Facebook photo “Our hope is to actually conduct an event August 5th at Conewango Valley Country Club (above).” — John Zawacki

Some sporting events are bigger than sports.

That was made even more clear to John Zawacki and John Papalia, co-chairs of the 43rd Annual American Cancer Society Men’s Golf Championship.

Planning for the second longest-running ACS golf tournament in the nation “typically starts in early spring,” according to Zawacki, tournament founder. But, for the past couple of months — due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent closure orders, including golf courses, “We’ve struggled with the idea of whether we should do it,” he said.

Zawacki and Papalia have been approached by “larger sponsors,” according to Zawacki, who have responded to the possibility there may not be an actual tournament with, “‘Not only are we going to support (the tournament) as we have in the past, we’re going to make our donation (possibly larger). We’re not going to let you down.'”

So Zawacki and Papalia said, “Let’s go then.”

“Ultimately, we came up with a concept that made some sense,” said Zawacki.

In a time of COVID-19, cancer patients are among the most vulnerable and, thus, need the most help, he explained.

“Cancer hasn’t stopped. So, neither have we” is the fundraising slogan and opening line of a letter being sent beginning May 8 to past corporate sponsors and the community.

“As the COVID-19 crisis looms larger every day, cancer patients — many of whom have compromised immune systems due to their treatments — are among the most vulnerable, and they need our support,” according to the letter from Zawacki and Papalia, Director of Event Relations, with the WCCBI. “Worse yet, nationally, the ACS has had to postpone many spring fundraising events, creating a significant budget deficit. What should we do?

“We finally proposed a ‘sponsorship approach’ for this event… Our hope is to actually conduct an event August 5th at Conewango Valley Country Club, providing that it can safely re-open by late July, which would allow us to provide lunch, an afternoon shotgun start, 18-hole ‘play your own ball’ competition, dinner, and a brief program and awards celebration to conclude. We will try to make this happen, but ultimately no one knows when the ‘new normal’ will commence.”

Zawacki and Papalia had big plans for the 43rd ACS event, having already come close to raising $1.5 million over the previous 42 tournaments.

Zawacki admitted constraints will almost definitely mean this won’t be a “record-breaking year,” but “we are taking one small step at a time, if that makes sense. We’re not going to push, we’re going to pull.

“We did not want to see this 43-year tradition die,” he said.

Zawacki and Papalia have lined up a couple of meaningful guest speakers and “if there is an event, they will be here,” said Zawacki.

He said that, at one time, there were 67 annual golf tournaments supporting the American Cancer Society in Pennsylvania — one in each county. “Now, there’s maybe seven or eight.

“It’s something this county should be proud of,” said Zawacki.

“On behalf of all those cancer patients we serve TOGETHER, John Zawacki and John Papalia.”