Arizona / Events / Cannabis / Professional Athletes / Charity / Golf
Athletes for CARE Honors Kaitlyn Verfuerth 4x USA Paralympian at Charity Golf Tournament in Phoenix
Verfuerth boasts two gold, a silver, and a bronze medal from the ParaPan Am Games and is an advocate for sports and recreation accessibility for all
PHOENIX, Ariz., February 3, 2022 — Athletes for CARE, a nonprofit organization, today announced a new national charity golf tour launching Friday, April 1, 2022 at the Ocotillo Golf Club, 3751 S. Clubhouse Drive, in Chandler, Arizona in collaboration with the Marijuana Industry Trade Association. Athletes and business leaders are invited to participate in this all day event with proceeds benefiting the health, safety, and quality of life for athletes of all ages.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. Players are invited to bring their own foursome, enter individually, or be part of the all day activities. Players will have opportunities to win cash and prizes at each of the 18-holes. A silent auction will take place immediately following the tournament. Admission is $250 per player or $1000 per foursome. For information on how to sponsor or register, visit mita-az.org or call David Fowler at 602-790-8876.
The event will honor Kaitlyn Verfuerth, a wheelchair tennis and outrigger canoe four-time Paralympian. The tournament will boast attendance of celebrity athletes including retired NFL legends, and longtime cannabis advocates, Marvin Washington, Ricky Williams, Jake Plummer, and Jim McMahon who will be recognized at the tournament as Athletes for CARE Athlete Ambassadors.
Activities on the driving range will consist of an all day Health and Wellness Expo with 70 vendors where attendees and golfers can meet Verfuerth and the other athletes, do yoga and other alternative therapies, and learn more about the alternative medicine industry. The Athletes for CARE national tour is presented by Chronic Cannabis Company.
“I am honored to be the sponsored athlete for an amazing event geared around helping the same athletes I have been working with in my career. I’m excited to utilize the resources donated by Athletes for CARE to help continue to improve the lives of more athletes,” said Kaitlyn Verfuerth.
Athletes for CARE is a community of athletes who are passionate about their mission of improving global standards of health, destigmatizing alternative medicine use, and ensuring safety and quality of life for athletes of all ages.
“There are plenty of professional athletes who have come off the field addicted to opioids, none come off the field addicted to marijuana. It’s essential athletes have access to the proper resources and recovery education, so they have a safe alternative to harmful opioids,” said Athletes for CARE Ambassador and tournament host, Marvin Washington.
The next leg of the national tour will be in Denver, then Philadelphia, and will conclude in Los Angeles. To learn more about Athletes for CARE, the golf tour, or how to sponsor an event or athlete, visit the website at athletesforcare.org.
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Athletes for CARE
Athletes for CARE is a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), founded in 2017 by passionate people who recognize the need to advocate for the health, safety and wellbeing of more than 2 billion people of all ages who compete annually in sanctioned sports globally. Through that advocacy, we are improving health and wellness options for the billions of people around the world living with mental and physical illnesses including chronic pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, CTE, TBI, substance abuse and opioid dependency.
Kaitlyn Verfuerth
Kaitlyn Verfuerth is a four-time Paralympian in wheelchair tennis and Paracanoe; she has two gold, a silver, and a bronze medal from the ParaPan Am Games. At the top of her tennis game, Verfuerth was ranked 8 in the world and number 1 in the United States. She also played wheelchair basketball on team USA in 2013-2014 and recently competed in Paracanoe at the 2021 Paralympic games in Tokyo. When Verfuerth isn’t training, she is a recreational therapist and tennis instructor. Verfuerth was the director of tennis with the Flagstaff Unified School District, managing after school tennis clubs in the Flagstaff district, and teaching tennis in PE classes. Verfuerth also taught tennis at Northern Arizona University and was an assistant tennis professional at Forest Highlands Golf and Tennis club in Flagstaff, AZ.
Verfuerth recently graduated with her Master’s degree in Recreation with an emphasis in Recreational Therapy. Her goal is to reach individuals during rehab and help them find their passions, like adaptive sports. Kaitlyn Verfuerth enjoys spending most of her time advocating for others; she served as the chair on the City of Flagstaffs’, Inclusion and Adaptive Living Commission; she also works with Arizona State Parks to ensure that Arizona State Parks are accessible to all. Verfuerth currently works with Ability360 in Phoenix, AZ and runs a successful wheelchair tennis program with the City of Scottsdale. When she is not running the tennis program, she runs outdoor programming for people with both physical and intellectual disabilities.
MITA
The Marijuana Industry Trade Association (MITA) is the voice of the Arizona cannabis industry with a mission to help Arizona’s businesses stay informed, network and thrive. MITA works directly with members and policy makers to ensure a fair, tightly regulated and successful cannabis economy. MITA represents the dispensary community and other stakeholders who are committed to building a strong and sustainable future for legitimate medical marijuana and adult use consumption. MITA offers unparalleled networking opportunities, exclusive access to industry information, special training and education opportunities. For information, visit MITA-AZ.org.
Media Contact
Sadie Thompson
Proven Media
602-527-0794
sadie@provenmediaservices.com
Event Contacts
Jeffrey Draluck
Athletes for CARE
jeffrey@athletesforcare.com
David Fowler
MITA
david@mita-az.org
602-790-8876
TOKYO, JAPAN – SEPTEMBER 02: Kaitlyn Verfuerth of Team United States competes in the Women’s Kayak Single 200m – KL2 on day 9 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Sea Forest Waterway on September 02, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
