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This year’s tournament will honor one of our biggest supporters, Faye Bush, who recently lost her battle with cancer

One great day of golf, two great causes. This is how Heroes Tournament founder, Joe Douress, describes his annual charity golf tournament, which fittingly takes place every Memorial Day weekend.

Now in its 24th year, the Heroes Tournament has raised more than $350,000 for children with cancer and college scholarships for high school seniors planning to pursue careers in law enforcement or criminal justice.

The golf tournament was started in 1992 by Douress, of Forks Township, Pa., as a tribute to his 12-year-old nephew, Sean Michael Morris, who passed away from leukemia earlier that year.  In April 2007, the tournament lost one of its biggest supporters when Barry Bush, a Newark-based FBI special agent and neighbor of Douress, was killed in the line of duty.  To honor his friend and inspire future law enforcement professionals, Douress and Bush’s family combined efforts and added The Barry L. Bush Memorial Scholarship Fund as a beneficiary of the tournament. Today, the Heroes Tournament supports both the Sean M. Morris Benefit and the Barry L. Bush Memorial.

Since its inception, the tournament has been proud to support Ronald McDonald Camp, a camp for kids with cancer held each August in the Poconos. “Ronald McDonald Camp is a place where kids with cancer, and their siblings, can enjoy just being kids. It’s a week of freedom from being different where campers can talk openly about cancer and everybody else understands. This supportive and nurturing environment for nearly 200 children from the Lehigh and Delaware valleys, and surrounding areas, is only made possible through the generous support from the community. We are so grateful for the continued support from the Heroes Tournament,” said Susan Campbell, Executive Director, Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House.

To honor “heroes of all shapes and sizes,” the tournament’s beneficiaries also include graduating seniors from local high schools, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Sean Cameron Memorial and Big Buddies.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 23, at the Green Pond Country Club, located on Farmersville Road in Bethlehem Township, Pa.  The entry fee is $130 per person, which includes greens fees, cart, meals, beverages and prizes. There are two tee times—one at 8 a.m. and another at 2 p.m.

“We average more than 200 golfers and net more than $20,000 each year,” said Douress. “These funds provide assistance to many families, students and organizations. And we have sent hundreds of kids to Ronald McDonald Camp at no cost to their families.”

To make a contribution, please make checks out to the Sean Morris Benefit, c/o Joe Douress, 1010 Cornwallis Drive, Easton, PA, 18040. For more information, to register for the event or make a contribution, call Joe Douress at 610-559-7265 or email him at joe.douress@gmail.com. The Heroes Tournament is also online at www.heroestournament.com and on Facebook. Search “The Heroes Tournament” for the latest news on the tournament.