Golfers hit the green to support homeless working families

This spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality in Bergen County, we had a difficult decision to make about the Family Promise Golf Outing to support homeless working families, which was planned for early June. We reached out to many of our sponsors and golfers to ask if we should cancel or postpone until later in the summer, in the hopes that things would be better by then. The response was overwhelming – they all asked us to postpone the event and pledged their support! After much planning with Edgewood Country Club about how to make the event safe for everyone, the 21st Annual Family Promise Golf Outing was held on August 24, 2020. It was a spectacular and safe day – and our most successful golf outing to date! We hosted 101 golfers for a great day on the course, with all meals served outdoors and safety protocols in place. The weather called for thunderstorms, but instead we had only blue skies, white clouds and a beautiful sunset as we enjoyed cocktails and dinner outdoors, with tables safely distanced. Many guests commented that this was the first event they had attended in months, but that they felt safe and were happy to support Family Promise.

Thank you to our generous sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Bogota Savings Bank Charitable Foundation; Platinum Sponsor M&T Bank; Gold Sponsors Lakeland Bank, PKF O’Connor Davies, PSE&G and Schreiber Foods International. Luncheon sponsors were The Leyva Family and Rick Mueller of Edelman Financial Engines and PNC Wealth Management sponsored Dinner and provided a sleeve of golf balls to every golfer.

The day was made even more special with a Hole in One contest sponsored by the Matthew 18:5 Foundation with a prize of a 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport, provided by Paul Miller Land Rover of Parsippany. Our silent auction included outings at several renowned golf courses, including the exclusive Due Process Stables in Colts Neck, which was a hotly contested item! Proximo Spirits sponsored both a vodka and whiskey tasting station on the course for golfers to enjoy.

Although no one was lucky enough to win the Hole in One contest, we did award several skill prizes. Each winner received a gift certificate from the Pro Shop:

1st Place (61) – Peter Linn, Phil Reicherz, Greg Mueller, & Brian Durkin

2nd Place (62) – Brian Hanse, Patrick Anderson, Matt Wisniewski, & Aubrey Simbanyoni

Men’s Closest to the Pin #3 (4ft 2in) – Josh Lipsey

Men’s Long Drive #8 – Alex Parlamis

Women’s Closest to the Pin #16 (44ft 10in) – Gail Nimmo

Women’s Long Drive #17 – Kelsea Masterson

“Middle of the Pack” Winners:

12th Place (69) – Paul Shackford, Bill Haggerty, Rob Gross, & Mark Mintz

13th Place (69) – Rachel Votto, Tom Hoffman, Aaron Boyajian, & Matt Blanz

14th Place (70) – Matthew Langer, Bruce Dexter, Kevin Pace, & Kent Krudys

Thank you to everyone who supported Family Promise!

By Jane He