By Rich Winter

605 Sports

MILLER — When Miller High School junior-to-be Jayce Pugh was a little girl she remembers her younger sister, Jordyn, receiving a dollhouse from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Jordyn Pugh lost an eye to retinal glaucoma and her older sister distinctly remembers the joy that gift brought to her sibling.

“They built that playhouse in our backyard and I remember everything about the moment my sister saw her wish granted,” Jayce Pugh said. “We spent a lot of hours out there in our yard playing with that dollhouse.”

Five years ago, Pugh’s commitment to the Make-A-Wish foundation took an unexpected twist when the Pugh family, led by-then elementary school student Jayce, decided to start a fundraising golf tournament. The Kids Fore A Wish tournament was born in the summer of 2020 and has been gaining momentum every year.

“We just wanted to do something to give back to the organization,” Pugh said. 

In the next few weeks Pugh and her younger sister, best friend Kaihlyn Anderberg, along with Avery and Emma Pugh will figure out the formula for success in this year’s tournament. Last year the girls raised over $30,000 and over the five years the youth have raised more than $100,000.

Miller's Jayce Pugh finished second at the recently completed Class B state golf tournament - Ryan Deal / 605 Sports

Pugh’s enthusiasm for the event spills over to the other team members. 

“I just like doing it because it is one way to help our community and a community somewhere else,” Anderberg said. “It can make a small difference or a big difference and either way it’s fun to do.”

At last year’s tournament, there were games throughout the day, pin prizes, and an all-day auction. 

As the summer calendar turns to July the team of young people will begin asking local businesses for donations. Businesses are able to construct gift baskets of their own accord and by the time the tournament rolls around in August even the freshly picked sweet corn makes it into the fundraising process.

In addition to the money raised the team has given away two wishes.

“One was for a little boy that took a fishing trip to Alaska,” Pugh said. “The other one was a dollhouse for a girl in Mitchell. We were able to see her reaction when she got the gift and that was pretty cool when she realized what she got.”

A large gathering of participants gather for a previous Kids Fore A Wish tournament - Courtesy Photo
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