HOUSTON (May 22, 2019) – On Monday, May 6, Kelsey Research Foundation hosted its 25th Annual Golf Classic, raising a record $350,000 for this annual event. Two-hundred and fifty golfers enjoyed a round of golf, silent auction, and a 19th hole party at the Golf Trails of The Woodlands. Funds raised from the golf tournament support the Foundation’s mission to advance and improve the quality of healthcare through research and patient education programs.
“As our largest annual fundraising event, the Golf Classic has collectively raised $4 million in support of the Foundation’s research and educational programs,” said Ashley Alexander, vice president and chief operations officer of Kelsey Research Foundation. “This event, and its outstanding success, is made possible by our generous golfers, sponsors, and volunteers. We appreciate the outstanding support of our top sponsors, including our title sponsor McKesson, major sponsors Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and Gamma Construction, and our golf cart sponsor, LabCorp.”
During the 19th hole party, top teams and players accepted awards. Guests bid on a wide variety of items and gift packages during the silent auction, which raised $10,000. A graduate of the Active Living After Cancer program, a partnership between MD Anderson Cancer Center and Kelsey Research Foundation, shared his cancer survival story and the impact the program had on his recovery. The Active Living After Cancer program aims to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors by promoting physical activity and by providing navigation services for survivorship issues.
Funds raised from the annual Golf Classic support Kelsey Research Foundation’s awareness programs, clinical trials, and a signature research program focused on gut health. Microbiome research and clinical trials are conducted by the KRF-UTHealth Center for Microbiome Research, which was established in 2014 as a collaboration between Kelsey Research Foundation, McGovern Medical School, and UTHealth School of Public Health. The group investigates conditions and diseases associated with a loss of intestinal microbiota diversity, such as Parkinson’s disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
“We hope to one day offer those living with conditions impacted by the loss of intestinal microbiota diversity an opportunity to improve their quality of life by restoring the diversity of their microbiota flora,” said Herbert DuPont, M.D., president and CEO of Kelsey Research Foundation. “KRF’s innovative research agenda is made possible by our generous donors, and we hope the community will continue to support our Annual Golf Classic to help further our understanding of gut health for the greater good.”
Kelsey Research Foundation welcomes sponsors and partners for all fundraising activities throughout the year. Please contact: Aimee Friend at 713-442-1218 or aimee.friend@kelseyresearch.com for more information about upcoming fundraising events.
The Foundation also accepts donations throughout the year at Kelseyresearch.com/gift.
About the Kelsey Research Foundation
Kelsey Research Foundation (KRF) was founded in 1956 by the Kelsey brothers – Mavis Kelsey, M.D., and John Kelsey, M.D. KRF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to advance medical research and provide health education opportunities for all Houstonians. To achieve this, KRF spearheads and collaborates with other leading research, education, and healthcare organizations locally and nationally on innovative research and patient education programs. KRF organizes, facilitates, and implements research between Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and institutions of the Texas Medical Center. Specific areas of research interest to the Foundation include: cancer care and cancer survivorship support, digestive diseases, the gut microbiome, and the use of fecal microbiota transplantation to restore the intestinal microbiota of people with conditions associated with a loss of gut diversity.
About Kelsey-Seybold Clinic
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston’s premier multispecialty group practice, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston’s famous Texas Medical Center. More than 400 physicians and allied health professionals practice at 20 locations and an accredited Sleep Center in the Greater Houston area. Medical services offered by Kelsey-Seybold include medical care in 55 medical specialties, including primary care and specialty care, outpatient surgery centers, an accredited Sleep Center, a Radiation Therapy Center, laboratory services, advanced radiology services and other diagnostic services, 15 on-site Kelsey pharmacies, and a secure web portal for patients to communicate with their Kelsey-Seybold doctors, get test results, and schedule appointments. Patients enrolled in a KelseyCare health benefits plan have access to Virtual Health managed by Kelsey-Seybold providers, including E-Visits and Video Visits.
Kelsey-Seybold has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the nation’s first accredited Accountable Care Organization and a Level 3 (highest) Patient-Centered Medical Home. Kelsey-Seybold has many physicians in the Greater Houston area certified for excellence in diabetes and heart and stroke care by the NCQA. In 2018, KelseyCare Advantage, a Medicare Advantage plan affiliated with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, was awarded a 5-out-of-5-star rating by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the third year in a row. In addition to these recognitions, Kelsey-Seybold is home to a nationally accredited Breast Diagnostic Center, Endoscopy Center, Infusion Center and Cancer Center.