Fighting cancer is truly a family affair for the Lesters.
‘It’s become a personal issue,? said Lon Lester, a 1987 graduate of Oxford High School.
On Sunday, Oxford Hills Golf and Country Club hosted the 9th Annual Roy E. and Budd H. Lester Memorial Golf Outing. A total of 132 golfers participated in the four-person scramble, which raised about $5,100 for the American Cancer Society and a family in Walled Lake.
‘In this economy, I can’t beat that,? Lon said. ‘That’s a good day at the office in my opinion.?
Seventy-five percent of the proceeds will be donated to the cancer society while the remaining 25 percent will be given to the Barnett family, whose 12-year-old daughter, Madison, has battled cancer.
Lon met the Barnetts through his church and said Madison is a ‘great, great kid? with ‘tons of energy.? He noted it’s nice to be able to make a ‘direct impact? on a family.
The Lesters? annual golf outing originally started more than 13 years ago as an ordinary family get-together with about 16 players.
But after Lon’s uncle Roy E. Lester died suddenly of lung cancer in 1999, it turned into a fund-raiser. Everyone decided to kick in a couple bucks and write a check to the American Cancer Society.
‘We raised like $80,? Lester said.
Roy died just months after retiring from a print shop where he worked for about 30 years. He was a Lake Orion resident who had served on the fire department and was a Korean War veteran.
Over the years, the golf outing’s gotten bigger and bigger. It grew from 20 to 144 participants.
‘Every year it’s grown,? said Lon, who now lives in West Bloomfield.
Unfortunately, the family was forced to add another name to the memorial golf outing this year when Lester’s father Budd H. Lester passed away in October 2007.
A longtime resident of Lakeville, Budd owned Lester’s Restaurant (which is now Louie’s Food & Spirits) for 20 years and worked as a deputy for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department for 12 years. He also was a Korean War veteran.
In April 2007, Budd was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Lon immediately began looking into various resources to help his father battle this disease.
‘When you first hear the words, ‘your dad has cancer,? you scatter,? he said. ‘You try to do everything you can.?
It was the American Cancer Society that offered the Lesters the most help and comfort.
‘The assistance I got from the cancer society, what they did, was incredible,? Lon said.
Every two weeks without fail or prompting, a society representative would call Lon to personally inform him about the latest clinical trials that his father might qualify for.
‘He didn’t qualify for any of them, but they called and told me what they were,? he said. ‘I really appreciated that.?
Fighting cancer is a costly proposition, especially for someone like Budd who’s using Medicare.
The medication Budd took to counter the nausea brought on by the chemotherapy cost somewhere between $50 and $75 per pill, according to Lon.
Again, the American Cancer Society came to the rescue by connecting the Lester family with the right people.
‘Once we did some paperwork, he got that medicine for free,? Lon said.
It’s because of things like this that the Lesters continue to feverishly raise funds for the society year in, year out.
‘All of those (cancer-related) charities are very worthwhile causes, but (the American Cancer Society’s) the one that had a personal touch to us,? Lon explained. ‘A lot of these big charities people worry about where the money’s going, but we don’t with this one. They do a ton of funding for research and new medicine.?
In 2006 and 2007, the family earned first and second place, respectively, in their fund-raising classification for the Southeastern Michigan chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Over two years, the Lesters raised approximately $11,000, which is pretty impressive for a private, family event.
‘We’re not corporate-funded. We’re not corporate-sponsored,? Lon said. ‘There’s no big company money behind us. That’s what makes our (fund-raising) classification so unique.?
Every year, Lon, his cousin Roy and other family members go knocking on doors in search of donations from local businesses.
Some donate prizes. Some donate cash. Others sponsor holes at the outing.
‘That’s how we raise our money,? Lon said. ‘It’s awesome because of (the donors).?
This year’s outing featured more than $3,500 in door prizes and $3,000-plus in special gifts and raffle items.
Although he coordinates the event, Lon recognizes that it’s most certainly not a one-man show.
‘My family’s so involved in this thing,? he said. ‘No one individual really deserves more recognition than another.?
Lon’s extremely grateful to Oxford Hills for hosting the event every year and giving the family lots of special considerations.
‘They are great,? he said. ‘We couldn’t do it without them.?
But none of it would happen without the golfers who return every year to have fun for a good cause.
‘Most of these people that are here have been here for many years and they just keep coming back,? Lon said. ‘They deserve a pat on the back, too.?
For more information about the golf outing or making a donation contact Lon Lester at (248) 217-2348. He can be reached via mail at 6917 Greenview Lane, West Bloomfield, MI 48324.