An amazing day was shared by all at the 2023 www.woodsgolfclassic.org, hosted by Johnson Kendall Johnson at the beautiful Union League Golf Club At Torresdale. Many sponsors such as Homestead Smart Health Plans, and Synergy Pharmacy Services joined community partners, affiliates, and friends of Woods to raise more than $150k for those served by Woods.

More than 100 golfers gathered for event registration, sponsored gifts, brunch, cigars, and Bloody Mary’s all under sunny skies and 80-degree temperatures.  The golfers anxiously awaited the shotgun start while enjoying these great amenities courtesy of generous sponsors such as Workplace Central, Razor Technology, Selective Insurance, Parx Casino, PFM Asset Management, Baylinks Golf, and Conner Strong.

View our photo gallery here.

After a warmup on the McBrick Builders and FSA Bucks County-sponsored putting green, the golfers teed off.

Between holes, foursomes had plenty of opportunities to spice up the day with a variety of games and special events:

On hole 11, they sampled Yardley Distillery’s offering and competed for the title of top Cornhole player. Ryan Moylan of Farotech took the honors and won a $250 gift card to the pro shop. Thank you to our sponsor Angelo’s Carpet One.

On the other side of the course, players of all levels lined up to see who could Beat the Pro on hole #9.  A Closest to the Pin game was extra challenging on hole #4, as Chris Tsigounis of A&E Construction walked away the winner with 6’ 11” in distance.

Johnson, Kendall & Johnson’s Kevin Dougher had a great day representing the event sponsor while also taking home the day’s Longest Drive winning prize.

For additional guests aspiring to sharpen their golf game, a 90-minute Pro Clinic provided an afternoon of golf education and personal instruction.  Over 20 participants of all skill levels received hands-on tips from three pros, gained confidence in their game, and certainly laughed and had FUN!

As the game drew to a close, golfers gathered for a cocktail hour filled with live music, butler passed hors d’oeuvres, and a delicious antipasto spread sponsored by Synergy Pharmacy Services. The view from the patio provided a beautiful setting for the much-anticipated Helicopter Ball Drop Event, sponsored by Professional Control Solutions. More than 150 numbered golf balls rained from the sky as a helicopter flew over the course dropping a winning ball into or closest to the desired hole.  Ball # 96 purchased by Doug McLaughlin of Crown Holdings, earned him a $1,000 prize, that he so generously donated back to Woods.

As the outing commenced over a delicious buffet dinner sponsored by Synergy Pharmacy Services, all participants and friends gathered to network and share their enthusiasm from the day.  Woods President and CEO, Tine Hansen-Turton graciously thanked the crowd for their support while celebrating the $150,000 in funds raised.  The generous donations from this event will benefit Woods Greatest Need.

Coming in first place and earning a prize of $300 each to the club pro shop was Team JKJ, composed of Kevin Dougher, Joe Dougher, Matt Skinner, and Tom Maahs.

Second place went to Team Elliott Lewis, with players Brian Haley, Tyler Bradley, Bryan Pearson, and Steve Casciano.

Parx Casino’s foursome came in third, with Mark Oppenheimer, Jonathan Michaels, Brian Romani, and Dan Clark leaving as winners.

Team Bridgway took home the honors of being the Most Honest Team (coming in last place, lol) and winning another donated golf game courtesy of Union League Torresdale…they certainly need it to come back next year as most improved! Members of the foursome include Mark Williams, Peter Pogany, Jim O’Connor, and Joe Perez.

Save the Date for Sept. 23, 2024 to return to the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale for the best outing in town!

Traumatic Brain Injury Conference: A Focus on Policy & Advocacy

Sponsored by Mind Your Brain and Woods System of Care

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Woods Services, Employee Training Center, 10 Meadowood Drive, Langhorne PA 19147

Penn Medicine and the Mind Your Brain Foundation, sponsor of the annual Mind Your Brain Conference now in its 10^th year, is excited to join forces with Beechwood NeuroRehab, a premier brain injury provider and part of the Woods System of Care that provides lifelong care to individuals with traumatic brain injury, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and critical mental health needs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, for our first policy and advocacy conference on Saturday, November 4, 2023, 9:15am–4:00pm.

This is an opportunity for survivors, advocates, and providers to gain the skills they need to make a difference for the other 1.7 million people who sustain a traumatic brain injury annually through collaboration, information sharing, and education so that we can collectively become a more powerful voice to create change.

The Mind Your Brain Foundation, the PA Brain Injury Coalition, the Woods System of Care, and other stakeholders are working closely with state and federal lawmakers to develop legislation aimed at improving services received by people with brain injuries. At this conference, you will be able to learn about those initiatives and understand how you can help them become law. Some of these proposals include: 1) ensuring brain injury treatments are adequately funded by the government; and, 2) post-acute NeuroRehabilitation that would require insurance coverage for these services.

Conference Schedule:

9:15 a.m.         Registration Check-In, Coffee Resource Table visits

10:00 a.m.       Opening Remarks and Patient Perspective: Janine Kirby, traumatic brain injury survivor and advocate

10:20 a.m.       Legislator Remarks and Keynote: featuring Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Hogan (PA-142) and Pennsylvania State Senator Frank Farry (PA-6)

11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Workshop A: Advocacy 101: Learn about bills that have been introduced already and how you can play a role in shaping future legislation

Panelists: Monica Vaccaro, Director of Programs at the Brain Injury Association of Pa; Dr. Drew Nagele, PsyD, ABPP, FACRM, CBIS-AP, CBIST, CESP is the co-Chair of the PA Brain Injury Coalition; Kevin MacDonald, TBI survivor and founder of RESTART your life/ RENEW your mind and co-organizer of the Brain Injury Awareness Day in Harrisburg.

Moderated by: Kristen Farry

12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch and Resource Table visits

1:00 – 1:45 p.m. Workshop B: Finding Your Voice by Toastmasters: Learn how to develop and present a 2-minute pitch to legislators and communicate better in all lifestyle settings.

Panelists from Toastmasters are: Natanya Sortland, Alex Lawes, and Robin Ratliff

2:00 – 2:45 p.m. Workshop C: Mental Health Matters:  Participants will learn about the cognitive and psychiatric manifestations in individuals recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Participants will also learn about the tools that they need to utilize to identify & address the problem and the resources available in the community.

Panel Discussion by Woods Services: Sailaja Musunuri, M.D., executive vice president of integrative medicine and chief of psychiatry, Thomas DiNapoli, Senior Cognitive Therapist, and Jen Caputo, PMHNP.

Moderated by: Tine Hansen-Turton, President and CEO of Woods Services.

3:00 p.m. Closing Comments

MYB@Woods System of Care Policy and Advocacy Conference Register here to attend. This is a free event, and lunch will be included.