Pineapples and Golf Clubs Against Breast Cancer

By Léo Azambuja

Alice Baptista, left, Jill Faye and Steven Kline are some of the movers and shakers who help putting together the 14th Annual KVMH Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament. Photo by Léo Azambuja

Suit yourself up with the grooviest pineapple outfit you can find and grab your golf clubs to help to “putt” breast cancer far away from our loved ones. And heck, have some fun while doing it, too.

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, as many as 120 golfers from all levels will hit the green at the Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course to raise funds for a 3D mammography machine at the Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waimea.

“It’s a fun way to be able to raise funds,” said Steven Kline, president of KVMH Charitable Foundation. The nonprofit organization was founded 20 years ago to serve as a liaison between KVMH and the community, and to raise funds to help KVMH and the adjacent West Kaua‘i Clinic with equipment purchases, facility renovations, and education, outreach and research programs.

“This year, you’re contributing to a mammography machine for radiology,” Kline said of sponsors and participants of the 14^th annual KVMH Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament Nov. 24.

KVMH is part of the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation, established in 1996 by the Hawai‘i State Legislature. This freed the public hospital system statewide from bureaucracy and red tape, but the corporation still relies significantly in state funding. So instead of waiting for funds to be released for a mammography machine, Kline said, the foundation can assist the hospital to purchase one.

A 3D mammography is a somewhat new procedure to detect breast cancer — the FDA approved it in 2011. It is similar to conventional mammography, but it produces a much more detailed image of the breast, making it easier for doctors to accurately detect lumps or tumors.

Nicole Okuna at a past KVMH Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament.

Kline said the golf tournament is a way for the community to learn about KVMH and the foundation’s work in the community, to meet the staff, and also have fun with friends while golfing.

“The theme this year is ‘Pineapples,’” he said. Those who show up dressed in anything pineapple get a free mulligan, a rule that allows golfers to shoot again.

There will cash and other prizes donated by the community and by sponsors. The corporations have been “very generous,” said Kline, adding the foundation received about $5,000 from different companies that support the hospital. There are also what they call “hole sponsors,” ranging from $300 to $5,000.

Each entry comes with green and cart fees; breakfast bento, snacks and goodie bags; and a banquet buffet for the golfer and a guest at the nearby Grand Hyatt Ballroom, complete with entertainment and dancing.

The first, second and third places all win awards, and there is also a prize for the “closest to the pin,” Kline said. But the grand prize goes to the 14^th place, because this year is the tournaments’ 14^th edition.

“It’s just a lot of fun. We’re able to raise funds, you get a free lunch and you get golfing,” said Kline, adding at least 110 golfers participate in the tournament each year. “They come from all over the island, and we welcome visitors as well.”

KVMH Charitable Foundation was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1999. Kline, an occupational therapist at KVMH, said he came up with the idea of a golf tournament years ago. He wasn’t a golfer and didn’t know much about the sport. But he knew it was something with potential to attract people willing to donate money. The idea worked; and Kline eventually learned how to golf.

Left to right, Roger Honjo, Noel Udaundo, Mark Chinen and Teo Serrano having a good time at a past KVMH Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament.

“Now everybody has a golf tournament,” he said, laughing.

The foundation also has different ways of raising funds for the hospital, including occasional events and grant-writing.

Board member Jill Faye said the foundation sent one of the board members to grant school at Kaua‘i Community College, so they could apply for grants. So last year, the foundation received an $80,000 grant from the Antone and Edene Vidinha Charitable Trust to be used for new furniture for the hospital and the adjacent clinic.

“We were so excited, we weren’t thinking we would get $80,000 for the furniture,” said Faye, who is also interior decoration designer. “We were like, ‘What? Wow!’”

With the grant, KVMH and the clinic got a facelift, receiving brand new furniture throughout the facilities.

“It’s the largest grant as a foundation that we did, our little foundation,” Faye said.

Alice Baptista worked at KVMH as a dietician for 27 years, and retired two years ago. She is now one of the volunteers who help the foundation achieve its goals. She said the foundation work is important because it supports the hospital by raising money to help to pay for state-of-the-art medical equipment.

The foundation’s board is made up of hospital workers and community members. Their main mission is to assist with funding for hospital and clinic equipment. They also assist with nursing scholarships at Kaua‘i Community College.

Some of the furniture the foundation bought with an $80.000 grant last year.

Some of the foundation’s past purchases include lights for the surgery room, blood pressure monitors with cardiac arrest monitors, an infant simulator, childbirth material, laser C-arm for radiology, GlideScope for anesthesia, construction at the triage room for the Emergency Department and a big boy bed to better accommodate larger patients.

KVMH is a 45-bed, acute and nursing facility in Waimea. It employs about 280 people, providing a vast range of inpatient and outpatient services. Many years ago, there was a looming threat to shut down the hospital.

“There was a lot of protest, and a lot of great people who stood up for the hospital,” Kline said. Having a full-service hospital serving the Westside community is really important, he said. Without KVMH, people would have to travel a long distance to the nearest hospital in Lihu‘e. For traumatic cases, this could mean the difference between life and death.

“You probably wouldn’t have people surviving because there’s nothing on this side,” he said.

KVMH Charitable Foundation President Steven Kline at a past KVMH Golf Tournament.

Kline said participating in the foundation’s annual golf tournament is a great way to support the hospital and the foundation right before the holiday season.

“Even if you don’t golf well, you can still join and just golf and just do your best,” he said. “You don’t have to be a good golfer to golf. We have different levels that golf with us every year.”

The 14^th Annual KVMH Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament at Po‘ipu Bay Golf Course is Nov. 24, starting at 8 a.m., with registration opening at 6:30 a.m. The entry deadline is Nov. 15. Individual fees are $125, and team fees are $375. Early entries postmarked by Nov. 8 qualify for a lucky draw of $50 cash.

The format is a three-player team, full scramble with a minimum of two putts per hole and three drives per player. Individual applications are welcome, as organizers can team them up with other individual applications. The maximum handicap for men is 26 and for women is 36. The total handicap per team is 20 percent.

Those interested in becoming a sponsor should contact Darryl Ching at (808) 320-0671. Hole sponsorships are available for $300, $1,500, $2,500 and $5,000, with varying degrees of perks.

Call Kline at (808) 338-9452 or (808) 482-0808, or email him at skline@hhsc.org for additional information.