Golf Tournament Helps Honor Father, Raise Funds for Dana Farber

When Jack Colbert found out he had prostate cancer, he felt there weren't any support groups available to help him through his unexpected journey.

So, Colbert became proactive, his daughter Samatha Greenfield said, and founded the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition, giving men an outlet for support, to discuss their stories and share their medical plans.

Colbert died of prostate cancer in 2002, but thanks to the efforts of Greenfield, his legacy lives on.

On May 17 at Wayland Country Club, she hosted the annual Jack Colbert Classic, a charity golf tournament that raised thousands for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in his honor.

"This year I wanted to focus on teaching my sons about their grandfather," said Greenfield, who first hosted the tournament in 2006 with her sister, Natalie Colbert. "It wound up being about charities and fundraising. I gave them a crash course on fundraising (I do fundraising for the Goodnow Library Foundation) and they raised $800."

Greenfield's sons, Tyler, 11, and Mason, 8, gathered their friends from Loring Elementary and Curtis Middle schools and they held a cash raffle at the event to raise funds.

Jack Colbert was the Executive Director of Hale & Dorr (now Wilmer Hale). He believed in the power of connecting people and teamwork.

"Through watching him, I knew it was what I wanted to do with the golf tournament," Greenfield said. "It was a wonderful event, and it was great to get family and friends together."

Overall, the tournament raised close to $15,000.

"It felt wonderful to teach the legacy their grandfather created," Greenfield said.