Hospice Tourney Hits The Green

To the Editor:

On September 20, after two postponements from Hurricane Irene and a tropical storm, a dream team of volunteers launched The 2011 Inaugural Golf Tournament for Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western CT, Inc at Ridgewood Country Club.

Volunteer Chip Neumann put together a dedicated, generous team of professionals, who rolled up their sleeves, pulled in their friends and met Mother Nature head-on for the benefit of Regional Hospice. Jerry Benziger, Kelley Clancy, Brian Crotty, Patty Dyer, Jim Foley, Dan Lombardo, George Mulvaney, MaryBeth Prunty, Meg and Larry Riefberg and Lisa Ryan all stepped up to the tee and netted $100,000 for Regional Hospice — the rain even subsided as golfers hit the links!

Chip’s vision to do something truly spectacular for Regional Hospice came as the nonprofit agency nurtures a vision and dream of its own. While our agency offers real hope and optimum quality of life to patients and families facing advanced illnesses, we are also listening to them and envisioning ways to better respond to their needs. We share a dream to support families with in-patient hospice residence care and our Healing Hearts bereavement center all under the same roof, while continuing to provide our current gold standard of hospice and palliative care.

Fairfield County Bank joined the dream team as the event’s major sponsor, along with the generosity of co-sponsors Praxair; O’Connor, Davies, Munns & Dobbins; Morgan Stanley; Branson Ultrasonics; The Bissell House; Mercedes Benz of Danbury; Walker Inspection Services; Broadview Networks; Southridge Technology; Mitler, Mercaldo & Braun; Base Technologies; Mark Gold & Family; and Leslie and Rich Hume.

On behalf of the staff and volunteers of Regional Hospice and Home Care, my warmest thanks to this exceptional team of volunteers, Mayor Mark Boughton, our esteemed auctioneer-in-chief that evening, and all of our generous sponsors, donors, golfers and guests who made our inaugural tournament such a huge success.

Great dreams need great teams — and great friends. I am deeply grateful to all of our friends who turned a soggy Tuesday morning into a truly spectacular day for every family that needs us.

Cynthia Roy Squitieri

President & CEO

Regional Hospice and

Home Care of Western CT, Inc

405 Main Street, Danbury                                          October 14, 2011