Summer Community Fundraisers

Providing Fun and Inspiration

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, reconnect with old friends, and get moving—in short, it’s a great time to host a Community Fundraiser. This summer, two Annual Fundraisers united their communities for a day of fun and togetherness in memory of loved ones. 

The Husky Open 

The Husky Open started as a yearly golf outing amongst friends but took on new meaning when one of the planners of the outing, Stephen “Husk” McAllister, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, an aggressive bile duct cancer, at the age of 28.

This year, on June 1, Stephen’s friends came together in Worth, Illinois, for another day of golf organized by Stephen’s parents and his best friend Chris Donahue. This time, the goal was to celebrate Stephen’s memory and raise funds for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation in his name for the second year in a row. This year’s Husky Open raised $11,252 for research and patient programs.

Kathy & Billy’s Yankee Game Fundraiser 

On July 20, Vassilios “Billy” Tsafos hosted the fifth annual Kathy and Billy’s Yankee Game Fundraiser in memory of his late wife, Katherine “Kathy” Byrnes-Tsafos, benefiting the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. The event raised almost $5,500 for CCF. The fundraiser started in 2019 when Kathy and Billy had the idea to bring their friends and family together for fun and baseball and to raise funds for CCF, which was a support for Kathy after her cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis. 

Though Kathy passed away in December of 2021, Billy still hosts their event in her memory. “I want to continue this annual tradition in honor of Kat and also raise money for research, which is key for this rare cancer we’ve been affected with.” Billy explains, “Hopefully, the money raised will help find a cure so patients and their families won’t have to suffer like those who have unfortunately passed from cholangiocarcinoma.” In addition to hosting the annual Yankee Game Fundraiser, Billy decided to support CCF by running as a member of Team CCF in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. 

Visit here to learn more about the Yankee Game Fundraiser and support Billy’s NYC marathon fundraising efforts.