Manchester PBA Hitting the Green to Support Children's Specialized Hospital

The Manchester Township Police Benevolent Association (PBA) Local 246 will host its second annual Golf Outing on May 2, 2011, at Pine Barrens Golf Club in Jackson. Registration for the charity event is now underway.

Manchester Police Ptl. Paul Bachovchin and few of his buddies from the force came up with the idea last year.

"Surprisingly it was a pretty good hit," Bachovchin said.

The 2010 outing raised more than $8000, most of which benefited Lakehurst Police Sgt. Gary Lowe. Lowe suffered a spinal cord injury while on a November 2009 hunting trip with his fellow officers, Bachovchin said.

This year's primary recipient, Children's Specialized Hospital in Toms River, typically serves children ages 0-21 who have suffered some kind of traumatic event like a brain or spinal cord injury, Administrative Director Junnie Sharkey said. 

"We have an inpatient facility in New Brunswick that feeds into our outpatient services that we have in Toms River," she said.

"We do a lot of services for kids with autism. We have kids who have other kinds of syndromes, and we have kids whose skills are not developing the way they should be developing," she added.

Because Children's Specialized Hospital is a nonprofit, its foundation helps it raise support, Sharkey said. 

"We do not turn any child away because of their family's inability to pay or lack of sufficient health insurance," she said.

The money received from the outing will be used to fund renovations of the outpatient center in Toms River, Sharkey said, adding that next year's foundation project will be renovation of the longterm care unit for children who cannot be card for at home

The recipient choice was a personal one for Bachovchin and his fellow officers.

"My children have been through Children's Specialized Hospital for different things. There are other officers in our department whose children have gone through or are going through," he said. 

Local 246 makes disbursements throughout the year. A portion of the Golf Outing proceeds will go to other charities and to police officers who have been injured or the families of those who have been killed, Bachovchin said. 

Events like the Golf Outing are a safe way to support PBA efforts and avoid scammers, he said. 

"If you get something over the phone from the PBA, it's not legitimate from the New Jersey State PBA or the local PBAs. We do fliers, but it's on our letterhead," Bachovchin said.

The registration deadline for this year's outing is April 22. Sponsorship categories range from $65 for dinner guests to $3000 for platinum donors.

Check-in and lunch on May 2 are from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The shot gun start is at 1:00 p.m. and golfing will be in a scramble format. A buffet dinner and awards ceremony will immediately follow the tournament. Prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories.

Contact Ptrl. Paul Bachovchin at 732-657-2009, ext. 6356, for more information.

For a complete list of Children's Specialized Hospital programs and services call 1-888-244-5373.