GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On a warm afternoon, golfers are practicing their shots at The Golf Club at Thornapple Pointe on 48th Street, just off of M-6. Soon, one of the golfers playing this course will be a member of Michigan sports royalty. Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Herman Moore will be hitting the links on June 21 as part of the Shields of Hope "Heroes FORE Heroes" golf outing.
"It's our seventh annual golf outing. We have two flights at Thornapple Pointe, which is a beautiful golf course. The morning flight is sold out. The afternoon flight is filling up fast," said Shields of Hope treasurer Jeff Potter.
"Herman reached out to us about coming and being our pro, so he's going to be on one of the holes and you can shoot against Herman Moore in the afternoon session. What a blessing. It just says what kind of a class act he is, and we're just so thankful for him."
The money raised at the outing will help support programming at Shields of Hope. The charity, which was started in Zeeland by first responders, provides cancer support in a number of ways.
"One of the programs we have is will take up to 30 families up to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend, all expenses paid, to give them a vacation from cancer. We also will support some families at Christmas. We'll provide Christmas for them. We also now have a scholarship program," Potter said.
For Moore, cancer hits close to home.
"It's something that has affected my family since my early years. I've had a lot of people in my family win their battle and others, unfortunately, weren't able to," he said.
"My dad attended my college football games, my professional football games, and it wasn't until the later part of my career in 98 or 99 when was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And unfortunately, it took his life."
That's why Moore, who is now an entrepreneur, has made cancer support part of his advocacy work.
"I don't think a lot of people understand what the entire family goes through," he said.
"I look at the kids that are going through it. How do you support the families? When there are bills to be paid and all these other things, there's a lot that goes into it. There's a lot of need that is there."
Both Moore and Potter say it's important for cancer patients and their families to know that they're not fighting alone.
"If nothing else. I'm hoping that my participation will encourage others to get involved. We should be able to take time out of our days, if we have the resources or we have the physical capability, or even just being able to let others know about the good that's being done in our communities. Get out and support someone," Moore said.
If you're not able to make it to the golf outing, Shields of Hope will have a number of other events coming up throughout the summer including Rock The Coast. They also want people to know they're available to help anyone on a cancer journey.
"If you know somebody that's just freshly diagnosed, or currently in the middle of the battle, please reach out to them. We would love to come out and see them. We want to help, and no one fights alone," Potter said.
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