“Come hell or high water we’re having a golf tournament for these kids,” Dat Dads’ Club of Luling President Claude Adams said this week of the Oct. 23 tournament.
Dat Dads, a non-profit organization founded to assist families with unforeseen medical expenses, has helped raised over $200,000 for local families since its inception in 2016. Annual fundraisers for the group include a cookoff, golf tournament and fishing rodeo.
A cookoff to benefit two local children, Avery Stromeyer and Jonah Landry, was planned for March. That, Adams said, was cancelled due to coronavirus precautions. Then a September golf tournament was cancelled due to Hurricane Sally.
Adams said with teams cooking on every other hole and a bevy of beverage sponsors, golfers are guaranteed a good time at the tournament.
“You’ll eat and drink well,” he said. “We have lots of sponsors and we’re still looking for golfers.”
The tournament is slated for Oct. 23 at Grand Ridge Golf Club in Luling with 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. flights. There is a $75 fee for individual golfers and a $300 fee per team.
“Grand Ridge … I can’t say how much they do for us,” Adams said. “They do a lot. Grand Ridge has been a partner with us since the beginning.”
Adams said Dat Dads’ members have been working tirelessly to make sure the tournament is a success so that the beneficiaries are blessed.
Amanda Stromeyer said she was speechless when she was contacted by the club about her daughter Avery being a beneficiary.
“I had never heard of Dat Dads’ Club,” she said. “We had just moved to Luling and was unfamiliar with the area or the people. I got a call from Claude explaining his affiliation and that they wanted Avery to be a beneficiary. I believe the club had seen the article in the Herald Guide about the fundraiser that my husband’s cousin had started for Avery, and that’s how they knew about us.”
Amanda said Avery, who will turn 2 at the end of October, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 9 days old.
“Avery goes with the flow – she adapts to her ever-changing medication regimens and treatments,” Amanda said. “We throw another breathing treatment at her and she acts like she’s been doing it since being a baby.”
Amanda said Avery’s daily regimens include artificial pancreatic enzymes at every meal, acid reflux medications, vitamins, nebulized breathing treatments and vest therapy. She currently sees three pediatric specialists.
Jessica Landry said she was overwhelmed with gratitude when she learned her son Jonah, 14 months old, was selected as a beneficiary of the tournament.
“Our focus as a family has solely been on making sure Jonah stays healthy and the monetary aspect of it was merely a second thought,” she said. “To know that members of this community heard our story and are willing to recognize Jonah is extremely humbling. I don’t think we could ever express just how honored and appreciative we are of St. Charles Parish and Dat Dads’ Club.”
Since birth, Jonah has been intubated three times and has had nine blood transfusions. In January of this year he underwent open heart surgery.
“We had no idea prior to his birth that he would be diagnosed with Down Syndrome,” Jessica said. “Since his first breath he has taught me and our family things we never thought imaginable. You think you will teach your baby about strength, while he is showing us how strong we can be during the most difficult time of his life.”
For more information on Dat Dads’ Club or to register for the tournament, visit www.datdadsclub.com.
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