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Duke Athletics Partners with Duke Children’s and Duke Cancer to Provide Hope & Care
8/26/2025 7:34:00 AM | Women's Golf, Women's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C.-- At Duke University, athletics are more than just wins and losses. Since 2008, a more important goal has been in mind: bringing hope and companionship to some of the youngest patients in the community.
Through an impactful and growing partnership with Duke Children's, Duke Athletics has raised over $400,000 thus far for patient care and pediatric research. This number represents the personal efforts of student-athletes, coaches, and staff who have used their influence in sports to make a lasting difference where it matters most.
These initiatives span across several Duke athletics programs, with each team finding an individual way to contribute to the cause.
From Birdies for Babies, which has raised over $126,000 so far from the men's and women's golf teams, to K's for Kids Cancer, where baseball players raise funds for cancer research with every strikeout, each sport has found a way to make the cause its own.
Big Waves for Little Hearts (swimming and diving), Big Sets for Little Hearts (tennis), and Sticks Up for Duke Children's (lacrosse) are just a few examples that highlight how student-athletes have involved themselves in making an impact on and off the field.
In 2024 alone, Bench to Beat Cancer raised over $41,000, helping break down barriers to cancer care for 187 patients. Just months before in 2023, the Fence for the Fight campaign set a single-season record of raising $72,979.70 in honor of Elizabeth Bequinet. These fundraisers do more than raise money. They strengthen alumni networks, engage families, and foster a sense of community across campus.
At the heart of these efforts is George Grody, a Duke alum turned professor, who has spent over a decade connecting sports teams with not just fundraising opportunities, but the children whose lives they're helping change. Grody began his relationship with Duke Children's by joining the board of directors and later became the Chairman of the Duke Children's Board of Advisors.
From golf tournaments that fund NICU rooms to hospital proms for teens undergoing chemotherapy, these programs are driven by compassion, creativity and the conviction that even small acts can make a lasting impact.
"It's not about grand gestures," Grody says. "It's about showing up, being present and using what you love to help someone else."
Grody, who spent over two decades at Procter & Gamble before returning to teach at Duke, has been orchestrating a unique partnership between Duke Athletics and Duke Children's for 17 years now. It started with small, informal visits from student-athletes, requested by child-life specialists at the hospital who'd call Grody, asking if he could bring over an athlete to meet a young fan.
"I'd get calls saying, 'I've got a kid who loves soccer or women's lacrosse – can anyone come by?'" Grody recalls. "So, I'd grab a few student-athletes and we'd go. That's really how it started."
What began as informal visits quickly grew into something larger and more meaningful. Shortly after Grody first introduced student-athletes to the children, a new tradition was born: Christmas in June, a full-day celebration filled with games, gifts, and dozens of student-athletes bringing joy and companionship to the children. Following this was the Duke Children's Prom, created for kids who are unable to attend their prom due to illness and medical treatments. Grody wanted Duke athletes to serve as more than just helpers, but leaders on the dance floor, getting the children involved, dancing and making connections.
Grody captured it perfectly: "It's about making these kids feel seen, feel celebrated and helping the athletes realize they can be part of that."
However, he didn't want to stop there. There was still more to be done.
A member of the women's golf team, Virginia Elena Carta, attended a few of the Christmas in June events to help out and connect with some of the children. Inspired to do more, Carta confided in the driving force behind many of these fundraising efforts–Grody. Working together, the two brainstormed a fundraiser that would get athletes, fans, parents, and alumni involved. In 2018, Carta, guided by Grody, decided to make the lives of babies in Duke's intensive care units better with teamwork and founded Birdies for Babies. This fundraiser links the support of the Duke men's and women's golf teams with the Duke NICU's patients, families, and caregiving team. The donors pledge a contribution for each birdie registered. Almost eight years and 5,000 birdies later, the program has generated over $126,000, contributing to an improved environment of care for some of the tiniest patients at Duke Children's, as well as progress in research and education for the Duke NICU team. The outstanding success rate of this fundraiser helped to spread the contributions across other teams. Carta is just one of many who have used their privilege as a student-athlete to recognize their role in giving back to local communities, as well as to impact the Duke Children's ICN and PICU babies and families.
"It's incredible to see what Birdies for Babies was able to achieve in the past few years," Carta reflects. She expresses immense gratitude for the continued support and encourages individuals to continue donating. "It is a very important cause, and the impacts are quite huge."
The work of Carta inspired many other student-athletes to get involved. Grody recounts when he brought the football team to meet some of the patients. Rallying the team together with an extra-credit incentive, Grody knew that while this might not be something the athletes would do on their own, he knew the impact it would have on them, getting to see it first-hand.
"It gives them an insight into something beyond themselves, whether that's the children's hospital or understanding that they can make a difference," Grody recalled.
Walking out of the hospital after a successful visit, All-ACC Receiver Connor Vernon turns to Grody and says, "You know what? I think we liked it more than they did."
It didn't stop there for athletes connecting with the cause. Quarterback Sean Renfree was a regular at Duke Children's, connecting with the kids and families. Every Thursday night, Renfree would go over there to have dinner with a patient and his family. There were no cameras, no publicity, just a genuine act of kindness from someone who cared.
Grody has continued to involve student-athletes, emphasizing how important it is for them to recognize the perspective and privilege of their own lives and what they can do to make a difference.
"Being a student-athlete at Duke is a pretty good life," Grody says. "But there are a lot of people out there who don't have it nearly as good. This opens their eyes and minds to that and shows them how they can individually make an impact."
Whether it's taking time to visit a child in the hospital, bringing a smile to the faces of families going through treatment, or making even a small donation in a fundraiser, Grody believes these initiatives add up to something far greater.
One of the most powerful examples of this partnership came from the 2023 season, where Duke's Fencing team raised $72,979.70 for the Fence for the Fight campaign in partnership with the Duke Cancer Institute. This total represents the largest amount raised in a single season by a Duke Athletics/Duke Health partnership.
The fundraiser was in honor of Elizabeth Beguinet, director of administration and recruiting for Duke Fencing and beloved wife of the head coach, Alex Beguinet. Elizabeth passed away after a long fight against breast cancer. The team honors Elizabeth's memory with this fundraiser, which helped name a room in the Duke Cancer Center in Elizabeth's honor. Beguinet wasn't just a coordinator but a confidant, coach, and on-campus mom and family for 38 years.
While Grody may have sparked the movement, it's the continued support of the students, staff, and alumni that has kept the campaigns alive and growing. Behind the scenes, members of the Duke community are making sure these programs continue to grow stronger year after year.
Debbie Taylor, Assistant Vice President of the Duke Children's and Duke Cancer Institute Development Teams, has played a key role in turning these fundraising events into lasting, mission-driven partnerships. With a background in coaching and a passion for both athletics and healthcare, Taylor has worked hard to integrate student-athletes into connecting their passion for sports with a deeper purpose in healthcare and community support.
"Coaching was something I was very passionate about. The impact you have on young people's lives, that's what drove me. And I think I'm doing the same thing now." Taylor shared. "I'm doing something that I find great passion in, while also impacting the lives of patients and families."
Taylor worked with many specialists at Duke Children's, including heart surgeon Dr. Joe Turek, who brought over the student-athletes on the men's and women's tennis teams to observe how he performs surgeries on some of the youngest babies in the hospital. For the athletes, this experience was eye-opening and helped them gauge perspective on processes that are bigger than themselves. As an athlete at Duke, the students are used to a focused, sheltered environment and experiences like this allow them to broaden their perspectives and realize the power they have to make an impact beyond their sport.
Chief of Pediatric Heart Surgery at Duke Children's reflects on the work, "This partnership has been so uniquely Duke in bringing together world-class programs in Duke Athletics and Duke Health to make a real difference for some of our most vulnerable children - those with congenital heart disease. It has been a mutually inspiring collaboration for all involved. It makes one proud to be at Duke," said Turek.
These experiences leave a lasting impression on student-athletes. For Ellie Coleman, a recent graduate of the women's tennis team, the impact was personal.
"Big Sets for Little Hearts was very impactful for me this year," said Coleman. "We had the opportunity to play for something bigger than ourselves and play a small part in the big things Dr. Turek and his team are doing at the Children's Hospital. We had a chance to see this work firsthand when we visited the heart center last fall. We saw the time, effort, and passion that go into caring for these kids and how life-changing it is for many of them. I was grateful to be able to use my talents in tennis to play for something so much bigger than the sport," Coleman shared.
The impact of these efforts is multidimensional. As Taylor puts it, "Philanthropy plays a critical role in supporting our mission. It's a win-win. The patients and healthcare team are winning because of dollars being raised, but these student-athletes' lives are being impacted by seeing the patients, their families, and the struggles that they're going through and knowing that they are making a small difference in their lives."
Taylor's experiences highlight the heart of the partnership between Duke Children's and Duke Athletics: connecting passion with a purpose. Over the years, these collaborations have created a powerful array of fundraisers for the Duke community, with each event inspired by the team and the needs of the hospital.
Throughout 17 years, the partnership between Duke Athletics and Duke Children's has turned into something truly meaningful. It's not about the money raised, but the people who make it happen. Whether it's the student-athletes taking time out of their busy schedules to show up for children in the hospital, or coaches, staff, parents, donors and alumni who continue to support and grow the campaigns each year, together they have built something far greater than a fundraising program. They have built a community brought together by hope, kindness and a shared commitment to making a difference in the lives of children who need it most.
#GoDuke
Through an impactful and growing partnership with Duke Children's, Duke Athletics has raised over $400,000 thus far for patient care and pediatric research. This number represents the personal efforts of student-athletes, coaches, and staff who have used their influence in sports to make a lasting difference where it matters most.
These initiatives span across several Duke athletics programs, with each team finding an individual way to contribute to the cause.
From Birdies for Babies, which has raised over $126,000 so far from the men's and women's golf teams, to K's for Kids Cancer, where baseball players raise funds for cancer research with every strikeout, each sport has found a way to make the cause its own.
Big Waves for Little Hearts (swimming and diving), Big Sets for Little Hearts (tennis), and Sticks Up for Duke Children's (lacrosse) are just a few examples that highlight how student-athletes have involved themselves in making an impact on and off the field.
In 2024 alone, Bench to Beat Cancer raised over $41,000, helping break down barriers to cancer care for 187 patients. Just months before in 2023, the Fence for the Fight campaign set a single-season record of raising $72,979.70 in honor of Elizabeth Bequinet. These fundraisers do more than raise money. They strengthen alumni networks, engage families, and foster a sense of community across campus.
At the heart of these efforts is George Grody, a Duke alum turned professor, who has spent over a decade connecting sports teams with not just fundraising opportunities, but the children whose lives they're helping change. Grody began his relationship with Duke Children's by joining the board of directors and later became the Chairman of the Duke Children's Board of Advisors.
From golf tournaments that fund NICU rooms to hospital proms for teens undergoing chemotherapy, these programs are driven by compassion, creativity and the conviction that even small acts can make a lasting impact.
"It's not about grand gestures," Grody says. "It's about showing up, being present and using what you love to help someone else."
Grody, who spent over two decades at Procter & Gamble before returning to teach at Duke, has been orchestrating a unique partnership between Duke Athletics and Duke Children's for 17 years now. It started with small, informal visits from student-athletes, requested by child-life specialists at the hospital who'd call Grody, asking if he could bring over an athlete to meet a young fan.
"I'd get calls saying, 'I've got a kid who loves soccer or women's lacrosse – can anyone come by?'" Grody recalls. "So, I'd grab a few student-athletes and we'd go. That's really how it started."
What began as informal visits quickly grew into something larger and more meaningful. Shortly after Grody first introduced student-athletes to the children, a new tradition was born: Christmas in June, a full-day celebration filled with games, gifts, and dozens of student-athletes bringing joy and companionship to the children. Following this was the Duke Children's Prom, created for kids who are unable to attend their prom due to illness and medical treatments. Grody wanted Duke athletes to serve as more than just helpers, but leaders on the dance floor, getting the children involved, dancing and making connections.
Grody captured it perfectly: "It's about making these kids feel seen, feel celebrated and helping the athletes realize they can be part of that."
However, he didn't want to stop there. There was still more to be done.
A member of the women's golf team, Virginia Elena Carta, attended a few of the Christmas in June events to help out and connect with some of the children. Inspired to do more, Carta confided in the driving force behind many of these fundraising efforts–Grody. Working together, the two brainstormed a fundraiser that would get athletes, fans, parents, and alumni involved. In 2018, Carta, guided by Grody, decided to make the lives of babies in Duke's intensive care units better with teamwork and founded Birdies for Babies. This fundraiser links the support of the Duke men's and women's golf teams with the Duke NICU's patients, families, and caregiving team. The donors pledge a contribution for each birdie registered. Almost eight years and 5,000 birdies later, the program has generated over $126,000, contributing to an improved environment of care for some of the tiniest patients at Duke Children's, as well as progress in research and education for the Duke NICU team. The outstanding success rate of this fundraiser helped to spread the contributions across other teams. Carta is just one of many who have used their privilege as a student-athlete to recognize their role in giving back to local communities, as well as to impact the Duke Children's ICN and PICU babies and families.
"It's incredible to see what Birdies for Babies was able to achieve in the past few years," Carta reflects. She expresses immense gratitude for the continued support and encourages individuals to continue donating. "It is a very important cause, and the impacts are quite huge."
The work of Carta inspired many other student-athletes to get involved. Grody recounts when he brought the football team to meet some of the patients. Rallying the team together with an extra-credit incentive, Grody knew that while this might not be something the athletes would do on their own, he knew the impact it would have on them, getting to see it first-hand.
"It gives them an insight into something beyond themselves, whether that's the children's hospital or understanding that they can make a difference," Grody recalled.
Walking out of the hospital after a successful visit, All-ACC Receiver Connor Vernon turns to Grody and says, "You know what? I think we liked it more than they did."
It didn't stop there for athletes connecting with the cause. Quarterback Sean Renfree was a regular at Duke Children's, connecting with the kids and families. Every Thursday night, Renfree would go over there to have dinner with a patient and his family. There were no cameras, no publicity, just a genuine act of kindness from someone who cared.
Grody has continued to involve student-athletes, emphasizing how important it is for them to recognize the perspective and privilege of their own lives and what they can do to make a difference.
"Being a student-athlete at Duke is a pretty good life," Grody says. "But there are a lot of people out there who don't have it nearly as good. This opens their eyes and minds to that and shows them how they can individually make an impact."
Whether it's taking time to visit a child in the hospital, bringing a smile to the faces of families going through treatment, or making even a small donation in a fundraiser, Grody believes these initiatives add up to something far greater.
One of the most powerful examples of this partnership came from the 2023 season, where Duke's Fencing team raised $72,979.70 for the Fence for the Fight campaign in partnership with the Duke Cancer Institute. This total represents the largest amount raised in a single season by a Duke Athletics/Duke Health partnership.
The fundraiser was in honor of Elizabeth Beguinet, director of administration and recruiting for Duke Fencing and beloved wife of the head coach, Alex Beguinet. Elizabeth passed away after a long fight against breast cancer. The team honors Elizabeth's memory with this fundraiser, which helped name a room in the Duke Cancer Center in Elizabeth's honor. Beguinet wasn't just a coordinator but a confidant, coach, and on-campus mom and family for 38 years.
While Grody may have sparked the movement, it's the continued support of the students, staff, and alumni that has kept the campaigns alive and growing. Behind the scenes, members of the Duke community are making sure these programs continue to grow stronger year after year.
Debbie Taylor, Assistant Vice President of the Duke Children's and Duke Cancer Institute Development Teams, has played a key role in turning these fundraising events into lasting, mission-driven partnerships. With a background in coaching and a passion for both athletics and healthcare, Taylor has worked hard to integrate student-athletes into connecting their passion for sports with a deeper purpose in healthcare and community support.
"Coaching was something I was very passionate about. The impact you have on young people's lives, that's what drove me. And I think I'm doing the same thing now." Taylor shared. "I'm doing something that I find great passion in, while also impacting the lives of patients and families."
Taylor worked with many specialists at Duke Children's, including heart surgeon Dr. Joe Turek, who brought over the student-athletes on the men's and women's tennis teams to observe how he performs surgeries on some of the youngest babies in the hospital. For the athletes, this experience was eye-opening and helped them gauge perspective on processes that are bigger than themselves. As an athlete at Duke, the students are used to a focused, sheltered environment and experiences like this allow them to broaden their perspectives and realize the power they have to make an impact beyond their sport.
Chief of Pediatric Heart Surgery at Duke Children's reflects on the work, "This partnership has been so uniquely Duke in bringing together world-class programs in Duke Athletics and Duke Health to make a real difference for some of our most vulnerable children - those with congenital heart disease. It has been a mutually inspiring collaboration for all involved. It makes one proud to be at Duke," said Turek.
These experiences leave a lasting impression on student-athletes. For Ellie Coleman, a recent graduate of the women's tennis team, the impact was personal.
"Big Sets for Little Hearts was very impactful for me this year," said Coleman. "We had the opportunity to play for something bigger than ourselves and play a small part in the big things Dr. Turek and his team are doing at the Children's Hospital. We had a chance to see this work firsthand when we visited the heart center last fall. We saw the time, effort, and passion that go into caring for these kids and how life-changing it is for many of them. I was grateful to be able to use my talents in tennis to play for something so much bigger than the sport," Coleman shared.
The impact of these efforts is multidimensional. As Taylor puts it, "Philanthropy plays a critical role in supporting our mission. It's a win-win. The patients and healthcare team are winning because of dollars being raised, but these student-athletes' lives are being impacted by seeing the patients, their families, and the struggles that they're going through and knowing that they are making a small difference in their lives."
Taylor's experiences highlight the heart of the partnership between Duke Children's and Duke Athletics: connecting passion with a purpose. Over the years, these collaborations have created a powerful array of fundraisers for the Duke community, with each event inspired by the team and the needs of the hospital.
Throughout 17 years, the partnership between Duke Athletics and Duke Children's has turned into something truly meaningful. It's not about the money raised, but the people who make it happen. Whether it's the student-athletes taking time out of their busy schedules to show up for children in the hospital, or coaches, staff, parents, donors and alumni who continue to support and grow the campaigns each year, together they have built something far greater than a fundraising program. They have built a community brought together by hope, kindness and a shared commitment to making a difference in the lives of children who need it most.
#GoDuke
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