If you are gripping a golf club on Friday, June 2, at 1:00, and you are at Gorham Country Club, you will be participating in a fun event to raise funds and awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Narragansett Wheelmen, a Gorham based cycling club, has organized its first Narragansett Wheelmen Golf Scramble: A Fundraiser for MS.
Scramble format is, as defined by the Professional Golf Association, a popular form of team play in which the team members pick the ball in the best position and everyone plays from that spot. In other words, a fun and less intimidating way for players of varied levels to move more quickly through the course.
Among the teams of four teeing off in the shotgun start — meaning teams will tee off from all holes along the course, rather than lining up at the first hole — will be novice golfers Darcie and Margaret (Mags) Brown, the daughter and surviving spouse, respectively, of Tom Brown, who passed away in 2006 after being diagnosed with MS in 1997. It is his story, and Darcie Brown’s founding of “Team Tom” through soliciting participation in the 2010 MS Walk that has served as an inspiring catalyst for the Narragansett Wheelmen, the Gorham community and well beyond.
Photo credit Margaret BrownDarcie Brown, far left, stands with several Wheelmen during a past “Team Tom” Bike for MS event.
Although involved in the cause, neither Wheelmen Mike Wing nor Steve Smith knew Tom Brown. It was Tom’s story and Darcie’s tenacious and infectious spiritedness as a teen in the Gorham schools spreading through word and action the MS Society and it’s fundraising/awareness walks that got the Wheelmen involved, as they began to participate in the Bike for MS, a series of regional opportunities to ride for awareness and dollars.
Smith shared that, “The Narragansett Wheelmen and Team Tom want to express thanks to the Gorham community and the many businesses supporting this cause.” Wing said Brown is a “kid that loves love” and reiterated her positive outlook, as well as the inspiration that comes from seeing people with MS actively participating in walks and rides, and invoked the image of riders on tandem bikes as they fought the disease. Darcie Brown (GHS ’15) just completed her sophomore year at American University, and continues to work summers at the Maine MS Society office, which she’s done since the end of her high school junior year. She also works in the Society’s Washington, DC office, averaging 15 hours per week during the academic year.
Team Tom now includes American University students, who participate in the DC area MS Walk, as well as Team Tom representation at MS events in a few other northeastern cities. Brown told a reporter that, “Each year more local businesses support Team Tom.” She’s added, “I really want to thank Steve [Smith] and Mr. Wing for all they’ve done for me and Team Tom.” She credits the Narragansett Wheelmen’s business networking as a vital contributor to Team Tom’s success.
MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The cause of MS is still unknown – scientists believe the disease is triggered by as-yet- unidentified environmental factor in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease.
Brown said Team Tom recently surpassed the $60,000 fundraising mark. Wing said that as of May 11, approximately 20 teams were registered, with 12 hole sponsors committed for this Narragansett Wheelmen event for Team Tom to benefit MS. Registration for the June 2 event runs through May 26. The entry fee includes 18 holes of golf, cart, snacks, prizes, and dinner. For further information or to register, contact Gorham Country Club at 839-3490.