Golf

Running a tourney is taxing

There were times when Ana Himelic did not want to make another phone call, did not want to take a self-imposed 20-minute break from studying for UA law school finals to solicit donations. That is when Himelic would think about her father, Jim, who died five years ago from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. She would go to the Web site of her family's charity - the Jim Himelic Foundation - and read about her father's life. She would watch video of the former lawyer and judge as a young man. Then, Ana Himelic would find that energy again, and she would pick up the phone to find donations for her family's charity golf tournament, now in its fifth year. "We know how hopeless we felt when my dad had this disease, and how frustrated and sad we were," she said. "The tournament … it's like therapy for our family." In five years of running the event, the Himelics - widow Diana and her six children - have raised about $385,000 for ALS research at the UA College of Medicine. Last year, the Stem Cell Laboratory at the Department of Neurology was renamed in honor of Jim Himelic. Not bad for a family who had no idea where to start in 2001. The key, Ana and her mother say, is staying motivated. Everyone who works for the charity, from the family to the foundation's board members, is a volunteer. About two dozen volunteers work 18 hours each on the day of the tournament, which is followed by a silent auction and dinner. All the items used for the charity's silent auction are donated, and volunteers recruit advertisers for signage. This year, the foundation sold 47 tee signs at $300 apiece. But competition is stiff. On May 20, there were three other golf tournaments in Southern Arizona competing with the Jim Himelic Memorial Golf Classic. Still, the event's mailing list has grown from 300 five years ago to 700 this year, partly because donors keep coming back. "This really is a competitive business," Ana Himelic said. "You have to be able to solicit these funds and get the attention of people when there are 20 organizations that have been there the last week asking for donations." The foundation pays for a P.O. Box and the greens fees at Tucson National. "All the money goes to research - and nothing else," Ana Himelic said. Diana Himelic said she is proud of the money raised for ALS research, but also the responsibility it has taught her children. "You take a tragedy and try to turn it into something worthwhile," she said. "You have to look at it that way. The thing he would miss the most would be seeing our kids grow and leading productive lives. "We're lucky that his memory stays alive - as long as we keep doing these tournaments."