The genesis of The Gimmick was this: Young was being asked to participate in numerous charity dinners and golf events that were organized by charity organizations. The charities were spending months and thousands of dollars for a fund-raising event that would raise relatively small amounts of money. As Tanner tells it, "Steve finally told them, 'You're wasting your time. Let us raise the money, use my name, and we'll get companies to donate what you're paying for, and instead of raising $5,000 we'll raise $200,000. We'll raise the money, and you do what you do best, which is research and working with kids."

Most charities believe that if they can get 15 minutes in front of a CEO or a potential donor, they will usually donate. "The challenge is getting that 15 minutes, because there are thousands of charities out there that want the same thing," says Tanner. "Steve's name opens the door. He says, 'Put my name on the deal. I understand that people are willing to do things to come and rub shoulders with celebrities, so let me be The Gimmick. Put me out there, and we'll have people behind the scenes who are doing great work with children, and we'll let them keep doing that.' "

Young makes public appearances for Forever Young or other charities, which gets media attention, and he meets with or calls potential donors when Tanner thinks he needs Young's clout to close the deal. Young and Tanner invited potential donors to his Hall of Fame induction and paid for their hotels and other amenities. By the end of the week, one man agreed to donate $600,000 annually to FYF.

"We were ecstatic for two reasons," says Tanner. "One, the money, and two, here was a guy who was obviously successful who put this kind of confidence in Forever Young. Like Steve says, we just have to be good stewards with the money."

As Young pulls up in his cart, several children — beneficiaries of Forever Young's efforts — are playing on the tee box. A few of them are wrapped from the neck down in bandages underneath their clothing in the middle of summer.

"Have you heard of EB (epidermolysis bullosa)?" Young asks. "It's a skin disease. It's the worst thing that can happen to a human being. The skin just falls off."

Watching Young visit with the kids while golfers hit their shots, Tanner notes: "You should see him at the (Steve Young) Ski Classic (at Snowbird). The kids are crawling on him in the snow. I've had people who work with kids tell me they have never seen anyone so engaging and comfortable with the kids. He walks into a room and they gravitate to him, and many don't know (he was the famous quarterback). I think his insecurities as a child make him more sensitive to kids who are scared."