Yuma Hosts 30th Annual Child Burn Survivors Golf Tournament Saturday

Kayla Irr‑Mendez, a committee member of the Yuma Child Burn Survivors Foundation, watched survivors tee off Saturday at Desert Hills Golf Course, 1245 W Desert Hills Dr, as a 7:00 a.m. start drew 212 participants into the charity tournament. The event was billed on the community calendar as the "30th Annual Yuma Child Burn Survivor Gold Tournament," with Yuma Area Firefighters listed as host.

Players competed in four‑person teams across two sessions: 27 teams in the morning and 26 in the afternoon, a total of 53 teams that produced the 212-person field. Tee times began at 7:00 a.m., and organizers ran separate morning and afternoon rounds to accommodate the large turnout.

During the tournament organizers held a memorial dedicated to the firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, woven into the event schedule. Irr‑Mendez described the scene and the participants that followed: "It's really...it's breathtaking. We will have some of our survivors out here today. They tee off the tournament...They're so resilient. And it's just it's it's a powerful event to see what our kids go through and just how strong they are," Irr‑Mendez explained.

Event materials state the tournament raises money for the Yuma Child Burn Survivors Foundation to provide "essential medical care, rehabilitation, and emotional support to young burn survivors," and add that "every donation, no matter the size, makes a significant impact in transforming lives." The fundraising language on the entry page reiterated those uses without listing a final total raised on site.

A tri‑tip dinner was scheduled on the course grounds from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; tickets were available through Crossroads Mission. Tournament registration was handled through the event's registration website and on-site check‑in for registered teams.

Billed as an annual fixtures, this edition continued a local tradition of firefighter‑led fundraising for child burn recovery services. Organizers emphasized the mix of competition, community remembrance and direct support for recovery services as the primary outcomes of Saturday's play.