Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
Issue link: https://ballantynemagazine.epubxp.com/i/40584
BALLANTYNE | cover story P PINKOWER Community, Leads U.S. in Rally BCC Rally for the Cure Engages Fundraising By John Byrnes MEETING WITH EVEN a fraction of the members of the Ballantyne Country Club (BCC) Rally for the Cure 2010 Committee is overwhelming. They laugh, they joke. Their energy is contagious. But then they get serious. Don't let the pink fool you. These women mean business. What began as a small 2003 BCC golf event attended by 30 people that raised $1,080 has blossomed into a registered 501(c)(3) charity that hosts a week of September events that paint the town pink and has led the nation in Rally for the Cure fundraising for the past two years. What's more, the BCC Rally has expanded to engage and support the community at large, graduating from a club-only event to a Ballantyne-wide celebration that annually invites surrounding area residents onto the BCC's pristine grounds. "To be focused on one The Rally for the Cure's Pink Bow Campaign raised $12,000 in 2009. CELEBRATING TEN YEARS 2000-2010 FALL 2010 charity has actually allowed us to grow and branch out," explains Maria Logan, BCC Rally chair and board president. "We're more involved with the community than ever before." "It's been a crescendo effect," says Janet DeCillis, BCC Rally board member and marketing chair. "More and more people are involved every year." "There is something for everyone to get involved with — whether you play golf or tennis or tie a bow," adds Terri Williamson, board member, business partnerships captain and website lead administrator. That's an understatement. This year's rally week, Sept. 17-25, features a ladies' tennis event, a family day, a ladies' golf and luncheon event and an evening gala. Through 2009, BCC Rally raised more than $370,000, which all supports Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Of the funds raised, 75 percent stays local, supporting the Susan G. Komen Charlotte affiliate to raise awareness, provide support to survivors and fund mammograms and treatment to uninsured and underinsured women with breast cancer. The other 25 percent supports national breast cancer research. In 2008 and 2009, BCC Rally led the nation in Rally fundraising, amassing $114,000 and $156,000, respectively. "None of us realized when we first started and it was this golf event that it would turn into something that has an effect on all of Charlotte. It's not just South Charlotte. It's not just Ballantyne," Williamson notes. "It's nine surrounding counties that Susan G. Komen funds support with money we raise. It reaches a huge circle in the Charlotte community. In the beginning we didn't have any comprehension of that. We had