Kelser Charity Golf Tournament Raises Funds For Cognitive Health Care

GLASTONBURY, CT — The 27th Annual Kelser Charity Challenge, which took place Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, once again brought together people from various organizations and backgrounds to support a worthy cause.

The golf tournament raised both funds and awareness for the Hospital for Special Care’s Center for Cognitive Health. On a balmy, mid-September day, 120 golfers and dozens of volunteers enjoyed a day filled with good-natured competition, fun, and food during the event.

The tournament, held at Indian Hill Country Club in Newington, Conn., is organized by Glastonbury-based managed IT services consulting firm Kelser Corporation. Kelser’s annual golf outing has become a highly anticipated one in the crowded field of fall charity golf tournaments, encompassing Kelser employees, partners, customers, and friends.

Many of this year’s golfers are long-time participants, with several having been a part of the event since its early years.

Over the years, the Kelser Foundation has raised upwards of $1.2 million for various local charitable causes. Kelser has made New Britain-based Center for Cognitive Health its tournament beneficiary since 2017. While the final numbers for this year’s event have yet to come in, Kelser has raised $227,450 for the Center over the last seven years.

Kelser Corporation CEO Barry Kelly said the reason Kelser has been so committed to hosting the tournament every year is simply “because it’s so important to give back, and to give back to something we care about.”

Kelly noted that he and a number of other Kelser staff have been directly impacted by the devastating effects on loved ones of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive issues. He said the HFSC stands out for its care and treatment of patients.

“You can actually walk in the door and see what your contribution has done. You walk in the door and it’s clearly more of a community than a hospital,” said Kelly, adding, “It’s a different type of vibe. They take on cases that other hospitals won’t.”

Dr. Anthony Rinaldi, co-director of the HFSC’s Center for Cognitive Health, says of the Center, “We take a holistic approach to treating individuals that are aging regarding their brain health. Some of the conditions we treat include Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, as well as patients who have had a history of stroke or brain injury.”

Kelser’s donations from the tournament were instrumental in the HFSC’s Center for Cognitive Health being able to launch in the fall of 2018.

Rinaldi says the funds raised through the annual Kelser golf event are significant in helping the CFCH continue to meet its mission of serving aging patients with cognitive decline and related conditions.

“These funds are critical for expanding the offering and services of the Hospital for Special Care. Because we are a non-profit agency, we rely heavily on contributions and events like these to help ensure that we can provide services and access to the highest quality professionals for our patients,” he continued.

The lively event featured lunch, snacks and beverages around the 18-hole course, and raffle entries for a chance to win cash and prizes at different holes along the course, including a $10,000 hole-in-one purse at hole 17.

Participants and volunteers also enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner reception and awards ceremony featuring raffle prizes and a silent auction. The laughter continued through the evening festivities thanks to local radio personality David Fisch, who once again emceed the event.

Fisch is the afternoon personality from 3-7pm on 102.9 The Whale WDRC-FM. Professional Long Drive Champion Isaiah Joyner helped support the cause, helping to raise $2,560 on the long drive hole alone.

Dr. Adrian Chan, a neurologist at the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at HFSC, says they offer “services for multiple approaches—from patients who require speech therapy, cognitive assessment like neurological testing, as well as physical therapy and occupational therapy—to help them and make sure we can get the brain to function properly.”

Chan says events such as the Kelser Charity Challenge are important in raising awareness and support for these services.

Next year’s event will take place on Sept. 9, 2025. While no one snagged the $10,000 hole-in-one prize, many other prizes were handed out at this year’s event.

Prizes were awarded for long drive for men and women; closest to the pin; closest to the line; top three teams gross and net; and the event’s signature feature, the “heli drop,” where golf balls are dropped from a hovering helicopter onto the golf course.

The tournament, which has recently adopted the Callaway Scoring System, awarded prizes to the following teams and individuals:

1st Gross Team (Evans, Pires & Leonard Insurance Agency): Marnie Evans, Mike Piergallini, Kevin Evans and Tim Evans; 2nd Gross Team (Minnechaug Tree Service): Mike Presta, Chris Gilbert, Gregg Ciraldo and Tr Marcinczak; 3rd Gross Team (Hybrid Pathways): Dan Levasseur, Roger Levasseur, Tom Hazen and Joe Joyce.

1st Net Team (HP): John MacPhee, Tom Brown, Justin Newman and Steve White; 2nd Net Team (friends of Kelser): Mike Flythe, Marcel Ouellette, Alan Flythe and Adam Kaplan; 3rd Net Team (friends of Kelser): Susan Fuller, John Fuller, Gene Ciarleglio and Jim Cavanaugh.

Closest to the Pin: Tr Marcinczak

Closest to the Line: Sherriann Martin (Kelser)

Long Drive Men: Trevor Mogielnicki (Hospital For Special Care)

Long Drive Women: Victoria Karam (Robert Half)

Heli Drop: Sherriann Martin (Kelser)

See more of the Kelser Foundation’s activities and find out how to get involved here.

Learn more about the Hospital For Special Care and its Center for Cognitive Health here.