The rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of young Logan McCool, Walker Simmons and Dorian Riley as they fist bumped and posed for photos at the 2021 Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am. Famous golfers and SEC football coaches got the headlines, but these were the real local celebrities at the event.
Logan, Walker and Dorian are this year’s Patient Ambassadors for Children’s of Alabama, the primary beneficiary of charitable funds raised through the tournament. The three patients and their families have benefited from the care they received from the only hospital in the state of Alabama that specializes exclusively in pediatric care.
Photo provided by Children’s of Alabama.
This year marked ten years since Children’s of Alabama became the primary beneficiary. During that span, more than $5 million has been raised for local charities. Going back to the tournament’s inception in 1992, the Regions Tradition and its predecessors have raised more than $19 million – even when the golf is on hold.
Last year, when the Regions Tradition took a sabbatical due to public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, the charitable giving continued with more than $1.2 million raised in 2020.
Proceeds that Children’s receives from the tournament go toward the Impact Fund, which allows the hospital to take advantage of the most up-to-date technology and developments that impact pediatric care. Projects related to psychiatric care, community health outcomes, surgical microscopes, robotics for rehabilitation, and meningitis research are just a few that have been made possible through the Impact Fund.
Regions is grateful to the businesses and individuals who continue to support the tournament and further the tradition of giving.
Photo provided by Children’s of Alabama.