Jo-David Fine, M.D.
Golf event set to raise funds for alopecia support group
Local Vanderbilt doctors, medical students and community members are gearing up to host the Links for Locks golf tournament on Sept. 12, at Ravenwood Country Club in Hermitage.
The event will raise money for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), and is being organized by the local Nashville alopecia areata support group.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune skin disease that can result in the quick loss of all hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. The disease affects more than 4.7 million people in the United States.
There is currently no cure, and the unpredictable nature of the disease makes it difficult to treat.
The local support group has been meeting for about six months and has around 20 members.
The Nashville chapter is the only alopecia areata support group in Tennessee, and offers an opportunity for people with the disease to meet and enjoy social events.
The NAAF funds research and scholarships for the National Alopecia Areata conference, and provides financial assistance for hair prostheses, which are very expensive and are often not covered by insurance.
Entry fees for the tournament are $400 for a team of four, or $110 per player. There will be a shotgun start at 8 a.m. with a boxed lunch at the ninth hole, and drink carts will be on the course throughout the day. Prizes, including a digital camera and gift certificates, as well as hole-in-one prizes, will be given. Sponsorship opportunities include hole and corporate sponsorships.
The deadline for entry is Aug. 30. For more information on the golf tournament, contact Denise Ruiz at 319-9294. The NAAF has more information about alopecia areata at www.naaf.org.