(By Pat Gwozdz, Photos by John Hardy)
Westlake Golf & Country Club is known as an exceptional place to enjoy a “resort style of living,” as well as, appreciating a great round of golf! However, a very active lifestyle is only part of their reputation. The residents of Westlake certainly have been busy serving our community this past summer. Just consider the following!!!
While the Westlake Women’s Golf Association raised over $17,000 for the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund, to assist the morale and welfare of our Armed Forces, the Westlake Men’s Golf Association, after a very successful Golf Tournament, donated $21,500 to The Cancer Institute of New Jersey at Rutger’s University.
Most recently, The Westlake Men’s Club was recognized for collecting the most blood donations within Central New Jersey, and received the prestigious Platinum Award from the Central Jersey Blood Center. Concurrently, how inspirational that $11,000 was raised and donated for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!
Another summer event held by The Women’s Club at Westlake awarded $3500 in scholarships to seven (7) deserving Jackson Women for their education, and at their annual Fashion Show provided over $5000 to benefit St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children! Next, the club collected items for service members overseas through the American Recreational Military Services (A.R.M.S.), while The Men’s Club contributed an additional $500 to the cause. Holding their annual Komen for the Cure Walk for Breast Cancer, the Women raised $5,000 increasing donations to well over $500,000 since the Club’s inception.
The Tennis Club held their annual fundraiser to benefit Autism of New Jersey. After a full day consisting of breakfast, a round robin of tennis, enjoying a cocktail party followed by dinner and dancing, they were happy to report raising $7,000 for this very worthy cause!
How does Westlake love their pets? Fundraising efforts by The Westlake Animal Group is a testament to their caring mission! Not only did they raise proceeds to fund the medical care for hundreds of shelter animals, they also celebrated the graduation of “WAGS,” a K9’s for Warriors service dog that the group financially sponsored.
No stopping residents there! The Westlake Chapter of Brandeis provided 139 backpacks and many other school items to children in need within the Jackson community, while raising funds for Alzheimer’s Research!
Over the years Westlake Clubs have raised millions of dollars for many local and national charities, including the Jackson Food Pantry where residents volunteer regularly.
So while Westlake Golf & Country Club gets into the game of Golf, they get into giving back through many Seasons of Service!
