Samaritan in Moorestown raised $215,000 at its 32nd annual golf tournament “Drive FORE! A Good Cause” on June 27.
“We are the very fortunate beneficiaries of a great deal of community goodwill,” said the nonprofit’s Chief Development Officer Chris Rollins.
The tournament was sponsored by The Richardson Family Dealerships, with proceeds going to the Samaritan’s comprehensive family of services that enhance the lives of those coping with aging, serious illness or grief. Two-hundred golfers participated.
“We pride ourselves on two things and take (very) seriously (two things),” Rollins noted. “One is to provide recognition and visibility and some return to our sponsors … The second thing that we work really hard to do is to provide a great experience for our golfers each year …
“Our volunteers really make that possible.”
Samaritan serves Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties and is now one of the state’s leading providers of hospice care, palliative (comfort) medicine, at-home primary care, grief support and counseling, advanced illness care, education and advocacy.
This year’s golf tournament helped raise both awareness of Samaritan’s mission and funds for the essential services it provides. Rollins explained where he believes the inspiration for the event came from.
“I would suspect that a golf tournament, not unlike a gala, is a pretty traditional kind of event,” he said the day of the event. “ … My guess is, if we set the clock back 32 years, we’d find a group not unlike the volunteers that surround us today, not unlike our all-volunteer board at Samaritan that said, ‘Hey, what could we do to enhance our charitable mission?’”
Rollins is inspired by the many people who support the golf tournament.
“I would like them to know that they’re making a difference,” he said. “That (that) support will make a difference tomorrow in the care and the lives of over 500 patients and their families that are in our care every day.”
“We are a local, not-for-profit organization,” Rollins added. “While that might seem obvious, it’s really important … Samaritan is here to provide benefit(s) to the community …
“Not-for-profit hospices do more for their patients and families, and they’re able to do that because of philanthropy.”
For more information on Samaritan or its golf tournament, visit samaritannj.org.
