Pink Polar Bear Tourney Golfers Raise Over $3,000 for Leh Women’s Center at Chestertown Hospital

Chestertown, MD – Eighty-eight members and guests of the Chester River Yacht & Country Club participated in the recent seventh annual Pink Polar Bear golf tournament, which raised $3,053 to benefit the patients served in the Eleanor & Ethel Leh Women’s Center at UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown.

Tournament co-chair and hospital volunteer Gwinn Derricott said, “Everyone says that this is the most fun tournament they play in because of the format and the camaraderie. We’ve come a long way from a group of nine and 18-hole lady golfers,” she continued. “We’re looking forward to many more tournaments.”

Since the tournament’s inception, it has raised $15,831 in support of the patients served at the Leh Center.

Jane Hukill, tournament co-chair and also a hospital volunteer said, “We call it the Pink Polar Bear tournament because early on, it was explained to us that finding breast cancer can be like trying to find a polar bear in a blizzard. When we saw the capabilities of the tomosynthesis in mammography, we had to do our part to support the continued availability of this state-of-the-art technology in Chestertown.”

“Many of the prizes and volunteers were provided by the 9-hole and 18-hole Ladies Golf groups at Chester River Yacht & Country Club,” continued Hukill. “The support of the Chester River Health Foundation, the club’s members (many of whom return each year to participate in this popular tournament) and the very helpful support of the Golf Pro, Scott Stokes, continue to make this one of our strong support efforts for the Leh Women’s Center.”

According to Kelly Bottomley, Shore Regional Health’s interim regional director for imaging, “Mammography is the medical ‘gold standard’ to identify breast cancer.”

The Eleanor & Ethel Leh Women’s Center, which opened in October 2013, was the first facility on the Delmarva Peninsula to offer 3-D digital mammography with tomosynthesis, which can find breast cancer at the earliest-possible stage. In 2017, the Center performed 2,622 mammograms. The Leh Center also offers bone density and BMI (body mass index) evaluation services, breast surgery and breast reconstruction surgery.

“I love the Pink Polar Bear group,” Bottomley added. “We are very grateful for our community’s continued support of our patients and the Eleanor & Ethel Leh Women’s Center.”
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~ Shore Regional Health

About the Photo:
Pink Polar Bear Golf Tournament competitors are shown at the Chester River Yacht & Country Club.