Sixty members and guests of the Chester River Yacht & Country Club just outside of Chestertown participated in the eighth annual Pink Polar Bear golf tournament on July 28, 2019. The event raised $2,325 to benefit the patients served in the Eleanor & Ethel Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.
Tournament co-chair Gwinn Derricott, who is also a hospital volunteer said, “Everyone says that this is the most fun tournament they play in because of the format and the camaraderie. We’ve come a long way from a group of nine and 18-hole lady golfers,” she continued. “We’re looking forward to many more tournaments, which are held every year on the last Sunday in July.”
Jane Hukill, tournament co-chair, hospital volunteer and Chester River Health Foundation board member said, “We call it the Pink Polar Bear tournament because early on, it was explained to us that finding breast cancer can be like trying to find a polar bear in a blizzard. When we saw the capabilities of tomosynthesis in mammography, we had to do our part to support the continued availability of this state-of-the-art technology in Chestertown!”
“Many of the prizes and volunteers were provided by the 9-hole and 18-hole ladies’golf groups at Chester River Yacht & Country Club,” continued Hukill. “The support of the Chester River Health Foundation, the club’s members (many of whom have returned each year to participate in this popular tournament), and the very helpful support of the Golf Pro, Scott Stokes, continue to make this one of our strongest support efforts for the Leh Women’s Center.”
Players in the annual Pink Polar Bear Golf Tournament held on July 28 at the Chesapeake Yacht and Country Club.
This year’s winners include: Rich & Paddy Tobey and Peter & Stephanie Murphy – first place low net; Andrew Carroll; Casey Hurd; Rob Thompson and Matt Williams – second place low net; Bob Basener, Jim Harbeson, Ted Lazoand Marilyn Parks – third place low net; Craig Austin, J. Baker; S. Baker and Olsen – fourth place low net; Ginger Collier and Jim Harbeson – Closest to the Pin; and Cindy Thorpe and Ted Lazo -Straightest Drive. The 50/50 raffle winner, Kevin Coveney, donated back 100% of his winnings, as did all the cash prize winners.
According to Kelly Bottomley, Shore Regional Health’s regional manager for imaging, “Mammography is the medical ‘gold standard’ to identify breast cancer in both men and women.” The Eleanor & Ethel Leh Women’s Center was the first facility on the Delmarva Peninsula to offer 3-D digital mammography with tomosynthesis capabilities, which can find breast cancer at the earliest-possible stage. In 2018, the Center performed 2,594 mammograms. The Leh Center also offers bone density and BMI (body mass index) evaluation services, as well as breast and breast reconstruction surgeries as well as other plastic and reconstruction surgeries.
“Since the tournament’s inception, it has raised $18,156, in support of our patients served at The Leh Center,” Bottomley said. “We are very grateful for our community’s continued support of our patients and the Eleanor & Ethel Leh Women’s Center.”
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.