The Hookers and Hackers
Established in 2008, The Hookers and Hackers is a not for profit organisation created to raise money for various charities, but predominantly those connected to cancer and terminally ill children. Our goal is to raise as much money as possible to aid research into cancer and diseases affecting life-limited children, and to help those affected by this horrible illness.
Each year around May or June, we organise a golf day to raise funds for a local charity within the locale of the golf course. For 2011, the course will be Aldenham Golf & Country Club in Hertfordshire, and the charity is Noah’s Ark Hospice.
The aim is to raise enough money so we can, in our own small way, make a difference to people suffering from cancer or a terminal illness. Golfers of all abilities will be able to choose from various packages, with our signature package including 27 holes, in which the first 9 holes are played with only three clubs, including a putter.
Our first event in the early summer of 2008, which was hastily organised in four months, raised over £3,000. Each year we aim to raise more than we did the previous year and our hope is that this annual event will become well known within the local charity and golfing community and will be well supported.
How did it begin? Stefan Giemza, with the help of close friend Kris Babb created The Hookers and Hackers after the loss of Stefan's father, who died from pancreatic cancer, aged 69.
About Us
Stefan Giemza
I lost my father in 2008. He went into hospital with a heart complaint, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died 17 days later. Also in 2008, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was a worrying time for all the family; thankfully the cancer was caught in it's early stages. I have always wanted to give something back and help others and after these circumstances I felt a real need to do something. I spoke to Kris about organising a charity golf day and we went ahead and did it. After the success in 2008, we decided to make it an annual event.
Kris Babb
Like most people I have been touched by cancer throughout my family. My grandmother died two days before her 60th birthday of liver and pancreatic cancer and I have had friends and family pass away over the years from one form of cancer or another. I have a wife and two beautiful daughters and it’s hard to imagine how stressful and upsetting it must be to watch a child suffer with a terminal illness.
I’m an avid yet frustrated golfer, and when Stefan said he wanted to raise money for good causes, we got our heads together and came up with the idea of a golf day. The first one was great and we raised a lot of money, but we want to keep making money to help these very worthy charities.
