry, and their children Jonathon and Samantha last year. During Sharon's cancer struggle, they were forced to declare bankruptcy becasue fo the enormous financial strain of her care and funds from our outing helped them immensely
The Gorney-Avila Family
Sally Gorney – Avila – a week after her passing, we honored Sally and her courageous fight at our 2009 outing. Her love of art and design became the impetus for Sally's Studio. The DiSilvestro Family
In 2008, Gianna Grace DiSilvestro was born with an "Extrarenal Rhabdoid Tumor". Not only did the family have to withstand the emotional burden of watching their newborn daughter battle cancer, but they had to shoulder a financial burden as well. Our outing helped support them but ultimately little Gianna lost her battle with the disease. We remember her with love each year.
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