The Karl R. Potach Foundation is growing close to raising $1 million for cancer research.

Earlier this month the 19th annual Karl’s Tourney golf tournament and auction raised $72,000, growing its total to nearly $975,000 over 19 years. About $62,000 was donated to The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota and $10,000 to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

“We are already gearing up for next year,” said Lance Pogones, event founder and friend of Dr. Kurt and Brenda Potach, in a press release. “We are going to keep at this as long as we can.”

The Aug. 15 event was attended by a couple hundred friends and family who attend each year, some traveling to Austin from across the country. Keynote speaker Dr. Geoffrey Johnson, an Austin native and Mayo Clinic Assistant Professor of Immunology and Assistant Professor of Radiology, delivered a very meaningful and personal account of his own journey with cancer.

“I was a first-year medical student when I discovered a lump on my arm that I was not concerned about, until another medical student insisted I get it checked,” Johnson said in the release. “I was 24-years-old and told I had a fifty percent chance of losing my life.”

Johnson, son of former Hormel Foods Corp. president and CEO Joel Johnson, recounted his family’s sobering and painful journey of receiving such a devastating diagnosis and the journey toward recovery.

“Because of research — because of people like you who support cancer research and medical care — I survived,” he said. “I believe if Karl was alive and diagnosed today, he very likely would survive because of the advances made in Wilms’ tumor research. What you are doing here is very important — it saves lives.”

Karl’s Tourney drew 147 golfers to the Austin Country Club, where a post-tourney dinner and auction added to the donations to the Karl Potach Foundation. The Karl R. Potach Foundation gifted $62,000 to The Hormel Institute and $10,000 to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

The tournament honors the memory of Karl Potach, who passed away in 1997 at age 4 from a rare form of pediatric cancer called Wilms’ tumor, also known as nephroblastoma. Wilms’ tumor most often affects children ages 3 to 4, typically occurring in one of the kidneys.

Since 2008, The Hormel Institute and Karl Potach Foundation have worked together to jointly fund research on Wilms’ tumor in Karl’s hometown of Austin. With this year’s gift, the Karl Tourney now has donated about $434,000 overall to support Wilms’ tumor research at The Hormel Institute conducted in the research section led by Dr. Zigang Dong and Associate Director Dr. Ann M. Bode.

“We have made significant discoveries from our research on Wilms’ tumor and we are going to keep working hard to publish our discoveries,” Bode said. “Our progress shows the critical importance of funding cancer research and we are deeply thankful to all who are involved with the Karl Tourney.”

According to Pogones, Karl’s Tourney organizers and the community are extremely dedicated, including hole sponsors, corporate sponsors, volunteers, golfers and dinner guests, and special guests which this year included pro golfer Ryan Paulson and members of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“People go above and beyond to help make the day a special remembrance of Karl,” he said. “He was only with us a few short years but his spirit, our memories and love of him drive us to make an impact for generations to follow.”