By The Post-Journal
The Italian American Charity Golf Association recently presented WCA Hospital with a $50,000 check representing proceeds from its 2011 IA golf tournament.
The check is the second installment of a three-year, $150,000 pledge to continue the I-A’s support of local cancer care at WCA Hospital through the purchase of a minimally-invasive lung navigation system which will result in earlier diagnosis and treatment options for lung cancer patients.
“The success of the Italian American is due to the generous investment of many businesses and individuals in our community who are committed to highest quality of local cancer care,” said Jack Munella Jr., chair of the Italian-American. “We are very thankful for this commitment because we know our families and friends are well served here in our community hospital. We are gratefully asking our community to support this worthwhile, volunteer-driven effort once again this year.”
The 2012 golf tournament, scheduled June 7-9 at Holiday ValleyResort, will mark the I-A’s 42nd anniversary. Since its inception in 1971, the Italian-American Charity Golf Association has now contributed more than $1,000,000 to support cancer research, diagnosis, treatment and care by reaching its “mission to a million” in 2011.
“To have exceeded a million dollars is a great accomplishment and something the Italian American should take great pride in,” said Betsy T. Wright, WCA Hospital president and chief executive officer. “On behalf of the WCA family, I want to commend and thank these passionate volunteers for their unwavering dedication to the enhancement of local cancer care as together we continue our fight against cancer.”
Electromagnetic bronchoscopy is an electromagnetic lung navigation system that provides a minimally invasive pathway to peripheral lung lesions, even for patients with procedure-restricting conditions. It will enable WCA Hospital physicians to locate, gain access to, test and plan treatment for lung lesions and lymph nodes that are often difficult to access safely or precisely with traditional procedures. Pulmonologists can take tissue samples and place radiosurgical markers in and around lung tumors. This allows thoracic surgeons to perform appropriate surgical procedures and radiation oncologists better plan and treat patients with external beam radiation at the WCA Cancer Treatment Center.
The Italian-American Charity Golf Association event was the creation of a small group of community-minded men who wanted to raise money for a local charity. Their dream was to create a golf tournament where one member of each two-man team was of Italian descent and the partner was of another nationality.
Charitable gifts to the I-A are accepted online through PayPal atwww.IACharityGolf.com, or can be mailed to Italian-American, P.O. Box 352, Jamestown, NY 14702-0352.
Jack Munella Jr., chairman of the Italian-American Charity Golf Association, presents a check in the amount of $50,000 to Betsy T. Wright, WCA Hospital president/CEO, representing the proceeds from 2011 Italian-American Charity Golf Tournament and the second installment of a three-year, $150,000 pledge for the purchase of Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer at WCA.