Get Involved

Fundraise

It’s easy to join Pat’s team from attending a special event to holding a “We Back Pat” game at all levels of basketball to swinging a golf club. The Pat Summitt Foundation offers a variety of ways to support the mission to defeat Alzheimer’s disease. Explore options or share your ideas by visiting our giving page or by emailing contactus@patsummitt.org.

Together We Will Win!

To donate by mail at any time, please send a check to:
Pat Summitt Foundation
520 W. Summit Hill Drive, Suite 1101
Knoxville, TN 37902

Points for Pat

Score points for Pat by starting a challenge. You can shoot free throws and raise pledges for donations for making a specified number – such as 10 in a row or 100 overall – to as many as you can make in 10 minutes or even 24 hours. Participate on your own or make it a team fundraiser. Contact contactus@patsummitt.org to get started. 

Salute for a Cure 

“Salute for a Cure” is the Pat Summitt Foundation’s signature annual gala. The “Salute” part of the name is a tribute to the Salute to Excellence that benefited the Lady Vols for years beginning in 1988. The event includes a cocktail hour, seated dinner, one-of-a-kind silent and live auctions, and a live concert.
Sponsorships, including a presenting sponsor, are available every year, and individual and table tickets also are sold. Contact contactus@patsummitt.org for more information.

Races & Walks

The annual Forget Me Not 5K is held in the spring to raise awareness and research funds for The Pat Summitt Clinic at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. Registered participants receive a shirt and are qualified for prizes, and teams may sign up to compete as a group. More information is available here.

The annual Race for the Summitt 4-Miler is held in the fall and is organized by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy’s American Pharmacist Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) chapter to benefit The Pat Summitt Foundation. The course features a 4-mile tour of the campus and begins and ends at the Pat Summitt Plaza, where the iconic head coach is honored in perpetuity with her statue. More information is available here.

The annual events attract runners, walkers and supporters all with the same mission – to end the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease and honor the memory of Pat Summitt.

Additional races and walks to benefit our mission can be coordinated with the Pat Summitt Foundation. Please email contactus@patsummitt.org for more information.

SEC Win Challenge

Kyra Elzy, a former Lady Vol player and assistant coach, and her husband, Dexter, started the SEC Win Challenge in 2013 to raise research funds for Alzheimer’s disease. Elzy wanted to honor both her head coach, Pat Summitt, and her late grandmother, Mary Elzy. The challenge started with pledges for wins by Tennessee and has since expanded to include all SEC and NCAA basketball programs.

The SEC Win Challenge starts every season when conference play gets underway in college basketball. Fans, supporters and coaches from across the country can pledge a donation for every win by the team of their choice.

Elzy, who is now the head coach of Kentucky women’s basketball in her native state, said: “Truly thankful for all of the SEC Win Challenge participants. Your support and financial contributions get us one step closer to finding a cure to end Alzheimer’s. TOGETHER WE WILL WIN.”

Since its exception, the event has raised more than $150,000. Sign up for the SEC Win Challenge by entering your information below (NEED TO ADD FORM LIKE ON CURRECT WEBSITE) and cheer on your team to back Pat.

“We Back Pat” Campaign

Basketball teams at all levels can host a “We Back Pat” game in honor of Pat Summitt to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and funds for research.

The Southeastern Conference’s “We Back Pat” Week is held every season in January, and all SEC teams hold special games in support of the Pat Summitt Foundation during that time. Teams across the country that wish to participate – from youth leagues to high school to college – can sign up to host a special game in conjunction with the foundation at any time of the season.

Sign up HERE or email contactus@patsummitt.org for additional information if needed. After you sign up, you will receive an email with details on hosting a “We Back Pat” game.

This is a great way to involve an entire team in a special fundraiser to honor the memory of the late Pat Summitt and help us fulfill her goal of ending Alzheimer’s disease.

Golf Tournaments

Multiple golf tournaments are held across the state of Tennessee and other locations to benefit The Pat Summitt Foundation. Participants include golfers of all ages and skill sets, private and public courses, and various playing formats and prizes with one common goal – raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease and funds for research.

Pat Summitt, who loved to play golf, recorded her first hole-in-one on June 8, 2012. Summitt found the cup on a blind hole – no one could see it go in from the location of the tee – using a 7-iron to hit the ball 112 yards over water on the par-3 17th hole at Sevierville Golf Club near Knoxville, Tennessee.

The foursome included Summitt; former Lady Vol player Lisa McGill Reagan; Billie Moore, who coached Summitt at the 1976 Montreal Olympics; and broadcaster Debbie Antonelli, who found the ball in the hole after the group arrived on the green. Summitt reacted like a seasoned golfer with humility and excitement.

The Pat Summitt Foundation participates in multiple, sponsored golf tournaments a year. Contact Adam Waller at awaller@patsummitt.org to learn more about hosting a golf tournament to honor the memory of Summitt.