Celebrating the Legacy of Bob Raeman
On June 29th, the Bob Raeman Memorial Golf Tournamentwill commence in Shortsville, New York and collectively, all in attendance will Practice Safe Skin.
Bob was diagnosed with Melanoma in the summer of 2018 and after a courageous and fierce battle he passed away on October 15th, 2018.
Bob loved the game of golf and what it embodied, fun, the outdoors, integrity, and good sportsmanship. We’re happy to help celebrate his legacy and memory on what would have been his 64th birthday by spending a day on the course with good friends, colleagues, and family.
Proceeds from the Bob Raeman Memorial Golf Tournament will be used to install sunscreen dispensers in partnership with IMPACT Melanoma on golf courses and parks across the communities that Bob loved. Our mission is the prevention of melanoma to ensure another family does not lose a loved one too soon.
In support, IMPACT Melanoma caught up with Bob’s daughter, Ali Mazza, to get her feelings on the tournament, on the sunscreen dispensers she’s bringing to her community in and around Canandagiua, and her own battle with the disease. IMPACT also had the opportunity to run a few questions by Canandagiua City Manager John Goodwin who is as excited as everyone to make an IMPACT in the community…
How’d you learn about the sunscreen dispensers Impact Melanoma has been helping communities and individuals place all around the country?
Mazza: I learned about the sunscreen dispensers when I first saw them at Millennium Park in West Roxbury last year.
What was the process like for you with regard to engaging with Impact Melanoma and figuring out the logistics of whether or not it would be possible to bring the dispensers to your own community?
Mazza: I searched sunscreen dispensers and IMPACT Melanoma’s website came up. I was happy to see they were local to me and I called to see if they would be willing to help. I spoke to Amy Mason who was very helpful and told me to come in and she would be happy to help.
I understand you’re doing this as a sort of mission to remember your father. Tell us about him. What do you appreciate about honoring his legacy in this way?
Mazza: My dad was the best. He was an avid golfer and spent most of his time on the course. On the weekends he would golf with my stepmom and brother; during the week he would have meetings on the course. He was always happy to hop in and fill a foursome for a friend. He found a way to get out there as often as possible. With all of that being said he spent hours and hours in the sun. He would wear sunscreen, but not as often as he should.
It felt like a natural fit to me to host a golf tournament that would not only raise awareness for Melanoma, but also raise money to install sunscreen dispensers in the very community that he lived and loved. So much can be gained through sun safety education. I feel like my dad would be proud of our family for honoring him in this way.
Tell us about the ensuing golf tournament. How’d it come to fruition? What are the details?
Mazza: Shortly after my dad passed, I was looking for something to pour my heart into. I needed something to focus on and busy my mind. This felt like a natural fit. The tournament will be hosted on June 29th, which would have been my dad’s 64thbirthday. It will be a shotgun start at 12:30. We will provide a light lunch, cocktail hour, raffle, and dinner.
What was the timeline for acquisition/ implementation of your dispensers? How many do you have in total?
Mazza: We have six dispensers ordered for the town of Canandagiua, New York. They will be placed at all of the beaches around the lake. We also have two placed at the golf course we are hosting the tournament at, The Pheasant Golf Links. We will evaluate how much we have left after the tournament to see if we can expand our reach to the local playground!
What, in your estimation is the importance of having these dispensers in place?
Mazza: I think the placement of the dispensers is extremely important. They not only provide people the option to use sunscreen, but it also helps raise people’s awareness to how important sun safety is. Six months after my dad passed away I was also diagnosed with melanoma. Luckily mine was caught early and I will be completely okay, but the experience has let me with a strong passion to spread awareness!
What excites you on a personal level about seeing this project through to fruition?
Mazza: I am excited to drive around town and see these dispensers placed in my dad’s memory. Even through the process of planning and sharing my dad’s story, it gives me so much pride to have friends and people in the community reach out and say that we have inspired them to get a skin check. That is the best reinforcement; that spreading awareness does make an actual difference!
What sort of Impact does this project leave on your community and what are next steps in assuring that they are properly utilized and taken advantage of?
Mazza: We have teamed up with the local Parks and Rec department in hopes that they are placed in high traffic areas that people will benefit from free sunscreen.
Where are they installed?
Mazza:
- Two at the Pheasant Links Golf Club
- Onanda Beach
- Schoolhouse Beach
- Kershaw Park
- Deep Run
- and Crystal Beach
What’s your battle cry sound like with regard to getting surrounding communities in your area, and across the globe, to adopt a similar proactive approach to helping combat skin cancer with these dispensing devices?
Mazza: Sunscreen only requires one minute of responsibility to protect yourself against deadly cancers. The statistics say that 8%0 of melanomas are preventable… That means if we know better we CAN do better! I would love everyone to have all of the knowledge that I do now. It makes it so much easier to protect yourself when you have all of the information on how to do so!
Anything else you’d like to get across?
Mazza: Sunscreen use should be as common as using a seatbelt. When you head out the door you put sunscreen on. When you hop in a car you put your seatbelt on. It doesn’t matter how far you are driving; you wear your seatbelt. It doesn’t matter how long you plan to be outside; you should wear your sunscreen!
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Canandaigua City Manager John Goodwin also expressed his excitement from the City’s perspective. He’s quite pleased to be able to provide residents and visitors with the tools needed to enjoy summer’s sun in a safe and convenient manner.
What do you appreciate about the sunscreen dispenser initiative? Why is it important?
Goodwin: As we all learn more about skin cancer and melanoma, it’s important that we prepare for the sun, and as the season will have, the summer sun that we all enjoy while visiting and swimming in Canandaigua. The impetus behind this initiative was to have folks do it safely. It’s important for everyone of all ages. This partnership provides just that for people that may have forgotten their sunscreen so they can still enjoy the parks and the lake while staying sun safe.
What benefit does it bring to the town and the impending golf tournament?
Goodwin: Well, I think that at this time of year we all want to be outside – especially in upstate New York. Winters can be unrelenting sometimes, so when the weather’s nice and the sun is shining we all want to be outside enjoying the nice weather. But again, you have to do that safely, and like many things in life you have to prepare and take preventative measures like wearing sunscreen. This will help the community – both residents and visitors – enjoy the nice weather in a safe manner.
How does it, in some small way, help celebrate the legacy of Bob Raeman? What would he appreciate about this?
Goodwin: Bob worked on many projects with the city. He was always a great asset and just a great all-around good person. His diagnosis and loss was felt greatly in the community and amongst the city staff. Everyone that knew him knew what a great loss this was. I think this initiative serves his memory well because he was all about helping others and these sunscreen dispensers will help prevent the very thing he passed away from. I think it’s a great way to honor his memory and a nice way to try to prevent skin cancer from happening to somebody else.
Get involved: To bring sunscreen dispensers to your town to Practice Safe Skin, contact IMPACT Melanoma today and let’s discuss how we can help best serve your unique needs. Click here for more information.
To learn more about the Bob Raeman Golf Tournament, click here.
