NJ Chapter of the CMAA Steps up for Clubs, Employees in time of need

During these challenging times, the New Jersey Club Foundation (NJCF), the charitable arm of the New Jersey chapter of the Club Management Association of America, is doing a masterful job of helping those in need.

During 2020, the Foundation has donated over $100,000 to three worthy causes, including Tackle Kids Cancer, an initiative for pediatric cancer patients founded by the Children’s Cancer Institute of Hackensack University Medical Center, and Clubshelp.org, which was founded recently to aid frontline hospital and emergency service workers in the fight against COVID-19. Thirdly, the NJCF has donated directly to its chapter clubs, with funds earmarked to support staff members of greatest need.

“This is a year with unusual circumstances. The board members of foundation looked at our finances and felt we were in a position to help many needy people,” said Mike Pollack, general manager of Deal Golf and Country Club, chairman of the NJCF, and a past president of the chapter. 

“Making these contributions at this time was the right thing to do. The Foundation Board is proud and the chapter members are very happy. It was the Foundation board members who suggested we make these contributions. It’s a great way to give back, even more so than what we donate in a normal year.”

In April, the NJCF presented a check for $50,000 to Tackle Kids Cancer at Jersey Shore Meridian Hospital in Neptune, a member of Hackensack Meridian Health, a network of 14 healthcare providers in New Jersey.

Last July, the NJCF created a means for New Jersey chapter past presidents to become re-engaged with the organization by recommending a worthy cause to the foundation, which would be known as the “Past Presidents Donation”. With the help of past presidents including Pollack, Albert Costantini of Canoe Brook Country Club, John Gomez of Echo Lake Country Club, as well as board members of the NJCF, the group agreed that Tackle Kids Cancer would be the designated charity.

In late March, members of Spring Brook Country Club in Morristown began donating sandwiches, health bars and drinks to the Morristown Medical Center for doctors, nurses and hospital personnel on the front lines in the war against the COVID-19 pandemic. That gesture began a nationwide movement to pair country clubs with local hospitals. Weeks later, it had grown into a new, national organization called “Clubshelp.org.”

To that end, the NJCF donated $10,000, citing the leadership of Spring Brook’s General Manager, David Bachman, through a press release:

“The New Jersey chapter of CMAA is extremely proud of general manager David Bachman and his entire staff at Spring Brook for their tireless effort to fight this unprecedented crisis and through the New Jersey Club Foundation, a donation of $10,000 was made to the relief fund, Clubshelp.org.”

In mid-April, the group continued its giving efforts. With golf courses still closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization knew the shutdown was placing extreme pressure on the finances of many clubs – and especially the employees who were now out of work. In response, the NJCF offered to donate $1,000 to each chapter club, totaling up to $69,000 with the explicit note that these funds would go to their most needy employees. The money reached clubs throughout the state.

“Again, the idea came from our club foundation board of directors. We discussed how we could help our clubs. Our foundation had been set up to assist our chapters, and we felt now was the time to spring into action,” Pollack said.

The NJCF is not done giving for 2020. Its annual golf outing (scheduled for August at Upper Montclair Country Club) will raise $15,000, with $5,000 allocated to three charities. Those charities receive a $5,000 grant in a cycle of three years for a total of $15,000 each.

“In a normal year, the Foundation gives back through donations, grants and scholarships. The Foundation usually works behind the scenes, but we wanted to bring our initiatives to light in this crisis year,” Pollack stated. 

“We really felt it was time to go out and do something more meaningful and do something with power behind it. This type of giving shows our foundation is not just set up for our clubs, but also for our communities.”