For Chris and Ashley Markum, support has meant everything from one of the charities of the PGA Web.com Tour’s Price Cutter Championship presented by Dr Pepper.
You see, the Markum family in 2015 welcomed a newborn son, Ayden, who was 14 weeks premature and suffered from a brain injury and experienced seizures. As you might imagine, hospital bills mounted.
Fortunately, in stepped the H.O.P.E. Foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to families whose children are battling pediatric emergencies.
That’s the impact of the PCCC, which thanks to southwest Missouri businesses and individuals has gifted more than $14.6 million to Ozarks children’s charities since 1990.
It’s a figure that includes more than $957,000 in 2017. This past year’s monies also were part of the PGA Tour overall gifting more than $180 million to charities.
And the Markums have long expressed appreciation. You see, they also are parents to Isaiah, Eliza, Asa, Asher and now Ayden.
“The H.O.P.E. Foundation was a real blessing to have them help offset medical expenses,” Chris Markum said, explaining the family would drive back and forth from West Plains to a Springfield hospital daily. “It could have been 100s and 100s of dollars out of pocket just for a month’s supply.”
“The impact that the Price Cutter Charity Championship has had on our organization is one that we will forever be grateful for,” said Mary Beth Hankins, Family Services Officer for the H.O.P.E Foundation. “Our mission is to help families by giving them hope when they need it the most. We have increased our ability to help these families by 75% since our involvement with the tournament. That means that there are less families stressing over utility bills and mortgage payments, and more families focusing on helping their children heal. There is no real way for us to say thank you enough for that.”