Orlando, FL -- Marathon of Miracles (MOM), a wellness and cancer prevention nonprofit, thanks the golf industry for the overwhelming support of "Golf To End Cancer" (G2EC), a new initiative to bring wellness and cancer prevention education into golf.  Golf To End Cancer displayed in the Golf Business Solutions section of this year's PGA Merchandise Show.  Dozens of golf courses expressed interest in hosting Wellness Day events that will feature holistic health practitioners like massage, acupuncture, reflexology and yoga, along with all-natural and eco-friendly product displays.  Free to public, private and resort golf courses, MOM will bring all of the G2EC components to the course and help get the word out through social media campaigns in each local market.  The wellness events are the perfect perk for members and guests of private clubs and resorts, and for golfer attraction and retention programs at public courses. G2EC also features a social networking website at www.GolfToEndCancer.com and an affinity rewards program that gives golfers great incentives and marketers a very smart way of reaching a loyal core demographic of golfers who want to support companies that want to help end cancer.  Through the social networking site and affinity program, golfers can get products and services at up to 75% off retail, with profits supporting efforts to end cancer through wellness and cancer prevention education.

For every 10 G2EC Wellness Events held in a PGA Section, the Marathon of Miracles nonprofit has committed to providing $1,000 in cash support to directly help golf industry families in that section that are experiencing financial hardship due to cancer.  "Cancer is a financially devastating disease that affects the entire family," said MOM and G2EC's Chief Vision Officer and Co-Founder A.J. Ali.  "My wife Jane and I experienced it firsthand when she went through her battle with cancer in 2005 and 2006.  There are many families that get completely wiped out and unfortunately some of those families disintegrate as a result of the pressure.  By God's grace, our marriage was made stronger, but many families don't make it through the darkness and into the light.  My wife and I want to help keep families together and help to get them the resources they need to get healthy.  If 25 golf courses in a PGA Section each hold a quarterly wellness day, the contribution to families in that section will be $10,000.  That'll pool of money will make a big difference for some families that are hurting."  Marathon of Miracles will administer the financial program with the support of an advisory council made up of PGA members and other golf industry executives.  Anthony Stepney, PGA Member & Director of Instruction and Player Development at Quantum Performance Institute in Orlando, and lifelong friend of MOM's Senior V.P. Bobby Blackwell, is the first member appointed to the G2EC Advisory Council.  "Anthony's intense dedication to wellness education makes him a perfect choice for our first advisory council member.  We look forward to working with Anthony and many other golf industry leaders as we seek to help as many families as possible in and through golf," said Ali.

Marathon of Miracles started promoting wellness and cancer prevention in the golf industry in 2006 and introduced a line of all-natural snacks at the PGA Show in 2010 in a joint venture with SCNS Sports Foods, the makers of the 1st Tee and 10th Tee bars.  MOM Snacks are now in more than 800 golf shops, retail stores and online retailers in the U.S., Canada and the Dominican Republic -- and growing fast.  The bars are delicious and incredibly healthy for you, featuring natural and organic ingredients and no processed anything.  The bars are kosher, diabetic friendly and include many ingredients that boost the immune system's ability to fight cancer.  MOM Snacks, along with yoga, massage, reflexology and informal counseling sessions were a big hit at the PGA Show.  A good percentage of the people who visited the booth had someone in their family dealing with cancer.

Program partners in the G2EC booth included The WIN Card Network (www.thewincard.net) providing all marketing support and development of the affinity program, Maji Sports (www.majisports.com) providing yoga, Ari Gronich "The Performance Therapist" (www.performancetherapist.com) doing massage, Sole Healing doing reflexology, and SCNS Sports Foods, makers of the MOM All-Natural energy bars and 1st Tee/10th Tee energy bars.  Other strong national G2EC partners include Daphne's Headcovers (www.daphnesheadcovers.com), Bobby Jones Golf Company (www.bobbyjonesgolf.net), Graphic Press (www.graphicpressweb.com), Smyth Jewelers (www.smythjewelers.com), and the prestigious Caves Valley Golf Club (www.cavesvalley.net), the home of the 2nd Annual Golf To End Cancer Celebrity/VIP Golf Outing September 10, 2012.

Join the movement for free at www.GolfToEndCancer.com and visit the organization's parent site at www.MarathonOfMiracles.org to learn more about our overall wellness and cancer prevention work, including the opening of our first wellness center in Baltimore.  To support as a program partner or to have a "Golf To End Cancer" Wellness Day event at your golf course, please email A.J. Ali at aj@marathonofmiracles.org.