We see them wear funny hats and stand in the road asking for donations, but how much do we really know about Shriners Hospitals?
Some retired National Football League members asked themselves the same question, while others already knew the importance of the sixth annual NFL Alumni/Shriners Charity Golf Classic hosted by Verdict Ridge in Denver.
“It’s all about children,” Bill Herr, a member of the Lake Norman Shriners Club, said. “The NFL has their sponsorships for different children’s organizations and they’ve tied into the Shriners, which is all about children, and they combined them together to raise money for the Cincinnati Burn Center, which is run by the Shriners Hospital for Children.”
The two-day event held over the weekend raised funds to help burned and severely injured children who need help and support. More specifically the event was in memory of Leah McCammon.
“All of the proceeds go to the Shriners Hospital for kids and this is in memory of my granddaughter who passed away at the Shriners Hospital,” John Varnell, NFL Alumni tournament director, said. “This is our sixth year and we’ve raised about $2 million for the hospital.”
McCammon was not even a year old when she was in the bathtub and severely burned after a grandparent left her in the tub to check on another grandchild.
McCammon turned the hot water knob, scalding 90 percent of her body. She was immediately taken to a burn center in Atlanta. The center suggested taking the infant to the Cincinnati Burn Center, where she died three days later.
“We’re here to help raise the awareness and the funding for Shriners Hospital, especially the families who are hit the hardest,” Joey Browner, Vikings and Buccaneers defensive back from 1983-92 said. “What the Shriners do is just unbelievable. Not only do they take care of the child’s medical well-being but for the family as well.”
Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Kevin Greene said he attended the event to learn more about Shriners and how he could help.
“I’m not a golfer … I don’t golf at all so I’m here to support the Shriners,” he said. “I guess I really didn’t understand the extent of what the Shriners actually do. I came here trying to learn more about the Shriners, and it has definitely opened my eyes to all the wonderful things that Shriners do for precious children and the money that they have raised and the countless lives they’ve touched. I’m absolutely honored to be here to support the Shriners because I’m surely not here for the golf.”
Players like Gerald Riggs, former Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins running back from 1982-91, said they knew first hand how important Shriners is, and can be.
“I’ve had a very special place in my heart for the Shriners, ever since I came out of college playing in Arizona State,” Riggs said. “It gave me the opportunity to play out in the West Coast and see what some of the Shriners work had been pretty much all my career, even in college. I had the opportunity to play in the East-West all-star game and I had the chance to go to the hospital and see what they do for the kids and for the families.
“It was something that stuck very close to me so whenever I see an event that the Shriners are involved with I really understand. It’s a big deal for me to be able to be here and support what they do on a regular basis.”
Events like the golf classic help former Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints wide receiver [1984-92] and five-time supporter, Louis Lipps, realize why he keeps coming back.
“I think Jack Youngblood said it best, ‘At the end of the day when you realize you can help somebody who can’t help themselves, that’s such a great feeling, man,’” Lipps said.
To find out more about the Shriners Hospitals for Children call (800) 237-5055.