BLUE BELL, Pa. — (June 23, 2008) – Meadowlands Country Club president Alan Gelman said it best when he told a capacity crowd in the grand ballroom, “We owe everything we have to these men and women in the Armed Forces. I have had a number of service people, from base commander Captain Mike Remington on down, thank me for this event today. It is us, the Meadowlands members and the people of America, who should be thanking them every day.”
A total of 115 Meadowlands CC members volunteered their services for the day to host military personnel who are returning veterans of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 2nd Armed Forces Appreciation Day at Meadowlands drew almost double the crowd that attended last year’s inaugural event.
The event again was coordinated through the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove and more than 200 military personnel and their families were hosted to a day of golf, tennis, swimming and a full-fledged barbecue.
Prizes were provided by local businesses, with Yuengling Brewery leading the way. Additional prizes were courtesy of Facenda-Whitaker Lanes, WNTP Newstalk 990-AM, GolfStyles Philadelphia, TaylorMade and the Meadowlands CC pro shop. B’nai Brith donated Buddy Bears dressed in camouflage garb to all of the children in attendance.
Official proclamations of commendation were received from United States Senator Arlen Spector, United States House of Representatives congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and the Whitpain Township Board of Supervisors.
Montgomery County was represented by Sheriff John P. Durante, who put the day into perspective when he said, “I am so proud of the members of Meadowlands CC, not just for what they do for our service people but what they do to remember their families. Our people in the Armed Forces are all about their families. They have to leave them for a year at a time. They sacrifice and the families sacrifice. Today is a day to remember what they all do for us in the name of freedom.”
Willow Grove commanding officer Captain Michael Remington presented a commemorative plaque to Meadowlands CC and special Naval Air Station caps to Armed Forces Appreciation Day co-chairmen Gilbert Benjamin and Patricia Blackman, as well as Richard Ochroch, the originator of the event.
For more information about Armed Forces Appreciation Day at Meadowlands CC, call TL Golf Services at 610-279-9220 or the Meadowlands pro shop at 215-646-5833.
Contact:
TL Golf Services
610-279-9220 or tleodora@aol.com
