Rhinelander Country Club celebrates 25 years of rallying against cancer

What started as one-hole event during Ladies League play in the late 1990s has evolved into one of the biggest — and most important — events of the year at Rhinelander Country Club.

The club celebrated its 25th annual Rally Week for cancer awareness with three days of activities during league play last Tuesday through Thursday, all while raising money for the James Beck Cancer Center at Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital. 

Contributions spearheaded by club members totaled $4,212.50 this year, and have reached roughly $46,000 to the James Beck Cancer Center in total. 

“We’re just a little short to $50,000 over 25 years which, for a town of this size, with that audience is pretty remarkable,” said Julie Bronson, who has coordinated the RCC Rally event since its inception. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of them. It’s just amazing to me that they would come out to support this event.” 

Bronson said the event started small after she was contacted by Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation as part of its Rally for the Cure movement. The Ladies League held a hole event during one of its league nights to raise money for the foundation. 

By its seventh year, the league and the club wanted more of a local connection. For a few years, some of the proceeds went to Hope Lodge in Marshfield. The James Beck Cancer Center became the event’s exclusive benefactor in 2008.

Meanwhile the scale of the event began to grow. Not only were there multiple hole events during Ladies League, there was a dinner and raffle baskets to follow — with items donated by league members. The club’s Tuesday Couples and Thursday Men’s leagues also got in on the act. 

This year, for example, there was a 50/50 putting contest held during league play as well as a driving accuracy contest during men’s league. 

“It’s really gotten to be quite a large endeavor,” Bronson said. “They said it became an event of the season. Before it was just a fundraiser. Then it became a yearly event.”

And by the 11th year, each edition had its own theme. There was “Fifteen Shades of Pink” 10 years ago for the 15th anniversary, “Cure in the Cards” served as subtle blackjack reference in year 21. This year’s theme was “Twenty-Five Stars.” In addition to all the other activities, the league sold stars to hang in the clubhouse in honor of those who have had, or are continuing to fight, cancer.

“They aren’t just memorials,” Bronson said. “They’re tributes to people who made it.”

This year’s Rally held even more significance, and not just because it was the event’s silver anniversary. It also marked Bronson’s final year as its coordinator. Unbeknownst to Bronson, her fellow league members had their own tribute planned last Wednesday, including 25 roses and a plaque commemorating her years of service.

Kim Hetland, manager of the James Beck Cancer Center, was on hand and underscored the importance the event has had over the past 25 years, while presenting Bronson with a retirement gift of sorts.

“Julie has selflessly given back and enabled tens of thousands of dollars to be put back into our local communities, supporting our local cancer patients and one of the most vulnerable times in their lives,” Hetland said. “Your gift has brought joy to hundreds of community members, and I wish I could tell you how many. It’s just too many to count. Thank you, Julie. Never underestimate the difference you made and the lives you touched.”

That sentiment was echoed when league member Jolene Schlieve addressed the room, thanking Bronson for being the group’s “fierce leader” in the endeavor. 

“Each year you have made this event fun and a date that we’ve all marked on our calendar and we all look forward to. For 25 years you have given your time, yourself, your heart to this very, very worthy cause,” she said. “I, as a survivor and a friend, want to personally thank you. I know we mentioned the dollar amount you have raised in the past 25 years, but as those girls before said, I can’t imagine how many lives you have touched.”

For her part, Bronson demurred and insisted the support of the club and its members are what have allowed the event to evolve into what it is today.

“It took me a long time to believe that you guys would always come through for me, and you do every year,” she said. “The second thing I learned was to not do everything yourself. Lean on people. They will help you if you let them.”

The event will continue with a new generation of leadership. Mary Bloch and Stacy Kovac will spearhead the event moving forward.   

“Big shoes to fill for Stacy and I. We’re a little skittish, but it will be fine and we trust that you’ll all be there to help us,” Bloch said last Wednesday, before turning to address Bronson. “We humbly take the torch from you and thank you for your leadership for all these years.” 

As for the gift that Hetland presented, Bronson said it was a wind chime, with soft tones that ring as peaceful as the summer breeze. She said it is fitting gift as the winds of change lead the event into its next generation. 

“There have been a lot of changes in the world from the late 1990s to 2023. Some things you don’t want to change, but some things it’s not a bad thing to change,” she said. “That’s what I think this is going to do.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].