KNIGHTSTOWN — An organization supporting programs aimed at improving the mental and physical health of the Hancock County community recently saw a boost to its bottom line.
Hancock Health’s 40th-annual golf benefit, held recently at Royal Hylands Golf Club in Knightstown, raised some $44,000 toward its community health endeavors, which include the Hancock County Trails Plan, the Healthy Harvest mobile farmers market and educational course to help first-responders react to someone in crisis.
Nearly 200 golfers participated in the Florida scramble-type golf fundraiser, raising twice the amount of last year’s event, said Allyson Smith, Hancock Health Foundation manager.
The Hancock Health Foundation, formerly known as the Hancock Regional Hospital Foundation, was established in 1982 to support the advancement of health and wellness in Hancock County, according to the Hancock Health website. Through awards, scholarships and dedicated funds, the nonprofit works to help the county become a healthier place, according to the website.
This was the first year the foundation’s golf fundraiser was held at Royal Hylands Golf Club, said Nancy Davis, foundation executive director. The owner of the course, Jon Smith, is a donor to the foundation, she added.
“They seemed happy to have us, and we were happy to be there,” she said.
Foundation officials provided a box lunch to participants, as well as a prime rib dinner at the end of the evening, Smith said. Hancock Regional Hospital catering manager Ty Hunt provided the meals for the event, while foundation associates kept golfers hydrated by driving a beverage cart around the course.
The golf event spanned the whole day at the Knightstown golf course, with 48 teams competing for prizes and prestige. The benefit sold out three weeks before the day it was held, Smith said; there were also a record number of sponsors.
Foundation staff members were thrilled to see the event’s success, as the funding directly supports programs aimed at helping the community live healthier lives.
“I’m thankful we could raise as much as we did for our community health programs this year,” Davis said.
The Hancock Health Foundation Golf Benefit is the organization’s second-largest annual fundraiser after the Women Helping Women gala, Smith said.
