Emporia disc golfers raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Saturday

In Emporia, disc golf worked as community infrastructure Saturday, not just recreation. Walmart, Dynamic Discs and Champions Landing used the sport’s built-in crowd and competition to turn 68 registered teams into the second disc golf fundraiser supporting Children’s Miracle Network.

The day was built around multiple sessions, so players could choose different styles of competition, and the morning doubles round leaned all the way into spectacle. Players dressed up, threw discs in clown shoes, rang cowbells and were introduced by a ringmaster-style announcer as they stepped to the tee. It gave the event a carnival feel without losing the scorekeeping and structure that make disc golf fundraisers work in a town that already treats the sport like part of its identity.

Mick Schroeder, the Emporia store manager, said Walmart gives Children’s Miracle Network a bigger push in June even though the company supports the organization year-round. That push fits neatly into Walmart’s Spark Good effort, which focuses on raising money for children’s healthcare in local communities. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals says the broader campaign supports 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada and helps the health of 12 million kids each year.

The setup makes sense in Emporia because the disc golf ecosystem is already dense enough to carry an event like this. Dynamic Discs started in 2005 and has spent years growing the sport, while its pro shop moved to Champions Landing in 2024, deepening the company’s link to the venue. Champions Landing has already hosted major stops such as the Dynamic Discs Open and the Professional Disc Golf Association Masters World Championships, and the city’s disc golf calendar regularly draws huge fields, including more than 400 players spread across Emporia courses during the 2025 Glass Blown Open.

That is why a charity round here does more than fill a Saturday. It plugs into a network of players, venues and sponsors that already exists, from Champions Landing to courses such as Jones East, Jones West and Peter Pan Park. A generic fundraiser has to build its audience from scratch. In Emporia, disc golf brings it to the tee pad and turns every laugh, loud cowbell and clean drive into money for children’s care.