Charity golf tournament honors FBI special agent, youth who lost battle with leukemia

Easton, Pa. – 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 23rd 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 close friend 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.

To honor “heroes of all shapes and sizes,” the tournament’s beneficiaries include graduating seniors from local high schools, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Research, the American Cancer Society and Camp Ronald, a camp for kids with cancer held each August in the Poconos.

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 24, 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 and organizations. And we have sent hundreds of kids to Camp Ronald at no cost to their families. I can’t think of a better way to remember Sean and Barry.”

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 jdouress@aol.com. The Heroes Tournament is also online at www.seanmorrisbenefit.org and on Facebook. Search “The Heroes Tournament” for the latest news on the tournament.