Rock Valley Golf Classic – 25 Year Celebration

June 23rd, 2021

How do you adequately celebrate 25 years of the Rock Valley Golf Classic? With a picture-perfect day, an inspiring visit from a guest family, and greetings from Ronald McDonald himself.

Over the last two decades, this committed group of golfers from the Beloit and Janesville areas have raised more than $800,000. Despite the friendly rivalry between these two communities, they come together and believe in families who fight the courageous battle to win over their child’s medical crises.

Nearly 20% of families served at the Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room at SSM Health – St. Mary’s Hospital, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile come from the state line area. The originators understood the critical need for support from these communities. David Cullen, then an  RMHC-Madison board member, appealed to friends like Erik Dahlberg, Chuck Elliott, and Bill Kennedy to create a competitive golf outing that rotated between the Janesville Country Club and Beloit Club. Each summer, they come ready to play strong and raise their paddles high to support our families, raising nearly $85,000 this year.

Several highlights included a welcome by co-founders Cullen and Dahlberg, as well as a greeting by the Perez family. RMHC has been part of Bella’s journey for more than six years as her family navigates her difficult journey with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a degenerative disease.  As a father, Tony spoke passionately about their challenges to find a cure and give his family hope from a disease that could have taken their daughter’s life at just six months old. Bella just celebrated her 7^th birthday!  Though wheelchair-bound, her spirit is infectious, and she lights up the room.  The Ronald McDonald House became their centering space by keeping this family together while Bella was flown to the hospital during crises or treatments.  They had the time and facilities to heal together, play games, watch tv, and be together as a family in their home-away-from-home.  A respite to weather the storm.

Thank you to the Perez family and our co-founders for reminding us why our daily drive to serve families is so critical and powerfully rewarding.