Steve Granger, right, participates in the 2015 Save A Life Golf Classic with John Sossoman, who is the father of Steve's donor.

For two years, the Save A Life Golf Classic has been held at the Trump National Golf Club in Mooresville, NC. But this year, the fund-raising event has been moved to the River Bend Golf Club in Shelby. Why the change?
"We are not going to make as much money at this new location," says Gary Simmons, liver donation recipient and founder/chairman of the Save A Life Group (SALG) that sponsors the event. "But we really want to increase the awareness of our cause to a wider geographical area - that's what's most important to our organization."
The Save A Life Golf Classic is the major fundraiser for SALG, a 501c(3) organization consisting primarily of organ recipients who want to "pay it forward," says Simmons. One of the board members for SALG is Shelby resident Steve Granger, who received a liver transplant in 2013, just five days before Simmons had his transplant. The two met at the clinic while waiting for their post-surgery blood draws.
Granger's ties to Cleveland County, along with the support he has brought to the golf fundraiser through friends like Laughlin Furniture Warehouse owner John Laughlin, were prime motivators in moving the golf tournament to Shelby this year.
"We have raised $67,500 through the golf tournament in the previous two years," says Simmons. Money raised from the event is donated to LifeShare of the Carolinas, the regional organ procurement organization. LifeShare has already developed two major awareness videos for viewing at all DMV offices in their 22-county region. One video focuses on teen drivers, and the other is directed towards elderly drivers.
"Viewing them just before the examiner asks 'Do you want to be an organ donor?' has produced some great results," Simmons says.
Getting folks to make the decision to say "yes" to the organ donation is an important goal of SALG, Simmons says.
"Not saying 'yes' does not mean that you can't be a donor, but it does put the burden for making the decision on your family members," Simmons explains. Much more information about the importance of organ donation is available at the SALG web site at www.savealifegroup.org.
The idea for a golf tournament was one that developed not long after SALG was formed. "Golf was something that I knew something about, and we knew a tournament would allow us to raise awareness about organ donation and to raise money at the same time," Simmons says.
The Safe A Life Golf Classic is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, at the River Bend Golf Club in Shelby. Sponsors, players, and volunteers are still needed for the event. Visit www.SaveALifeGolfClassic.org for more information.
"The ultimate beneficiary is the patient on the waiting list whose life can be saved through increased registration," says Simmons.

By April Hoyle Shauf