Birdies4Brains got its start from an obsession (some may call an addiction) to golf shared by a few close friends. In June of 2011 a foursome skipped work and set out to play as many holes of golf as possible on the Summer Solstice. About half way through our day we started to talk about how neat this would be if we were raising money for charity and Birdies 4 Brains was born. I knew exactly where to point our efforts – supporting organizations that help people recover from traumatic brain injuries. It was 2009, and I nearly lost my sister Christine to a brain aneurysm. Weeks before she was set to graduate with an economics degree from the College of Saint Benedict, her roommate found her barely breathing. She was rushed to St. Cloud Hospital, where an amazing team of doctors and nurses saved her life just minutes before death. Her recovery has been a miracle and her struggles are the inspiration for what has become an annual event that’s about so much more than the golf itself. While the first Birdies4Brains tee shot takes place before 5am (wow, that’s early) and the last putt holed at the bitter end of dusk, the event is fun and grueling, not to mention a true test to see if you can master a course after playing 5+ consecutive rounds. And it makes a difference. Among friends, we raised and donated $10,000 to charity in 2012. We nearly hit $25,000 in 2013 with eight golfers and in 2017 our event broke the $100,000 mark. This year, we are once again taking over Keller Golf Course. Our goal is to raise $125,000 for our awesome benefactors. We can’t thank our sponsors and Keller enough for clearing the course for our efforts. We’d love your support by playing and raising funds or simply donating on our website today. Every second and every dollar counts. Here’s to a day full of birdies for brains, Brian Eder Birdies4Brains Founder