Play Yellow Family Golf Day Announced

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ Play Yellow Campaign has announced its newest initiative, Play Yellow Family Golf Day, scheduled for June 7, 2020. Partnering with golf courses across the country, Play Yellow Family Golf Day is the first event of its kind designed to raise over $1 million in a single day in support of the 10 million kids treated at local children’s hospitals each year.

Participating in Play Yellow Family Golf Day is easy. For individuals, take afamily member or close friend to a participating golf course on June 7, wear yellow and donate to your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Golf courses that want to join Play Yellow Family Golf Day will receive support in the form of marketing and fundraising materials, as well as assistance from the Play Yellow national team and local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital staff members. Join Jack and Barbara Nicklaus by playing yellow for someone you know at the children's hospital who needs your support.

To register and for more information about Play Yellow Family Golf Day, including participating courses, visit PlayYellow.org and click on the Play Yellow Family Golf Day link.

“Barbara and I are excited for the first Play Yellow Family Golf Day on June 7th - which is also the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide,” said Jack Nicklaus. “Golfers everywhere can join the cause by taking family or friends to the course, wear yellow and make a donation through our Play Yellow website. Your donation will go directly to helping kids at your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.”

Benefiting from Play Yellow are kids like 11-year-old Jacob Packer of Salt Lake City, Utah, who attended the announcement. Jacob was three years old when geneticists at Primary Children’s Hospital diagnosed him with mucopolysaccharidosis type 6, a rare and progressive genetic condition that prohibits the body’s ability to breakdown waste products in cells. The disorder leads to the deforming of cells throughout the body, eventually causing skeletal abnormalities and other problems involving organs, tissues, joints, bodily functions and more. Upon diagnosis, Jacob required surgery to remove the top vertebrae of his spine, which had stopped growing and was pushing down on his spinal cord, slowly paralyzing him. A second major surgery was needed in February of 2018 to fuse his spin from skull to his C5 vertebrae. Thanks to the successful procedures and a weekly intravenous transfusion of the enzyme his body is lacking, Jacob’s condition is stable. Jacob’s treatment takes 8 hours, but because of the extraordinary team at Primary Children’s it is a visit he looks forward to each week.

The advice, support and care given at Primary Children’s Hospital, along with the family-centered environment, has been invaluable to Jacob and his family. The dedicated experts and specialists at the hospital not only help to guide Jacob’s care to this day but have also become some of his greatest friends.

Jacob is now attending fifth grade and loves spending time with his parents and four siblings, three brothers and a sister. He enjoys music, art, being outdoors, and all sports. Unfortunately, his disorder prohibits him from playing contact sports, but in 2016 Jacob took up golf and quickly fell in love with the game. He now plays four to six days a week and competed in more than 25 junior tournaments last year.   

Jacob has strength and compassion beyond his years. He views his condition as a gift that has given him the opportunity to inspire others, meet amazing people and find new passions in life, like golf.

Launched in 2019 and led by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, the "Play Yellow" campaign has a goal of raising $100 million in the next five years for the 170 CMN hospitals across the United States. All funds will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ member hospitals and their patients. These hospitals rely on donations to fund pediatric care for millions of children.

The "Play Yellow" theme is inspired by the yellow shirts Jack Nicklaus often wore during tournament competition. In the late ‘60’s, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus had a family friend named Craig Smith. Craig was stricken by Ewing Sarcoma as a young teenager. As Craig battled cancer Jack and Barbara looked to support him and his family in many ways. One way in particular was for Jack to wear a shirt in Craig’s favorite color, yellow, which Craig said brought Jack luck from week to week. Over the years Jack could be seen wearing yellow on tournament Sundays, and major championship Sunday’s in particular. Who can forget Sunday of the 1986 Masters Tournament when the Golden Bear wore a yellow shirt, to again honor Craig, and he went on to win his record sixth Green Jacket?

For more details about Play Yellow, including how to donate, visit PlayYellow.org. For the latest news and updates on social media, follow Play Yellow on Twitter and Instagram at @PlayYellow4Kids and on Facebook at facebook.com/playyellow4kids.

About Play Yellow - Led by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and in cooperation with the PGA TOUR, “Play Yellow for Children’s Hospitals” strives to bring the entire golf world together through charitable initiatives to help the 10 million kids treated at local children’s hospitals each year. For more information visit www.playyellow.org.

For the latest news and updates on social media, follow Play Yellow on Twitter and Instagram at @PlayYellow4Kids and on Facebook at facebook.com/playyellow4kids.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals - Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity’s Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit’s mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children’s hospitals need community support, and learn about your member hospital, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals.