Third Annual Golf Outing at Sebonack Golf Club

The morning of September 12, 2023, we welcomed 76 players onto the course at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, New York for our third Annual Golf Outing. Our day kicked-off at 11am with the shotgun start. Our golfers, who included celebrities Kevin James, renowned actor, and comedian; Jim Wahlberg, accomplished producer; and Michael Delguidice, talented guitarist, took to the course and rounded 18-holes.

Thank you to our golfers, sponsors, and guests, we raised over $400,000 in support of heart surgery and transplant families!

After a long day of golfing, our guests were invited to join our Cocktail Reception. At 4pm, the reception carried the evening with a live auction led by auctioneer, Lucas Hunt of HUNT Auctioneers. Lucas rallied guests, after their day of golf, to support our cardiac surgery and transplant patients and their families, raising over $150,000 during the event.  Thank you to Lucas for conveying our work to our supporters in such a compassionate and dynamic way.

We welcomed heart transplant recipient, Wendy Fox, who shared her moving story of how in three years, she, her son, and her husband, all received heart transplants at NYU Langone Hospital. Wendy’s speech provided guests with an honest and intimate look at what happens when a family member gets heart surgery, it’s a family journey. Wendy shared, “I reluctantly reached out to Harboring Hearts. We were now two salaries down with a mortgage and medical bills to pay. With one phone call, Harboring Hearts opened up their hearts to help and harbor our family. In just a few days’ time, they provided us with benefits to keep us in good standing with our utilities in addition to gift cards for our groceries. How could strangers that we probably will never meet – take on such a crisis?”

Wendy ends her speech with a bit of advice for us all, “All that is worth doing in this lifetime is what we do for others.” Thank you to Stefanie Philipson and Rebecca Hausman, NYU Health Langone social workers, who supported Wendy and her family’s care, and attended to support Wendy on the day of the event.

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers, Bennie, Dori, Alexandra, and David, who is a heart transplant recipient and spoke at our 2nd Annual Golf Outing. We are forever grateful for your contribution to making the day a great success. Thank you to our Board of Directors, Ryan, Michelle, Sonya, Russ, Yuki, Sheila, and Missy for your support, and passion for our mission, and for giving hope to hearts everywhere.

Board of Directors from left to right: Russell Tisman, Yuki Kotani, Ryan Melkonian, Sonya Bhavsar, Michelle Javian

We want to say thank you to our corporate sponsors who made the event possible. Thank you to our headline sponsors: The Javian Foundation, Melkonian Capital Management, and Corzo Contracting Co. Thank you to our many sponsors including the: Bhavsar Zilberman Foundation, Highline Construction Group, Adam’s European Contracting, Inc., the Royal Green Appliance Companies, and Northwell Health Hospital.

Harboring Hearts Founder, Michelle Javian, and Executive Director, Pamela Kass, took a moment to express their heartfelt gratitude. They thanked the Board Chairman, Ryan Melkonian, the dedicated Harboring Hearts staff members, the golf committee, comprising George Javian and James Lema, and all the attendees who contributed to making this fundraiser both enjoyable and successful.

Pamela Kass, Harboring Hearts Executive Director, shares, “The success of this year’s Outing comes at a critical point for our programs and patient community. Economic inflation and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have directly impacted the families we serve and requests for financial assistance continue to increase. Funds raised via our Annual Golf Outing ensure we can step in and tangibly support families when they need it most.”

Kevin James summed up the sentiment of the day perfectly, stating, "This is my first golf outing with such an impactful organization, and I’ll be back next year to help provide critical resources like food, housing, and transportation to heart surgery and transplant patients." We look forward to seeing everyone next year!

You can view more of the beautiful memories captured by our talented photographers, Vicki and Drew of Vicki Beth Photography here. If you’d like to learn more about how you can get involved with next year’s Golf Outing, please reach out to Pamela Kass.