HART COUNTY — Thirty teams already have signed up to play in the Kate Stephens Memorial Golf Tournament on July 25, and the organizers are looking for more teams to sign up.

The golf tournament, sponsored by the AutoZone in Lavonia and friends of the family, will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Hartwell Golf Course. Registration and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m., said Tina Tucker, an event planner and human resources advisor at AutoZone.

All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Stephens family.

Madeline “Kate” Stephens, 7, of Toccoa died on July 13 at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston after receiving treatment for an undiagnosed condition. Her mother, Wendy, said that Madeline suffered a stroke as well as a series of seizures, and eventually the child’s kidneys shut down. Doctors believe the Madeline may have suffered from a mitochondrial disease, Stephens said.

She said that the golf tournament means a lot to members of her family.

“It is never about the money,” she said. “It is enough that people care enough to come out for a little girl and put in their time and energy for somebody that they don’t even know. There are still a lot of caring people in the world.”

Madeline was a member of the Toccoa Church of God and was a rising second-grader at Big A Elementary School in Eastanollee at the time of her death, Stephens said. Stephens would like, she said, to use the proceeds from the tournament to start a fund for research into the disease from which Madeline suffered.

Mark Osborne, an operations manager at AutoZone, led the planning for the tournament. Tucker said watching the community come together to organize the event was inspiring.

“It is just the right thing to do,” Tucker said. “You see someone in need and what they have been through as a family, and you want to help them out in any way possible.”

The golf tournament will involve three-person teams. The registration charge is $150 for a team and $50 per person. Tucker would like to see at least five to 10 more teams sign up for the tournament, she said.

Prizes will be awarded to teams in first through third place, and door prizes as well a putting contest are planned. The prizes, donated by members of the community, include gift certificates to area restaurants and golf stores.

The registration fee includes the cost of lunch, which will be provided before the tournament.

Call Tucker at (706) 356-7068 to find out more.