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News & Events Calendar of Events |
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As the golfer positioned himself at the tee, he told his teammate, “This could land anywhere from here to the river.” The other golfer chuckled. “I am not going swimming, I guarantee you that!” Ordinary banter on an ordinary day, but the golfers, like the other golfers making their way around the 9-hole course at Mon Valley Country Club were exceptional. Teeing off was Dr. Marc Cordero, a member of the medical staff at Monongahela Valley Hospital, who was acting as a coach to his partner, Special Olympian Chris Grandy. Twenty-five athletes from the Washington County chapter of the Pennsylvania Special Olympics and nearly 30 volunteer coaches from Monongahela Valley Hospital teed off for the Special Olympics Golf Outing, sponsored by the hospital’s Center for Children’s Rehabilitation in Monongahela. The 9-hole, shotgun-start tourney was followed by an awards ceremony and dinner at the clubhouse. “This is a great community service,” said Monongahela Valley Hospital Senior Vice President Thomas J. Cullen, as he pulled his golf bag from his car. “The athletes really enjoy this. And we look forward to it.” Cullen also expressed gratitude to the Center for Children’s Rehabilitation for its sponsorship. The Center provides specialized services to meet the rehabilitation needs of children and adolescents with physical or developmental disabilities. Physical, speech and occupational therapy, as well as developmental evaluations, are available there for young people from birth to age 21 who are diagnosed with ADHD, autism, Down syndrome, orthopedic disorders, sensory integration disorders, speech/language delays and other challenges. This was the first time the hospital has partnered with the Washington County Special Olympics and the first outing for Donna Murphy, office manager at the Children’s Center for Rehabilitation. She exchanged hugs of greeting with some of the golfers as they arrived. Most were optimistic about their chances of getting a hole-in-one. “It’s really exciting to see all
these wonderful people golfing,” Murphy said, “and all
our hospital people helping them.” “It’s an honor to be here,” said a beaming Dr. Ronald A. Lutes. “I enjoy doing these types of things, enjoy the people.” He joked and sang to his partner, Courtney Canterna, between holes, and helped her with her form when she was putting. They won a gold medal for their efforts. Golfers and their coaches took turns teeing off and alternated strokes at each hole until the ball was sunk or the maximum of 10 strokes was achieved. They scored as a team. Ruth Corrin, in a golf shirt with “Coach” embroidered on it, has volunteered for the Special Olympics for 25 or 30 years, she reckons, and treasures “the opportunity for athletes to be able to compete in an event they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.” The Mon Valley golf outing was a kickoff district event, but those who do well can move on to compete at the state or national level. “There’s some real serious golfers, and then there are others that are just having fun,” said Rehabilitation Supervisor Nancy McAuley from the Center for Children’s Rehabilitation. Special Olympics provides year-round athletic training and competition in over 20 Olympic-type sports for individuals with mental retardation. Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) accredits more than 50 county, city and area programs around the state, mostly run by volunteers. They raise funds, recruit athletes and provide training and competition. SOPA has a presence in every county, works with over 20,000 athletes and conducts three statewide competitions: Winter Games, Summer Games, and Fall Festival Games. The Washington County chapter has upwards of 100 athletes and over 300 volunteers. Jill Frazee could hardly contain herself as she jumped out of a cart near the fifth hole and strode toward a group of spectators. “You MISSED it!” she scolded her coach. “On hole No. 2, I used my five-iron, and I was this close to the hole!” She and her partner, Dr. Dennis Mateya, won a bronze in their division. Louis J. Panza Jr., Monongahela Valley Hospital president and CEO, lingered on the clubhouse porch as the players came in, chattering excitedly about the day’s sport. “I’m thrilled to see the hospital involved with this event. Sometimes it’s hard to persuade people to find the time to give, but you know, once they volunteer, they can’t wait to do it again. The athletes are great. It’s a privilege for us to be able to do this with them.” Andy Popelas, a member of the Escort team at Monongahela Valley Hospital, certainly felt that way. “My buddy – he hit it 30 feet past the pin. It stuck. Rolled back … ended up two feet from the pin!” Doug Blanda grinned and hung his head modestly. The pair took a gold at the end of the event. The matchmaker who brought the hospital and the Special Olympics together is Denise Muzina, a nutrition/food service secretary. The hospital has been sending volunteer coaches to the Southpointe Golf Outing for over a decade, and that started when Muzina, whose son Roger is a Special Olympian, asked two or three doctors to be partners for the Mon Valley athletes; then she asked administrators if anyone from the executive offices would like to participate. “They enjoyed it so much that they were competing to go every year,” Muzina explained. “We only needed three or four coaches from the hospital, so I thought, well, the kids love golf, and we have only two outings a year, and they were in the Washington area [Nemacolin Country Club and Southpointe], so maybe we could do one here in the Valley.” She approached Ray Andrews, hospital vice president for administration and support services, and asked if the hospital would help her organize a golf outing at the Mon Valley Country Club – just across the street – and he got the hospital’s executive committee on board. Then she contacted the country club, which was very willing to donate greens and carts – and a reduced-price awards dinner. Roger Muzina is a very active participant in the Special Olympics, and his mother is now the head coach for aquatics, assistant coach for basketball and has a coach’s certification for softball. “My son just wants to play sports like his brother, and Special Olympics makes that happen,” Denise Muzina said. “We as parents are involved because we have special-needs children, but when we get others involved as volunteers, they get hooked also. “I think it is wonderful that my place of employment is helping to make the lives of these special-needs children so special. I am proud to say I work at Monongahela Valley Hospital.” Roger Muzina played with the hospital’s Cullen and won a gold medal. But Denise sees beyond the competition to why the athletes embrace their rivals and the volunteers keep coming back. “There is such unconditional love and caring in these special people, it is contagious. They are always ready for a hug or just a ‘Way to go!’ when they do something, and it doesn’t matter to them if they get the gold or not; they just want to have fun. When training these young people, I always ask them if they had fun. If they answer yes, then I say to them that is what it is all about: having fun. “It is nice to win a medal, but the most important thing is that you had fun.” Judging by the smiles and applause on the
clubhouse porch, everyone did. |
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