Community Spotlight: CRMC Hosts Driving For Hospice Golf Tournament

Playing a little golf and having a little fun, while also raising money for a good cause, was what CRMC’s inaugural Driving for Hospice was all about.

“Hospice provides support to patients and families at the end of their life. It puts them in charge of how they want to live their last weeks and days,” said Kyle Bauer, CEO at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center. “And this tournament is here to support that.”

The tournament was an 18-hole best ball scramble and was held at Cuyuna Rolling Hills Golf Course in Deerwood. Even though it was only the first Driving for Hospice tournament, they had 27 teams signed up, making it the largest tournament the golf course had hosted.

“It’s wonderful to get this type of participation, and obviously, it strikes a chord with the community to come out and support us, and we appreciate that,” added Bauer.

The money raised at the tournament goes to support the CRMC Home Health and Hospice Program.

“We put in nurses, we put in social workers, we put in home-health aids. We have clergy that go into the home. We work with pharmacists. We work with this team group that come in to help support the people at the end of their life,” explained Brenda Wills, Director of CRMC Home Health and Hospice Program.

Many of the golfers participated because they have seen the first-hand impact hospice makes on families.

“People need caring people around them when they are at that point. I’ve had my dad have cancer and so I know what it’s like,” said tournament participant Craig Guerra.

The funds raised from the scramble will allow the hospice program to provide medications, home-care equipment, and palliative comfort care to their patients across the Crow Wing and Aitkin County area.

“We’ve got such great support from our community. It means the world to us, and I hope that we’re able to make a huge difference for those patients that we take care of out in the homes,” added Wills. “It’s important for us. It’s a wonderful service.”

The first Driving for Hospice was a huge success, and the staff at CRMC is already looking forward to next year.