More than 100 golfers hit the links on a beautiful day in April at Shula’s Golf Club in Miami Lakes. But there was one man who stood out f rom the crowd.
Big in stature and big in enthusiasm, former NBA All-Star Glen Rice enjoyed his golf game and smiled at the success of his Celebrity Golf Tournament.
“Today’s event is a win for Community Health of South Florida Inc.,” Rice said. “This tournament raises money for a children’s crisis center and anytime I can get involved to help children, I’m there!”
Community Health of South Florida Inc. (CHI) hopes to break ground this summer on the Dr. Jacquelyn T. Hartley Children’s Crisis Center at 10300 SW 216 St., Miami, FL 33190. The center would specialize in treating children who have been victimized by abuse and kids with psychological issues. Right now there is no such place in the South Dade area, causing some families to drive all the way to Hialeah from the Keys and Homestead.
Rice’s celebrity golf tournament raised about $50,000 for the new center according to Abraham Levy, CHI board treasurer and current president of the CHI Foundation. The foundation planned and sponsored the tournament.
“The people that we are talking to really are enjoying themselves and they also are very supportive of CHI and our cause,” Levy said. “We are very happy that the turnout was exceptional and that the fundraising was very good this year. Hopefully in years to come we will do much better.”
Levy was accompanied by Brodes H. Harltey Jr, president and CEO of CHI, as the two rode around in a golf cart thanking tournament participants.
“It’s a beautiful day for our foundation and what the foundation is doing to really get this Children’s Crisis unit going,” Hartley said. “There are so many people out here today and they are having fun but yet contributing funds to our organization; it is wonderful.”
It’s been a long haul to get the center going, one with many obstacles to clear. CHI has been working on making the project a reality for years.
“It had to be approved first by the board of trustees of the Public Health Trust and then it had to be approved by the Board of County Commissioners and it has been signed by the Mayor of Miami-Dade County so we are now ready to go,” Hartley added.
For 45 years, Community Health of South Florida Inc. has been providing medical care to those who would otherwise go without doctor’s visits, medication and life saving treatments. A significant percentage of CHI patients do not have the resources to pay for medical care.
CHI is a neighborhood resource that gives and goes beyond the call of duty. Its comprehensive medical services offer a wide array of care under one roof: family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, radiology, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, urgent care and much more.
