SPORTS

I

t was postponed, canceled, 
then rescheduled twice 
because of the COVID-19 
pandemic.
Originally on the calendar 
for June 8, 2020, the 30th 
annual Hank Greenberg 
Memorial Golf and Tennis 
Invitational finally was held 
last month at Tam-O-Shanter 
Country Club in West 
Bloomfield.
For the Michigan Jewish 
Sports Foundation, which 
organizes and hosts the invi-
tational as a fundraiser for 
cancer research and treatment, 
Aug. 23 ended a long journey 
filled with detours.
“It felt great to finally hold 
the invitational, and it was 
very successful,” said Larry 
Sherman, a vice president 
on the foundation’s board of 
directors.
“The weather was picture- 
perfect, there was a good 
turnout [140 golfers and eight 
tennis players], and the cama-
raderie and food were out-
standing. 
“It was a great day,” he said.
It certainly was a great day 
for Hadar Granader. He finally 
was able to accept the Barry 
Bremen Memorial Inspiration 
Award for his family and for 
Camp Mak-A-Dream.
“It was the first time I went 
to the Greenberg event. I was 
very impressed with how well 
it was organized,” Granader 
said.
“It was nice to see members 
of Barry Bremen’s family there, 
and they were so warm and 

friendly. It was an honor to 
represent them in receiving the 
award.”
For those at the invitational 
who didn’t know about Camp 
Mak-A-Dream, they know 
about it now.
“I talked with several people 
who said they didn’t know 
about the camp or didn’t know 
my family’s involvement,” 
Granader said.
Founded in 1995, Camp 
Mak-A-Dream is an expense-
free summer camp in Gold 
Creek, Mont., for children 
across the world who are bat-
tling or have survived cancer.
The camp normally plays 
host annually to about 80 
youths in each of four or five 
sessions, with a total of 75 
to 80 youths coming from 
Michigan.
The camp has been held 
virtually for two years because 
of the pandemic. About 100 
youths participated this year. 
How is a summer camp held 
virtually?
“Say the kids are doing a 
craft with clay,” Granader said. 
“They’re sent the clay and the 

instructor teaches them what 
to do with it on Zoom.”
 
Granader is president of the 
Michigan chapter of Camp 
Mak-A-Dream. His broth-
er and sister-in-law, the late 
Beverly Hills residents Harry 
and Sylvia Granader, donat-
ed 87 acres of their Montana 
ranch to create Camp Mak-A-
Dream.
Harry Granader was a build-
ing contractor. He helped build 
the Ronald McDonald houses 
next to Detroit Children’s 
Hospital of Michigan and Mott 
Children’s Hospital in Ann 
Arbor.
Visits with children in those 
hospitals sparked his idea for 
Camp Mak-A-Dream.

GIBBY AND GOOSE
MISS A MEET-UP
Hall of Fame relief pitcher 
Goose Gossage was present-
ed the Greenberg Lifetime 
Achievement Award at the 
invitational.
 “Goose was very entertain-
ing and quite cordial with our 
guests,” Sherman said.
Gossage was supposed to 

share the stage last year in the 
popular sports panel segment 
of the invitational — hosted 
annually by ESPN’s Jeremy 
Schaap — with former Detroit 
Tigers star Kirk Gibson, who 
hit a famous home run off 
Gossage in the 1984 World 
Series between the Tigers and 
San Diego Padres.
Gossage and Gibson, how-
ever, didn’t cross paths last 
month at Tam-O-Shanter.
“Unfortunately, Kirk’s annu-
al benefit golf outing was held 
the same day as the invitation-
al,” Sherman said.
CBS News and 60 Minutes
correspondent Armen 
Keteyian was supposed to 
accept the Dick Schaap 
Memorial Award for Media 
Excellence at the invitational.
He couldn’t make it to Tam-
O-Shanter because he was 
unable to travel from the East 
Coast after it was battered by 
Hurricane Ida.
“Hopefully, Armen will be 
able to come to next year’s 
invitational,” Sherman said.
Sherman said there are 
hopes the invitational will 
return to its normal June date 
next year.
As for the foundation’s 
annual fall Michigan Jewish 
Sports Hall of Fame induction 
banquet, which was canceled 
in 2020 because of the pan-
demic, it could return in a vir-
tual format this year, Sherman 
said. 

Please send sports news to

stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

Camp Mak-A-Dream shares Greenberg Invitational
spotlight with Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage.
14-Month Wait Pays Of
 

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Hadar 
Granader 
from Camp 
Mak-A-Dream 
at the Hank 
Greenberg 
Memorial Golf 
and Tennis 
Invitational

MICHIGAN JEWISH SPORTS FOUNDATION

28 | SEPTEMBER 30 • 2021 

