Fairways for families created with fathers in mind

There is a good reason that Gathering Hope holds its annual charity fundraising golf tournament around Father's Day every year.

The Fairways For Families will take place on Friday, June 14 at the Squaw Creek Golf Course in Willow Park, and Gathering Hope Co-Founder Peyton Lauderdale said it was created with fathers in mind.

"Dads don't really have an avenue for grief," Lauderdale said. "There's just not a lot of good support for them out there. And I'm not even saying that Gathering Hope is the right place for that. But I've had a couple of dads who have looked me in the eye and said, 'You have no idea how much you have helped my family and my wife,' and said, 'I would not miss this tournament — this is one of the only things that I have.' 

"It has been so encouraging to me and my co-founder, Carol, to have men who will just kind of come up and give me a hug and then walk away. I know what that hug meant."

How it started

Lauderdale, 43, co-founded Gathering Hope with Carol Vantine (Weatherford) nearly 10 years ago and said the annual golf tournament is important to the organization's continued outreach.

"It is really the only outward-facing fundraising event that we do," Lauderdale said. "We do some emails and letters, but this is the only event we have all year long."

Gathering Hope is a 501c3 that helps survivors of miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss overcome loneliness and isolation so that they can find healing in community.

The organization creates multiple avenues for transformational connections and provides grieving mothers with resources to guide them on their healing journey.

Golf tournament

This will be the fourth Fairways for Families event, and Lauderdale said she has received nothing but positive feedback so far.

"We were looking for a way to grow, and this is really our singular fundraising event for the entire year,” Lauderdale said. “So we have a lot hinging on the tournament. What we do with those funds is serve survivors of miscarriage and infant loss and help those women find a supportive community after the loss of their baby. So our programming is largely geared toward moms, but this tournament is one of the activities we do that give us the opportunity to honor dads.

“We anchor it around Father's Day, and this is a really fun tournament. The topic we cover is very heavy, so this a really light-hearted, fun event. But it does give us a brief moment to pause and kind of honor those dads because we know that dads grieve too."

Every registration includes breakfast, a round of golf, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (excluding liquor), lunch, and an opportunity to win additional prizes.

Getting the word out

Lauderdale said there is also an element of raising awareness.

"What I hope that people take away is that there is a community for women who have lost their babies," Lauderdale said. "A lot of people are coming into the tournament because someone asked them. They have no idea what they are stepping into, they just know they have signed up for a really fun afternoon of golf. What we would like for people to take away is just a small piece of education to understand a little bit about loss.

“One in four pregnancies ends in a loss. A lot of people don't realize that the statistic is so high. So just a little bit of education and maybe reflection that as you come across women in your day-to-day life, there may be women around you who are carrying this silent grief."

For more information about participating, volunteering or sponsoring for the tournament, contact Gathering Hope at info@gatheringhope.net.