7 Reasons You Cannot Miss TOKC’s Toga Party and Golf Tournament Weekend May 10-11
Reasons You Cannot Miss TOKCs Toga Party
What could be better than having a blast and supporting kids with cancer at the same time? On May 10th and 11th, join hundreds of your neighbors at the Triumph Over Kid Cancer golf tournament and Toga Party.
The golfing event, the 12th Annual James A. Ragan Triumph Scramble, will be held at the Corpus Christi Country Club with a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. Tickets are $250 per person.
The 13th annual Toga Party the following night from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.at 4126 Ocean Drive features a live band, a night of dancing, scrumptious finger food from Venetian Hot Plate, silent and live auctions and seeing prominent people in your community in togas & cowboy boots! Tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds from both events fund research into pediatric cancer and support kids with cancer.
Why should you consider attending?
1.) Toga! Toga! Toga!
Old people in togas. Little kids in togas. Groups of people in matching themed togas. One year the mayor showed up in a toga. It’s hard not to have fun dancing in a toga. This year, don’t forget your cowboy boots!
2.) Carrying on James’s Legacy
The toga party got its start back when James was declared cancer-free and his parents wanted to throw him a birthday party. Uncomfortable being the center of attention, James suggested a toga party in the family’s backyard, assuming, mistakenly, that his parents would never consent. The Ragans asked each guest to donate $50 to pediatric cancer research, and they raised an astonishing $40,000 that first year.
The golf tournament kicked off the following year because James loved golf and played it until his dying days.
“Buy a ticket because not only are you supporting children in your own community who have cancer, you’re also supporting incredibly innovative research into new cures for pediatric cancer, and that money gets matched,” says Mecklin Ragan, James’s sister co-founder of Triumph Over Kid Cancer.
3.) Whataburger Breakfast Burritos and Gates Donuts
Those who remain at the toga party as Saturday night seeps into Sunday morning are rewarded with Whataburger breakfast burritos and Gates donuts. No one leaves at 11:30!
4.) Leveraging Dollars for Cancer Research
Because sponsors pick up the costs of the events, every dollar of your admission price and auction bid goes to supporting kids with cancer and investing in pediatric cancer research. What’s more, most of the money raised at the two events is matched. For every dollar you spend, more than a dollar goes to the cause.
5.) Awesome Swag!
The swag bag at the golf tournament is nearly worth the price of admission itself. It contains a golf shirt (your choice of men’s or women’s), customized golf balls with the TOKC and Whataburger logos, a golf towel, pullover, hat and visor, divot repair kit and other sundries like sunscreen, pens and lip balm. The gym bag it comes in gets used year-round. “We’re told they’re great bags,” says Mecklin.
There’s food and adult beverages on the course as well. Oh, and golf with your friends!
6.) People Come From Across the Country for This Weekend
James’s friends return to Corpus Christi from as far as California to participate in the weekend’s activities, but they’re not the only ones. A man from Florida who had never met the Ragan family read about the event and tries to make it every year.
7.) The Funds Raised are So Badly Needed
Only four percent of government funding for cancer research is aimed at pediatric cancers, which are different than adult cancers. The result is that many of the therapies used on children today haven’t advanced since the 1970s. With 175,000 children diagnosed every year, efforts like TOKC’s to raise funding for kid cancer research are critical. It’s why your support is so very appreciated.
“It’s humbling to see the reach James and his story can have,” says Mecklin. “It gives me hope that the work he started is doing some good.”
You can help Triumph Over Kid Cancer win the war against childhood cancers and save the lives of children today and tomorrow. Visit TriumphOverKidCancer.org for more information, to sign up for the events or to make a donation.
