DRIVING CHANGE

How Jami Morris Turned Golf Into a Force for Good

By Valeri Furst

At 23, Jami Morris has already built something most people spend a lifetime chasing: impact.

A standout golfer from Chagrin Falls who won two OHSAA Division II state championships as a student at Laurel School before going on to play for Penn State, Morris has turned her love of the game into Hit Fore Hope, a nonprofit that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research and patient support.

But golf wasn’t always the plan. Morris tried the sport at eight, but it didn’t stick. She was far more interested in basketball and baseball, even playing on boys’ teams because she was so good. Then, at a Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) game, her older sister was hit by a foul ball. Although she wasn’t seriously injured, Morris stepped away from baseball and focused on basketball — a path that proved short-lived.

“I loved basketball, but in seventh grade, I was five foot two inches tall. There was no real future, so I started playing golf as well,” Morris says. 

She practiced daily — outside or in her basement — competed year-round and helped lead Laurel to the Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament each season. Individually, she won state titles as both a sophomore and a senior.

The goal was always to earn a scholarship. Recruited by more than 20 programs, Morris chose Penn State for its Division I golf program and strong business curriculum, majoring in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship.

But it was something happening off the course that would ultimately shape her path.

Her mother, Dana, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and underwent chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation before receiving a clean bill of health in 2013. Four years later, she faced a new diagnosis: lymphoma. Initially, her doctors advised that treatment wasn’t yet necessary. But just weeks before the world shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a scan revealed the cancer had advanced. Chemotherapy followed, which wasn’t fully effective, so Dana started immunotherapy to prepare her body for a stem cell transplant. She underwent the transplant and later completed additional rounds of immunotherapy. 

At the time, hospital restrictions meant Morris couldn’t always be there for her mother.

“Our world was already turning upside down because of COVID,” she says. “It was, as I like to call it, a double bogey.”

Dana spent about 30 days in the hospital, much of it without family by her side. Morris helped where she could, driving her to treatments when possible and staying close in the ways she could, but some of the hardest moments were the ones she had to endure from a distance.

“It was tough,” Morris says. “But it brought our family even closer together.”

Dana is now in remission.

During that time, faith and community took on new significance. Morris found herself wrestling with hard questions — why her mother, someone so full of goodness, had to face cancer not once but twice. The answers didn’t come easily. What stayed with her instead was something else: the way people showed up.

“The support, kindness, and sense of community we felt made a lasting impression on me,” she says.

That experience changed how she thought about her future. She had long wanted to combine sports with something meaningful; now, the reason was clear. The question became how to make it real.

The answer began to take shape in 2018, when Morris qualified for the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, a junior golf competition held before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Course. Watching the structure and energy of the event, she saw an opportunity: What if she could create something similar, but for a cause?

During her sophomore year at Penn State, she launched Hit Fore Hope. In addition to raffle baskets, the event’s main attraction is a skills competition in which each participant takes three drives, three chips and three putts. Scores are totaled, and the top performers in each division — advanced, intermediate and beginner, separated by gender — win.

“I wanted to do something different than a traditional golf outing,” she says. “I started reaching out to Beechmont Country Club, making calls, sending emails and posting on social media to build a community of people who had been impacted by cancer — which is pretty much everyone.”

The first event, held July 10, 2022, exceeded her expectations. Morris’ goal was to raise $10,000 -$12,000. Instead, the event brought in more than $74,000.

Momentum followed. Morris has since hosted three additional events and, in 2025, added a pickleball tournament, tapping into the sport’s growing popularity. In total, Hit Fore Hope has raised close to half a million dollars.

Proceeds support University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, funding research as well as practical needs like transportation, meals and care packages for patients undergoing stem cell transplants.

Morris sees a clear connection between the organization she’s built and the values she was raised with. Growing up Jewish, she absorbed an ethic of showing up for others and being part of something larger than yourself — what’s sometimes called tikkun olam, the idea of repairing the world. Hit Fore Hope, she says, is her way of living that out.

“It’s not just about raising money,” she says. “It’s about creating a sense of comfort, strength, and connection during a time that can feel incredibly isolating.”

Her impact has not gone unnoticed. In 2025, during her senior year at Penn State, Morris was named one of 60 student-athletes nationwide recognized by Allstate Insurance and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics for community service — an honor that brought her to Los Angeles for the ESPN ESPY Awards.

She almost didn’t go.

“It was just a week before our event, so I was a little worried about the timing—but my mom told me there was no way I could miss the ESPYS. She was right—it ended up being one of the most special days.”

At the ESPYs, she found herself in a room full of athletes using their platforms for something bigger than the game.

“Being surrounded by so many inspiring athletes and individuals who are using their platforms for good was incredibly powerful,” she says. “What stood out most in those interactions was how genuine they all were.”

She met figures like Peloton’s Robin Arzón, former Ohio State (and current Pittsburgh Steeler) quarterback Will Howard and ESPN sportscaster Kirk Herbstreit — but more than the names, it was the shared sense of purpose that stayed with her.

“It reinforced the idea that when we come together, we can make a difference.”

Now a Penn State graduate, Morris is focused on growing Hit Fore Hope beyond Northeast Ohio, with plans to expand into markets like New Jersey, Florida and California, where she has personal connections.

As for golf, she hasn’t ruled anything out — but for now, her priorities are clear.

“I would rather do something that makes the world a better place and has a stronger impact overall,” she says. “Maybe one day I’ll come back to it more seriously. But right now, this is what matters.”

The 2026 Hit Fore Hope event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m on July 20, 2026, at Beechmont Country Club. For more information or to register, visit hitforehope.org.