Golf Tournament Benefits Organ Transplant Patients, Families

CUMMING, GA — The Swing Easy Hit Hard Foundation will hold its eighth-annual Charity Golf Tournament & Dinner Banquet on Thursday, April 19 at Windermere Golf Club. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Georgia Transplant Foundation.

Local resident and liver transplant recipient Kirk Franz helped create the Swing Easy Hit Hard Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) fundraising organization whose mission is to increase organ donation awareness and to provide support for patients and families affected by organ donation and transplantation. In 2010, Franz received a life-saving liver transplant after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease and bile duct cancer. Due to the cancer diagnosed in his liver, he was on the organ wait list for less than a week.

“I had no idea how often people in the Atlanta area were receiving an organ transplant,” said Franz, the recreation manager for the city of Johns Creek. “There are several each week. And most have to wait a lot longer than I did to receive their Gift of Life.”

After Kirk recovered from his transplant, he felt called to find a way to give back to others who would require an organ transplant. In 2012, with the help of family and friends, Kirk established an annual charity golf tournament and the Swing Easy Hit Hard Foundation.

“I love to golf and always enjoyed playing in charity golf tournaments," he added. "Now I had a great reason to organize a tournament of my own to support a worthy cause that is very close to me and my family."

This year’s event will be held during National Donate Life Month at the golf course at 5000 Davis Love Drive in Cumming. In addition to golf, each player will receive a Chick-Fil-A lunch, an Under Armour pullover, hat, non-alcoholic drinks and post-golf dinner banquet. This year’s dinner banquet will feature live music, a silent auction, wine pull, raffle drawings and awards.

Check-in time is at noon, and the shotgun start is at 1 p.m. The fee to participate is $150 per play and $500 for a foursome. Registration and other details can be found at www.SwingEasyHitHard.org.

Here are some quick facts about organ donation provided by the Swing Easy Hit Hard Foundation:

• 121,614 people are waiting for an organ
• 18 people will die each day waiting for an organ
• The average annual cost for post-transplant medications is $26,000
• 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives
• The Georgia Transplant Foundation (GTF) provides $1.3 million in financial assistance to Georgia’s transplant patients
• GTF provides financial assistance, mentoring, healthcare education, and academic scholarships to transplant patients

For more information, contact Kirk Franz at 404-867-4981 or SwingEasyHitHard@att.net.

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Photo: The Swing Easy Hit Hard Foundation raised more than $15,000 in the annual charity golf scramble held in 2017. Credit: Kirk Franz