Charity golf raises funds for Alzheimer's awareness

WARDEN – On Saturday, Karisti Cox held the third annual “Dude! Where’s my Cart!?” charity golf tournament. The tournament aims to put a fun and educational spin on raising awareness for Alzheimer’s, she said.   

“The fundraising is all designed to go towards the Alzheimer's Association, and, more specifically, to the Columbia Basin Walk to End Alzheimer's, but ultimately, it all goes to the same place,” she said.   

The tournament raised roughly $15,000 before event costs. Cox said that after paying the golf course fee, she will have raised substantially more than the previous two years. With the help of her committee and the volunteers at the tournament, she said she feels proud of what they were able to accomplish on Saturday.   

“It makes me proud that I have created something that truly speaks to so many families in a way they feel a need to participate, regardless of whether it's to play, volunteer or commit,” she said.  

The tournament deviates from the traditional nine holes of golf, Cox said. Each hole has special challenges based off various challenges people with Alzheimer’s face. For example, glasses that augment a golfer’s vision or having to swing while sitting on a toilet.  

“They are fun, but behind each one there's an educational piece to it as well. The point is that there's a lot of people that don't realize that dementia isn't just memory care. It also has many other implications,” she said.   

In addition to memory loss, people who have Alzheimer’s disease face other symptoms like eye impairment, using the bathroom and behavior changes. Cox’s passion for raising awareness stems from her five years of experience working in memory care, she said.   

She took inspiration from the families she met at that time and how they approached dealing with their family members having Alzheimer’s.   

“I've heard it from the family so many times, you can choose to laugh or cry. We choose to laugh at these things,” she said. “There's so many creative avenues that you can do to show this is what's going on in their world, and make it a challenge for other people to experience and also the other part to it I just wanted a golf tournament that I could play in.”  

In the lead-up to the event, Cox made it clear that this tournament was not for serious golfers.   

“This is not a serious (tournament) this is for fundraising, and it's for fun. We have a very fun, (light) hearted day where we honor the people that we've lost in our lives, and we pay tribute to them,” Cox said.   

Cox said while playing on Saturday, she observed many golfers having fun working through each hole’s challenge. They each highlighted many challenges people with Alzheimer’s face. While they found the challenge funny, golfers were also educated by volunteers at each hole on why the particular challenge was there.   

“Our volunteers are so incredible in making sure they explain the idea behind it and how to do the challenge, so they do get that full experience,” Cox said.   

Leading up to the tournament, Cox said she was in need of a few more volunteers. Her needs were met by community members willing to step in and help.   

“I’m always so humbled at the community of people that will come through the woodwork when you say, ‘help,’” Cox said.  

After putting a message on social media, Cox received several responses from players who had already signed up for the tournament, saying their family members would help. Cox said the responses and people who volunteered created a family atmosphere.   

“It's almost becoming a family thing, you've got one person playing, another person volunteering, and it's all because these are the people who know what dementia is, and they want to be more involved, because it means something to them on a personal level,” she said.   

Cox is also a chair for the Columbia Basin Walk to End Alzheimer’s. She has created an organization called Colors of Hope that helps educate children about Alzheimer’s. They’ll come out with sidewalk chalk to decorate the walkway for people who are walking for their loved ones.   

For those interested in getting involved with raising awareness for Alzheimer’s, they can visit Cox’s official website: 5starmess.com

    A golfer at the “Dude! Where’s my Cart!?” charity golf tournament tees off with glasses that augment their vision. Event organizer Karisti Cox said each hole had a challenge related to experiences people with Alzheimer’s face.
  

    Two golfers work through a challenge in the “Dude! Where’s my Cart!?” charity golf tournament. Event organizer Karisti Cox said the tournament is aimed to be a fun and educational experience for golfers.
  

    A golfer at the “Dude! Where’s my Cart!?” charity golf tournament tees off while on his knees.