This was the hole-in-one prize, courtesy of Lou Bachrodt Mazda, Coconut Creek. SWAT crew not included!

Golf Great Nick Price demonstrates his techniques during a swing clinic

Our inaugural VIM SWAT Invitational Golf Tournament at Sailfish Point Golf Club was a great success with over 80 golfers vying for cash prizes, live auction items, and the chance to take home a red-hot Mazda Miata convertible by hitting a hole-in-one.  Click on the Picasa icon next to the YouTube button for the photos. Among the highlights was a swing clinic by golf great, the gracious Nick Price. Many thanks to our donors, hole sponsors, the wonderful golfers and of course our dear friends, Rick Wentworth and Richard Van Woert, who organized this event.

Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres after a great day on the course!

In addition to the car provided by Lou Bachrodt Mazda, Coconut Creek, a major highlight was a swing clinic conducted by Nick Price, former No. 1 player in the world, and 2003 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The winners shot a combined 61 on the par 72 course. Congratulations gentlemen!

Golf magician Kevin Dawson, the “Jolly Jester,” flew in from Atlanta to wow the players with his sleight-of-hand and card tricks. Dawson is a 1.5 handicap player himself, and has entertained at golf tournaments around the world.

He had some competition on the comedy front from fellow player Bob Erickson whose hilarious auctioneering kept the bidding going for the exclusive Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania and Muirfield Village in Ohio. Other auction items included a foursome at McArthur Golf Club in Martin County, and a golf fitness package donated by Diversified Therapeutics of Stuart.

Calvin Jackson of Diversified Therapeutics and Sailfish Golf Pro Victor Tortorici

The SWAT format is known for its better-ball-per-hole format, with no handicap. Teams included four players and one pro. The top five teams split cash prizes and the pros competed in a separate prize pool. The team with the lowest score  won $1,000 worth of golf lessons from Craig Harmon, a famous teaching pro.

The top team of Christopher Ellis, Patrick Thomas, Alden Blake and Herman Walker shot a 61 on the par 72 course. Pros Ryan Keeney and Kyle Willman were tied at 70.

“Everyone who supported our first golf tournament is a hero,” Fields said. “I’m just so thrilled that this SWAT was such a success and I really look forward to doing it again next year.”

Kevin Dawson, the Jolly Jester, wows the crowd with his magic tricks

SWAT co-chairs Rick Wentworth & Richard Van Woert, Sailfish pro Victor Tortorici, golf great Nick Price, VIM administrative assistant Christina Boder, VIM executive director Mary Fields.

Teammates Kevin Dawson and Pete Panchura make a water stop

Cindy Hunter undergoes chemotherapy at the Robert & Carol Weissman Cancer Center

Cindy Hunter, 54, is a high-energy person who always ate right and exercised regularly. In fact, when she started losing a lot of weight, she thought it was because of her rigorous workouts at the gym. But instead of getting stronger, Cindy was becoming fatigued more easily. She thought it was menopause, or perhaps the stress of starting a new business operation.
But then the economy tanked and she had no income. “No one had money, everyone was foreclosing. It all just fell apart.”
Until then, she’d always had insurance. “I always took care of myself,” she said. “But then I lost my job and my insurance.”
She knew she needed medical attention, so she did some research and quickly found the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic. She collected the necessary paperwork to verify her income and residency as part of the screening process. “VIM accepted me, thank God.”

Bad News
When Cindy was examined at VIM Clinic, she was down to about 90 pounds instead of her usual 120. Her nurse practitioner wasted no time referring Cindy to specialists. “I could not believe how fast VIM jumped on everything,” Cindy said. “I am so grateful to them. They saved my life.”Fortunately, specialists in the community support VIM by taking referrals when they can.Oncologist Dr. Paul Swanson took the referral and Dr. Amitabh Kumar did a colonoscopy. Not only was there a 15-centimeter mass obstructing her bowel, there were several more tumors on her liver.
Four weeks after she became a VIM Clinic patient, she got the bad news: she had stage four colon cancer and it had metasticized to her liver.
“When they told me I had cancer, it just changed my whole world,” she said. “I had no signs, no bleeding in my stool, absolutely nothing.”
Dr.  Swanson told Cindy that the tumor had probably been growing for a few years. Dr. George Rittersbach performed the colon and bowel resections. A port was put into her chest for bi-monthly chemotherapy treatments at the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center. Cindy stayed at the center for three days during each treatment.

Cindy Hunter, 54, was diagnosed with colon cancer after losing her job.

When we spoke to Cindy, she was chipper and energetic, entertaining visitors on a sunny spring day. She joked about having “chemo brain,” because of the forgetfulness she sometimes experiences. She was very pleased that her hair was not going to fall out.

The Best Care
At first, Cindy’s family was mortified when they heard she was at VIM Clinic. “They’re from New York,” she explained. “They hear ‘clinic’ and they don’t understand. They thought the worst.”
A visit to VIM soon took care of their fears. “All they could say was, ‘We cannot believe the quality of care,’” she said. “They met the doctors and saw how the care is in there, and they were just blown away.”
Cindy’s got a tough road ahead, but she’s trying to “pay it forward,” by encouraging friends and family to support VIM Clinic. In fact, one family member asked guests to donate to VIM in lieu of wedding gifts while another raised $500 through a Mary Kay promotion. Her friends have also held a number of local fundraising events.
“Martin County is a very affluent community, there’s no doubt about it,” Cindy said. “But there are people who are down and out and need help. Why should they not be able to be taken care of?”
Her own story is a case in point.
“Things happen to people in life,” she said. “I’ve worked all my life and I’ve never asked for anything. I’ve had great jobs and I’ve made good money. This is the first time I’ve ever asked for help — and it hurt.”
Tears well up in Cindy’s eyes and she has to take a moment to compose herself. Then her feistiness kicks back in.
“But you know what, I had to do it, and I’m here today because of it,” she said. “More people need to appreciate VIM and the wonderful doctors we have in this area who are willing to work pro bono. These doctors need to be applauded.”

Paul & Paula Nicoletti welcome guests to the Magic Carpet Ride Gala

Thanks to the support of donors, sponsors, guests and this year’s gala committee, over $360,000 was raised for the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, which provides free health care to uninsured Martin County residents who earn less than 200 percent of the poverty level.

“The Magic Carpet Ride was a total success,” said Stuart City Manager, Paul Nicoletti, who co-chaired the gala with his wife, Paula, a member of the FVIM board.

As City Manager, Nicoletti supports VIM Clinic because it provides a critical service to the community. He thinks this year’s success marked something of a turning point “out of the economic doldrums and into a new era of volunteerism in our community.”

Dancers Yvonne Dudley & Megan Miller greet arriving guests

As guests arrived at Mariner Sands, they were escorted up the breezeway under the swirling veils of the dancers, then met at the door by the Nicolettis. Inside, some guests really got into the spirit of the evening by getting on the floor with professional belly dancer and instructor, Yvonne Dudley.

In addition to the fine dining and dancing, guests bid on their choice of silent auction items that included travel packages, golf trips, artwork and baskets full of delectable delights, all of which were donated to the fundraising cause.

Don Harvey wins box seats to an NFL game

Among the team of volunteers were auctioneers Tom Lyng, his father Joe Lyng and brother Joe Lyng Jr., who got bidders’ juices stirring during the live auction. At one point, a sponsor made an impromptu offer of NFL box seats that generated some very lively bidding and an extra $1,600.

Other live auction items included a natural Black Tahitian pearl necklace donated by Just Gold Jewelers, and a 10.52 carat, multicolored gemstone earrings created specifically for the evening’s theme by Diamonds by Terry.

Vickie Dodds ARNP, models the Black Tahitian Pearls donated by Just Gold Jewelers

Mariner Sands resident Joe Day won the prize drawing of the evening — his choice of a selection of diamond jewelry valued at $10,000 by Vivid Diamonds.
Mark Robitaille, president and CEO of Martin Health System was the honorary chair, in recognition of the support MHS provides VIM Clinic each year. MHS supplies about $6 million a year in free diagnostic and testing services for VIM Clinic patients.
“As Volunteers in Medicine celebrates its 17th anniversary this year, we look forward to recognizing other outstanding contributors to our community,” Nicoletti said.
Mary Fields, VIM Clinic’s executive director said the gala raised more than half the clinic’s annual operating budget of just over $710,000. However, there is a huge multiplier effect because of the clinic’s large corps of volunteers.

“We’re able to provide more than $8 million in health care services because of our volunteers,” she pointed out. The clinic relies heavily on lay and medical volunteers, and the gala is VIM’s major source of fundraising.

So, while attendees had a good time, Nicoletti said, “more importantly, they see the benefit they bring to those in need.”

“The 2012 Gala represents all that is good and generous in our community,” he added.

Volunteers have donated a total of 90,000 hours to VIM Clinic. From January through November of 2011 alone, 99 volunteers have contributed more than $463,000 worth of their time and talent.

To honor their contribution, a volunteer appreciation party was held Nov. 22 at The Yacht and Country Club in Stuart. About 70 guests attended the event sponsored by Gail and Lois Warden.

“We don’t exist as a clinic without all the great people who volunteer so much,” said Dr. Howard Voss, who became volunteer Medical Director in 2002, along with founder Dr. Fred Carter. Dr. Carter died in 2006.

In fact, if you add up all the hours Dr. Voss has worked at VIM Clinic, his contribution is worth well in excess of $1.5 million, said Ivins Steinhauer, president of The Friends of Volunteers in Medicine Clinic board of directors.

“We keep telling him we’re going to have to double his wages,” Steinhauer joked. “We really have to be thankful to the wonderful physicians and all the other people who have been so generous to us,” he noted.

Steinhauer thanked Dr. Bill Tozzo and his wife June, who funded VIM Clinic’s mortgage until it was retired this year, and have now established a building fund to help meet future expansion needs.

“Without that support, we would not be able to do what we are presently doing, and I have to admit, the need has never been greater than now,” Steinhauer said. “And from what we all hear in the news, I don’t think that’s about to change.”

Steinhauer and Dr. Voss both acknowledged the value of partnerships with Martin Health System and community physicians in meeting the growing need for health care among Martin County residents.

“Our patient population has changed,” Dr. Voss noted. “We have patients now who never dreamed that they would need to have medical care given to them. These are people who had jobs, put their kids through school and paid their mortgages. And that’s been a failure. But in Martin County, we can still provide them with health care.”

Mark Robitaille, president and CEO of Martin Health System, worked with the late Dr. Carter in getting VIM Clinic established in 1995. He’s the honorary chair of VIM’s upcoming Gala fundraiser at Mariner Sands Country Club on Jan. 28.

“It’s really been one of the highlights of my career to have been involved with this wonderful organization from the start,” Robitaille told the gathering.

Noting that VIM Clinic is “clearly serving a need,” he commended the devotion and dedication of all the volunteers in meeting the health care needs of less fortunate Martin County residents.

“We’re just honored at Martin Memorial to be part of this, and to be able to serve the community through the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic.”

We sincerely hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful luncheon and learned some creative decorating tips for their holiday tables.

Each attendee received a personal invitation to visit VIM Clinic and we very much hope everyone will take us up on this offer!  Of course, everyone is welcome to visit VIM Clinic. We would love to show you what we do, and how your support makes a huge difference every day.

Our Creative Entertaining luncheon could not have been such a great success without the help and support of many dear friends. In particular, we extend our warmest thanks to:

♥ Claudette Bublak and Patrick Brown of Calico Corners for all their work with the gorgeous tablescapes.

♥ Stacy Silvestri of Calico Corners for her generous sponsorship and support.

♥ Paula Nicoletti for all her hard work in planning, organizing and promoting this inaugural event, along with Paul Nicoletti for his help and support. The Nicolettis will be preparing a dinner for up to six people, which was served up as a live auction item.

♥ David Moore & Dr. Kathy Santoriello for donating a three-hour sunset cruise for six on their private yacht.

♥ The City of Stuart Police Department for donating a day with Chief Ed Morley.

♥ Brenda Lytton of Mariner Sands Country Club and Ana Hernandez of All Spiced Up for their contributions to our Creative Entertaining cookbook.

♥ Joanna Silvestri & Linda Mancuso of Mariner Sands Country Club for all their help, and to the Pro Shop at Mariner Sands for their gift donation.

♥ Joe Day of Fresh Designs of Stuart, Kilwin’s Chocolates, Country Club Florist, Importico’s Bakery Café, and Stephen Bonanno of The Original Bonanno’s Sandals, all of whom generously donated prizes and auction items.

♥ Kathy DeMont for being our wonderful auctioneer!

Again, we would love to show you what we do at VIM Clinic.  Just give us a call at 772-463-4128 Ext. 211.

Thank you for everything you do!

Sheila Anderson, ARNP Student

Sheila Anderson originally wanted to major in business or become a lawyer. But somehow, she says, “I fell into nursing and I’ve never looked back.”

Sheila started her health care career as a medical assistant and worked for an oncologist for seven years. She decided to further her education and become an RN. Six years later, she returned to school to become a nurse practitioner, while continuing to work at Hematology, Oncology Associates of the Treasure Coast.

She came to VIM Clinic to do her clinical rotation under the guidance of Clinical Director Betty Tsarnas ARNP.

“One of the doctors I work for, Dr. Paul Swanson, recommended I come here,” she said. “He spoke so highly of Betty Tsarnas, my preceptor.”

Betty was instrumental is setting up VIM Clinic before it opened in 1995. Because of her enormous contributions to the community, she recently was inaugurated into the Alumni Hall of Fame at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University.

For Sheila Anderson, working at VIM Clinic has been an eye-opening experience on many levels. “It’s not at all what I expected,” she said. “I mean, I can’t even begin to describe how fortunate the patients are for the care they receive here,” she said.

“I thought it would be like a clinic that only provided limited care and benefits to the patients, but these patients get everything. They get better services than what an HMO or PPO would provide them.”

She is most struck by the care and compassion among the providers who donate their time, expertise and services. “They really take a lot of time, one on one,” she said. “They have a lot of patience, a lot of understanding. They just have a lot of care and compassion for the patients, and I’ve never seen that.”

The work at VIM is very rewarding,  Sheila said, and the learning environment is “wonderful.” In fact, her time at VIM has had a very personal impact.

“It’s been an eye-opener for me in terms my own personal health, the complications you can have just by not having a healthy lifestyle,” she explained. “Things that can be prevented if you just take the time to do little modifications in your life and diet.”

During Sheila’s time at VIM, she embarked on her own quest for a healthier lifestyle –  and had lost 35 pounds!