by Paige Turner
Country music superstars Rascal Flatts once again teamed up with Delta Dental of Tennessee and WME to host the Celebrity Golf Classic to benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Oct. 14, at the top-rated Golf Club of Tennessee.
The event, now in its fourth year, gives teams the opportunity to be matched with a celebrity teammate for a day on the golf course and concludes with a one-of-a-kind performance called “A Round of Hits” with Rascal Flatts and friends. This year’s sold-out event included 32 golf teams and more than 350 guests in attendance for the evening show, emceed by Jessie James Decker.
Proceeds from the day and evening benefited research and fellowship training in the Division of Pediatric Urologic Surgery in the Section of Surgical Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Since its creation in 2016, the Celebrity Golf Classic has raised more than $750,000 for Children’s Hospital.
“We are thrilled to be a part of an event like this,” said Rascal Flatts member Jay DeMarcus. “We only hope that we can continue to help raise money for Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. We appreciate everyone who comes out to show their support or makes a donation to a cause that has always been so important to all of us.”
As ongoing supporters of Children’s Hospital, Rascal Flatts members DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney, along with their families and teams, have raised $5,850,000 for Children’s Hospital, which renamed its Pediatric Surgery Center the Rascal Flatts Surgery Center in 2010. In March, the group was inducted to the hospital’s Walk of Champions, a dedicated walkway created to honor Children’s Hospital advocates within the entertainment industry.
“Rascal Flatts’ continued passion for helping our patients never ceases to amaze me,” said John W. Brock III, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief of Children Hospital, Senior Vice President of Pediatric Surgical Services, director of the Division of Urology and Monroe Carell Jr. Professor. “Jay, Gary and Joe Don are committed to our patients first and foremost. They not only support our hospital through their generous giving, but they also give of their time, always going above and beyond to brighten the days of our patients and families.”
Longtime Children’s Hospital supporters Delta Dental of Tennessee and WME teamed up again this year to present the event, with Phil Wenk, president and CEO of Delta Dental, and Becky Gardenhire, co-head at WME’s Nashville office, leading the charge.
Children’s Hospital patient ambassadors Logan Miller, Jessica Meyer, Caroline Lantz and Levi Ray partnered with Delta Dental of Tennessee and WME to participate in a friendly fundraising competition leading up to the event. The team that raised the most funds was awarded Champion for Children, and this year WME took home the trophy.
Support from the Rascal Flatts Celebrity Golf Classic and A Round of Hits will help enhance discoveries and training to meet the changing needs of pediatric patients who need the compassionate expertise of a pediatric urologist.
