Golf Tournament Honors Infant Daughter & Raises $100,000 for Congenital Heart Conditions
Sam and Melissa Steinberg’s journey from expectant parents to ICU veterans to creating a foundation to honor their daughter started at a routine ultrasound when Melissa was 20 weeks pregnant. They received a devastating diagnosis—Cameron had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart does not develop properly and cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
Not only did they have to cope with this unexpected diagnosis, but try to understand the complexities, treatment options, and prognosis of the condition at the same time. “You have this bomb dropped on you and then have to try to make sense of what’s happening,” Sam says. He explains that a heart doctor brought out a piece of paper with a diagram to explain how Cameron’s heart worked, but with all the emotions of the moment, “It didn’t make sense or help us understand.”
Cameron was diagnosed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, near where the Steinbergs lived, but she was transferred to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor after she was born, where a plan was in place to treat and correct the defect. But in addition to her heart issues, Cameron also battled a lung disease that ultimately claimed her life at just nine weeks old.
Sam, Cameron, and Melissa Steinberg
Sharing Their Experience
It was during the weeks the family spent at Mott that the Steinbergs learned about the relative lack of funding devoted to research into congenital heart defects. And it was then that the family decided to do something to help other families affected by these heart conditions.
Sam and Melissa received a care package from a family that had spent time in the cardiac ICU. “It was filled with simple things—a soft blanket, water bottles, gum, puzzles,” Sam says. “But it came from someone else who had lived in the ICU and knew what would be helpful.” That inspired them to think about how they could use their experience to help families going through the same ordeal.
They started small. While Cameron was still in the hospital, they had t-shirts made with the #CamiStrong logo to raise money that bought books and stuffed animals for kids undergoing open heart surgery. After Cami’s death, they wanted to do even more, and settled on a golf tournament as a way to bring people together in her memory and raise a significant amount of money for the newly established Cameron Steinberg Foundation.
“Our mission doesn’t stop even without her,” Sam says. “We will carry on her legacy to help other heart patients and families.”
Proceeds from selling t-shirts with the #CamiStrong logo were used to purchase books and stuffed animals for kids undergoing open heart surgery.
Play It Forward & The Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic
Dr. Michael Gaies was one of Cameron’s cardiologists when she was in the cardiac ICU at Mott Children’s Hospital. The family formed a strong bond with Dr. Gaies, who, as Sam says, really took them under his wing and made them feel like they were part of his family. “He had to deliver some really tough news to us but never left a stone unturned and went out of his way to get additional opinions about her treatment,” Sam says.
Sam and Melissa had many conversations with Dr. Gaies about the lack of funding for congenital heart defects in children and resources for families while at Mott, and he was a staunch advocate for the creation of the Cameron Steinberg Foundation and believer in its mission. They also talked a great deal about their love of golf and the sport’s capacity to rally support and raise money for a cause. Sam’s dad’s experience running a series of golf tournaments made it a natural choice for a fundraiser. “People tend to be willing to open up their wallets and donate at a golf tournament,” Sam says.
Dr. Michael Gaeis was one of Cameron’s cardiologists at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. He is a staunch supporter of the Foundation and has participated in both golf fundraisers.
“People tend to be willing to open up their wallets and donate at a golf tournament.”
The inaugural Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic was held in May of 2021 and raised about $30,000 for a research fund in Cameron’s name at Mott Children’s Hospital.
A few months after the golf tournament, Dr. Gaies came across an Instagram post for Play It Forward, a joint campaign of GolfStatus and Dormie Network, which asked people to nominate a golf fundraiser to receive a $10,000 donation. Dr. Gaies believed so strongly in the Steinberg’s work through the Foundation that he submitted a nomination to Play It Forward: “This donation could really elevate the possibilities for next year’s tournament and I have no doubt that the Steinberg family could give a huge return in that investment. They are special people and so passionate about making Cameron’s life meaningful and everlasting.”
Proceeds from the 2022 fundraiser were split between C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
Year Two: Half the Administrative Work & Double the Proceeds
In the tournament’s first year, Sam relied on Venmo to collect credit card payments, processed cash and checks, then had to reconcile all payments on multiple spreadsheets, send receipts, and manually make pairings and hole assignments. “It was truly a headache,” Sam says.
After the tournament was nominated for Play It Forward following the 2021 event, Sam decided to come online with GolfStatus for the 2022 fundraiser to help reduce the administrative load. As a nonprofit, the Foundation qualified for the Golf for Good program, which provided access to GolfStatus’s entire golf event management tech at no cost. “Obviously, our goal is to raise as much money as possible, so hearing that we get all the benefits of using GolfStatus without losing a chunk of our proceeds was huge,” Sam says.
“Obviously, our goal is to raise as much money as possible, so hearing that we get all the benefits of using GolfStatus without losing a chunk of our proceeds was huge.”
Working closely with Sam, the GolfStatus team built an event website for the golf tournament, along with custom registration packages. Golfers and sponsors could view and purchase available packages on the site, submit payment, and even make a direct donation to the Foundation. “The website was great—I didn’t have to create a site from scratch and it was a one-stop shop for people to register, become a sponsor, or make a donation,” Sam says. What’s more, sponsors could upload their logos to instantly appear on the sponsor page of the website, not only saving Sam time in collecting and posting those assets, but providing the sponsor more exposure and more return on their investment.
The 2nd Annual Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic event website.
The golf tournament software includes a number of golf-specific features to make handling those details easy and efficient, including live scoring and leaderboards, drag and drop hole assignments, and pre-formatted printouts. “I loved the printouts,” Sam says. “It was so cool to see Cameron’s logo on them.” With just a few clicks, the software generates professionally formatted score cards, cart signs, and alpha lists with the tournament or organization logo plus the Technology Sponsor logo, saving organizers a ton of time and hassle (and providing the Technology Sponsor even more bang for their buck).
Sam says the biggest benefit of upgrading to GolfStatus was having everything in one place. “Being able to see who registered or made a donation and not having to try to reconcile a bunch of different payments was so helpful,” Sam says. “Using GolfStatus cut my administrative work in half.”
“Using GolfStatus cut my administrative time in half.”
Thanks to Dr. Gaies’s nomination, the Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic was chosen as the winner of Play It Forward. The $10,000 donation gave them a headstart in their fundraising efforts, helping crush the tournament’s 2022 goal of $50,000 and raising more than $64,000.
Proceeds from the tournament will help fund a hypoplastic left heart syndrome 3D model that uses virtual reality to help doctors, patients, and families better visualize, understand, and treat these heart conditions. “When Cameron was diagnosed, a tool like this would have been important in helping us understand the condition,” Sam says. “We’re super excited about this!”
Golf for Good Program
Qualifying nonprofit organizations, like the Cameron Steinberg Foundation, can get no-cost access to GolfStatus’s entire golf event management platform through the Golf for Good program. With solutions to streamline planning and tools to raise more money, GolfStatus helps nonprofits tap into golf’s giving power. Get qualified by clicking the link below or email us directly at event@golfstatus.org.