Golf Tournament Raises $9,000 for the Flagler County Free Clinic

PALM COAST, Fla., November 23, 2016 The Florida Hospital Flagler Foundation raised nearly $9,000 during the inaugural Dr. Larry Burns Memorial Golf Tournament at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Bunnell in October.

Burns was a long-time pulmonologist at Florida Hospital Flagler and held such positions as chief of staff and chief of medicine before he passed away on Oct. 4, 2015. The Grand Reserve Golf Club in Bunnell was a course Burns used to frequent often after work.

I was friends with Larry for over 30 years, before he was a doctor and before I was a nurse. Our families were friends and we grew up together in Palm Coast, which was then, an extremely small community. He was a great man, a great friend and a great doctor, said event organizer and Florida Hospital Flagler nurse Lisa Leonardo.

Larry was a good friend and colleague and I was honored to organize this memorial and golf tournament, said Terry Ayres, Florida Hospital Flagler physician assistant and advance registered nurse practitioner who worked with Burns and helped lead the organizing committee. This was a great cause for a great man.

Larry loved golf and played weekly at his favorite course, The Grand Reserve. A few months before he died, Larry, Terry, Sean Carpenter and I played in a golf tournament together. We had such a fun time that we realized it would be fitting to continue that tradition by hosting a golf tournament of our own, in his honor, Leonardo said.

More than 40 players participated and the proceeds will support the Florida Hospital Flagler Foundations fund for the Flagler County Free Clinic.

The Flagler County Free Clinic truly appreciates this gift, said Dr. Steve Bickel, Flagler County Free Clinic president. It is only fitting to have honored Dr. Burns in this fashion.

This memorial to Dr. Larry Burns is not only a tribute to a great friend, but a way to continue his legacy of doctoring and healing people. For this reason, we decided to donate all proceeds to the Flagler County Free Clinic, which serves a vital role in providing much needed health care to our community, Leonardo said. People in our community gave generously to our event because of Larry, but also, because many told us that the free clinic had saved their life or that it helped during a time of need.

We enjoyed working with the committee who dedicated so much time and energy organizing this golf tournament, said John Subers, Florida Hospital Flagler Foundation executive director. I know Dr. Burns would have been proud of the support of this event and knowing that the proceeds were going directly to those in our community who need it most.

The winners of the tournament were Todd Aylwin, Kyle Ecker, Casey Twigg, and Ian Wilson with a score of 59.

About Florida Hospital Flagler

Florida Hospital Flagler is a member of AdventHealth, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 99-beds, Florida Hospital Flagler is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 923 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.