By Lucy Franks
Playing golf on a hot summer weekday at the New Jersey National Golf Course in Basking Ridge might not seem like tough work.
But in late June, the Morristown Rotary Club teamed with Atlantic Health Systems and the Benton Invitational to raise money to bolster work on the refurbished Emergency Department at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The event also put money into the Rotary Club’s kitty for future charitable endeavors.
Atlantic Health Systems, owner of Morristown Memorial, was the official sponsor.
This third annual golf tournament represents a joint effort of the Morristown Rotary Club and The Benton Invitational, the latter started by Marc Benton, M.D., a pulmonologist with the Center for Sleep Disorders at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The fundraiser attracted more than 140 golfers and 25 volunteers.
The net proceeds totaled about $45,000, with $15,000 going to the renovation of the Emergency Department at Morristown Memorial and the remaining $30,000 going to the Rotary Club’s various fundraising efforts, according to Matt Wirths, a Morristown resident and businessman.
Dennis Morrison, newly elected Morristown Rotary Club President, said the Morristown Rotary uses the funds to support the Community Soup Kitchen, Children on the Green, Polio Plus, Camp Merry Heart for the disabled and the Gift of Life program for children needing heart surgery, among other causes.
The connection with golf is significant for Benton, a Madison resident. He co-authored a paper with Neil Friedman, an R.N. at Morristown Memorial, evaluating the cognitive impact on golfers suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
The paper reported that faithful users of an appliance designed to treat sleep apnea lowered their golf handicaps by as much as three strokes when used properly. A group of 12 golfers with moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea was part of the test group.
The paper was presented at the scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians in San Diego, from October 31 to November 5, 2009.
“In the case of this study, the possibility of improving one’s ability to play golf appears to have been a significant motivation to improve treatment compliance,” the study reported.
Matt Wirths of the Rotary Club credited the “synergy” between the club and the hospital with this fundraiser’s success.
Information about the Morristown Rotary is at https://www.morristownrotary.com.
