History
History of the Motor City Golf Classic
The Motor City Golf Classic has a rich and long history as a golf tradition in the Metro Detroit area. In early 2006, a former patient of the Department of Neurosurgery approached us, hoping to organize an annual golf tournament to support the Neurosurgery Department and its activities. The purpose of the Motor City Golf Classic Golf Tournament is to use the monies raised to fund and support various Department of Neurosurgery projects. Past monies raised have been used to support such things as:
- Patient and resident education initiatives
- Basic laboratory research projects
- Purchase of new sterilization equipment for the department’s annual clinical and surgical mission to Guatemala
- Providing accommodation and meal assistance to needy, out of town families when a loved one required neurosurgery at UM Hospital
- Providing bike helmets and safety equipment for needy children in the metro Detroit area who otherwise would be unable to afford this equipment
Motor City Golf Classic Organizing Committee
The Motor City Golf Classic Organizing Committee is now under the direction of three very capable volunteers - Harish Chawla, Bob Kunkel and Debbie Prasad. This tournament is a “first rate” golf event, which will be held this year on Monday, August 18, 2008 at the Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Barton Hills features a beautiful Donald Ross designed course, and the club has previously hosted such prestigious golf events as the US Women’s Amateur Championship. In September, 2008, Barton Hills will host another national event- the Women’s USGA Mid Amateur Golf Tournament.
We ask our golf tournament participants and sponsors to give their tax-exempt sponsor donations directly to the University of Michigan Department of Neurosurgery. No one associated in any way with this tournament has an office or takes a salary, and the organization has no overhead or ongoing operating costs. All who participate and volunteer are simply motivated to work together in order to “give back” to our community.
Grant Process
In 2007, the Motor City Golf Classic Organizing Committee developed a grant process in order to distribute funds received from the golf tournament. The grant process allows all persons employed in the Neurosurgery Department to apply for funds related to various projects and needs within the Department. Last year, the Motor City Golf Classic funded eight different projects through this grant process. The Committee was excited and gratified by the variety of projects and the number of grant submissions. As always, the Committee uses some time during the golf awards dinner to present information on how golf tournament monies from the previous year were spent. The Motor City Golf Classic Organizing Committee feels a tremendous obligation to keep generous sponsors and participants informed about how their generous contributions were spent.
