During a visit to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, then-10-year-old Ben Sater noticed that his mom didn't stop to pay.
When she explained that the hospital for orthopedic conditions doesn't charge patients, Sater, who was being treated for a condition called trigger finger, began thinking of ways he could give back. He and his parents settled on holding a golf tournament for kids ages 7 to 18.
"I was very taken aback that he'd thought to do something," Kim Sater said.
As he hosts his seventh KidSwing tournament on Monday at a Dallas country club, the 17-year-old is moving closer to his goal of raising $1 million by the time he goes to college next fall. So far, the tournaments have raised about $660,000 for the Dallas hospital, not including their tally for this summer.
"When we first started, I would've never thought we could raise $1 million," said the soon-to-be high school senior from Plano.
He still remembers the excitement of the first tournament with 78 kids participating. They'd hoped to raise $10,000, but ended up with about $20,000.
"We had no idea what we could do. It just was very special," Kim Sater said.
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About 375 kids are expected to participate Monday. The tournament has grown so much that they've about reached capacity at the Dallas course, so for the second year they'll hold another tournament in July in McKinney. About 120 kids are expected at that tournament.
Sater, who has played golf since he was 4, said that the tournament's success has amazed him. He set the goal of raising $1 million after they'd reached $500,000.
To play, each kid is asked to raise $100 by asking family and friends to sponsor them, but many raise much more, Sater said.
Last year, 8-year-old Charlsie Doan raised almost $14,000. A week before this year's tournament she'd raised almost $10,000.
"I write a letter and mommy copies it," said Charlsie, who has been a patient at Scottish Rite since she was a newborn.
Born without a right hand, the hospital has helped her achieve such goals as playing the violin by designing a prosthetic hand with a bow attached.
Charlsie's family has been involved with the tournament from the start. Her father learned about the tournament from Ben Sater's father, who was telling him about their connection to Scottish Rite. Cameron Doan then told him about Charlsie's connection to the hospital.
"When he told me about it, I said, 'We're in,"' said Cameron Doan, a golf pro at a club.
Kim Sater said that so far, they've been able to get enough corporate sponsorship so that all the money the kids raise goes to the hospital.
She said that Scottish Rite's focus on the kids always impressed her when she brought her son there. Ben Sater had his first surgery at the age of three on a pinky and thumb and then had surgery again at the age of 10 on three more fingers affected with trigger finger, a condition in which fingers lock or catch in a bent position.
Stephanie Brigger, vice president of development at Scottish Rite, said other patients have raised money with book drives and lemonade stands, but none have done anything so big at such a young age.
The tournament has a kids committee and an adult committee. The kids' duties include choosing the T-shirt design and fundraising prizes and helping set the day's program -- Monday's tournament ends with a pool party.
"Each year, it's very much run by the kids," said Brigger, who added the event helps make people aware of the work they do at the hospital.
"This is our next generation of philanthropists," Brigger said. "They're learning about what it is to give back and give to others. It's a beautiful thing that they've done."
Fourteen-year-old Stephen Hoefer, who has been participating in the KidSwing tournament since he was 7, will start volunteering at the hospital this summer by helping introduce Scottish Rite patients to the game of golf.
Over the years Hoefer has gotten his friends involved in the tournament and has made friends there. "I like the cause and I thought it was fun playing golf," he said.
Ten-year-old Blake Margolis, who along with Stephen, Ben Sater, and Charlsie Doan, is on the kids committee, enjoys seeing what happens behind the scenes.
"You get to get involved and you get to help," Margolis said.
Kim Sater said that when the kids befriend other kids who have been patients at Scottish Rite, it brings home exactly who is being helped.
"They understand then why they're doing what they're doing," she said.
