8th Annual Golf Outing Makes a Very Special Wish Come True

As the snowflakes fall, we reflect back upon an overcast Monday in September when 100 NECA members gathered for the 8th annual golf outing. Although not our usual sunny day, I was told the cool conditions were ideal for golf. The very next day it poured buckets. Sometimes we just get lucky.

A Day for Winners
Golfers enjoyed lunch before heading out to the arid (it hadn’t rained for weeks) Stow Acres North Course to try their luck at various prize holes and hoped to capture first place for their team. NECA President Paul Vercollone and Brian Stanikmas presided over Hole #8, overseeing contenders qualifying for the putting contest and shooting photos of golfers in their “Monday Best” (see photos). In addition Paul, very graciously donated four tickets to the upcoming Yankee/Red Sox game as a mystery prize. Team Trans-Mate comprised of Bud McDonald, Stu Levy, Steve Stockwell, and Peter Blake were only too thrilled to accept. We all know how history played out. In a thrilling series, our beloved Red Sox came from behind to beat Cleveland and win the World Series.

A very close call for first place prevailed as the tied score of 63 was broken by a birdie as the team of Car Wash Services( Frank DiTomasso, Gary Hirsh, Arnie Sancartier, Patrick Miniutti) each took home a $100 gift certificates for the pro shop. Posh Wash (Chris Zona, Bob Foye, Gary Mick, Mark Bizzozaro) received the “Almost First Place Award” with a score of 63 as well. Other prizewinners were John Dunn, the Straightest Drive on Hole #12; Bruce Everett, Closest to the Pin on Hole #16; Chris Zona, the longest drive on Hole #1; and Ryan Smith; closest to the pin on Hole #8.

Our cocktail hour putting contest was very exciting as both Ryan Smith and Tony Vaccaro sunk the ball from ten feet out, setting them up to go head to head for another try at the cash prize. Tony claimed victory from 20 feet out and donated a portion of his winnings to our charity.

Participants have asked, “ What happens to all that money collected for the outing ?” Fifty percent of raffle proceeds and all mulligan receipts go to charity. A good portion, $4,650 goes right back to participants in cash and prizes on the day of the outing, $3919 to NECA to help defray administration and member benefit costs throughout the year and a $6000 charitable donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A Very Special Child
This year’s charitable gift was especially gratifying as we were able to fulfill the wish of a child in our NECA “family”, the grandson of Margaret Marnon who works in the NECA office. Austin DiTonno, better known as Aussie, is an incredibly spirited and brave four year old who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on April 21, 2005. This past summer, he completed chemotherapy after more then 150 injections, over 13 lumber punctures and 2 bone marrow aspirates. Since Aussie finished treatment he has been able to regularly attend pre-school, which he loves, play soccer with great enthusiasm and travel to Washington, DC.

Aussie’s life threatening disease made him eligible for a Make-A-Wish trip. One in five children with Aussie’s diagnosis do not survive. His wish was to go to Disney World with his parents and big brother Jack Paul. In November, the family spent seven magical days in Florida and will report back with his experiences and photos in the spring. Thank you to all who helped make the wish of this very special child, from a very special family, come true. If you would like to read more about Aussie and his family’s journey with Leukemia go to http://www.carepages.com/. His site is called “allaboutaustin”. He is also featured on the “Stories of Inspiration” section under Pediatric Cancer.

It takes a lot of hands to make it work
A very big thank you to our sponsors, the many who have contributed since the very first outing and the many newcomers who have taken a major role. Without golfers there would be no outing, so we thank you all for your support of this great event that fosters car wash camaraderie and promotes charitable contributions. It’s nice to know we made a difference.

Of course thanks so much to those who lent a helping hand: Roger Edwards for his golf expertise in planning the outing and providing amazing raffle prizes, Brian Stanikmas for manning Hole #8, Steve Sause as photographer extraordinaire, Paul Vercollone helping with registration and taking the fabulously funny foursome photos, and Chris Zona for superbly promoting our raffle.

Stay tuned for next year’s details, new venue and more fun! Don’t miss the next outing. It’s a great time. Don’t golf? No worries - neither do I. Come and volunteer, or just join the crew for cocktails and dinner. Let your committee know if you have any ideas - we welcome all suggestions to make NECA’s 9th Annual Golf Outing the very best!