BayCare Kids Shine at LPGA's The ANNIKA, Raising Support for Neonatal Care

November 25, 2025
A young girl kneels beside a golf professional, and while holding hands, points to her hand-drawn designs on a pair of custom white sneakers during The Annika.
LPGA legend Annika Sörenstam and 5-year-old Hazel admire the custom "Kicks for a Cause" sneakers featuring Hazel’s artwork, “Happy Hearts,” created to support BayCare Kids at this year’s The ANNIKA.

 

BayCare Kids played a prominent role at this year’s The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, an LPGA event held Nov. 12–16 in Belleair, Florida. The tournament celebrated BayCare’s commitment to compassionate, high-quality care for children while generating awareness and support for neonatal and pediatric services.

Two meaningful initiatives — “Kicks for a Cause” and “Birdies for Babies” — specifically honored BayCare’s youngest patients.

“Kicks for a Cause”: Turning Art into Advocacy
A new partnership between BayCare, Gainbridge and tournament officials this year, “Kicks for a Cause” brought color and inspiration to the Wednesday Pro-Am. Nine patient ambassadors created artwork that was transformed into custom golf shoes. LPGA athletes and special guests proudly wore these designs and met with the BayCare Kids and their families during the Pro-Am event. 

For 5-year-old Hazel, whose “happy hearts”-inspired shoes were worn by tournament namesake Annika Sörenstam, the experience was unforgettable. Hazel, a patient at The Patel Heart Institute at BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, was born with an atrial septal defect — a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of her heart — and underwent a heart procedure in July. 

The other BayCare Kids Ambassadors included:

  • Ryder, age 12 – a patient at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s Chronic Complex Clinic
  • Adelaide, age 17 – a former patient at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) 
  • Genevieve, age 17 – a former patient at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital’s NICU and current patient of The Patel Heart Institute at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital
  • Emmanuel, age 10 – a patient at The Bayless Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital
  • Kinsley, age 8 – a former patient at Mease Countryside Hospital’s NICU
  • Rocco, age 7 – a former patient at Morton Plant Hospital’s NICU
  • Dasher, age 8 – a former patient at Morton Plant Hospital’s NICU
  • Carter, age 4 – a former patient at The Bayless Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital

The “Kicks for a Cause” partnership was supported by Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation.

A man and a young boy stand smiling beside a large “Birdies for Babies” sign at the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican event.
Ryder and his dad visit the "Birdies for Babies" BayCare Long Putt Challenge at The ANNIKA, which raises awareness for neonatal services through the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation.

“Birdies for Babies” and a Visit from Annika  
Now in its sixth year, “Birdies for Babies” continues to garner support for BayCare’s tiniest patients. The tournament pledges donations for every birdie and eagle scored, along with fan participation in the “BayCare Long Putt Challenge” to benefit neonatal care at BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater and Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor. 

“What stands out to me each year is the heart behind this partnership,” said Brenda Carvalho, director of Patient Services–Women’s Services at Morton Plant and Mease Countryside hospitals. “The ANNIKA doesn’t just raise funds through ‘Birdies for Babies’ — it empowers our health care teams to improve the outcomes of BayCare Kids. For the children and newborns in our care, this support brings hope to life by strengthening the resources our teams rely on to help kids thrive.” 

Since its launch in 2020, “Birdies for Babies” has generated more than $360,000 to support neonatal services. This year’s donations, presented to the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Foundation, will fund: 

  • An infant cooling system at Morton Plant Hospital — helping protect newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) by gently cooling the brain to reduce long-term damage.
  • A newborn simulator at Mease Countryside Hospital — a realistic training tool that allows clinical teams to practice life-saving skills.
     
 
A female golf professional speaks with a mother holding her small newborn inside a NICU room at Morton Plant Hospital.
Annika Sörenstam visits with a mother and her newborn in the NICU at Morton Plant Hospital, where proceeds from The ANNIKA help support neonatal care.

During tournament week, Sörenstam visited the neonatal intensive care unit at Morton Plant Hospital where she met with families, shared her experiences and offered encouragement drawn from her own story of her son’s 57-day stay in a NICU. 

Learn more: Pediatric services at BayCare

 

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