When I first told Danielle Marshman Williamson that I thought we should have a golf tournament to raise money for our Out of the Darkness walk, she looked at me like I was crazy.

That was more than six months ago, when we first sat down to discuss how Team Chenango was going to raise enough money participate in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s 18-mile dusk ‘til dawn walk to raise money for depression and suicide awareness and prevention.

Danielle walked last year in Boston, and this year a whole crew of us will be walking with her from June 4 to 5 in New York City. There’s a catch, though. In order for us all to walk, we have to raise at least $10,000. Hence our little brainstorming session.

In the end, I talked our dear team captain around to my way of thinking and Team Chenango’s inaugural Out of the Darkness Golf Tournament was born.

Neither of us had ever planned a charity golf event before, so the process required a lot of hand holding. Thankfully, the lovely Cara Bradley from Blue Stone Golf Course in Oxford was more than up for the task.

There was also a bit of arm twisting – not to mention begging, badgering and cajoling – as we, um, encouraged everyone we knew (and some we didn’t) to support our cause.