Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions’ Governor’s Invitational Golf Classic Happening Friday

Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions is gearing up to present its 9th Annual Governor's Invitational Golf Classic and the community is invited to come watch!

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Per a press release from CWHT, the golf tournament is happening on Friday, July 29 at the Casper Country Club. It will be hosted by Governor Gordon, who will be joined by former governors Matt Mead and Mike Sullivan, and all proceeds from the event benefit Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions.

"It's one of our major fundraisers for the year, and we do use all of the funds to go towards patient care," said Susan Burke, the Community Relations Liaison for Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions. "One of the reasons we love doing it is because the governors are so supportive, and they have been over the years; whether it's been the former governors or our current governor, they always believe in our mission."

And that mission, according to their website, is "to companion the end-of-life journey with skill and compassion."

CWHT offers home and hospice care for those who need it and, as a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization, they rely on fundraisers such as the golf tournament to ensure that anyone who needs their services receives them.

"It's all about raising money for patient care," Burke stated. "We do not deny anybody service for their lack of ability to pay. We just don't. Last year, we provided $240,000 in charity care."

For that reason and many others, events like the Governor's Invitational Golf Classic are imperative to not only CWHT, but to the community as a whole.

Governor Gordon, as well as his predecessors, know this, and that's why every year for the last 9 years, they've taken part in the event.

"I think it says a lot about how they understand how important our services are to not only Natrona and Converse Counties, but to the whole state," Burke said. "It's a very specialized field of medicine and it's something that we are proud to be able to offer to the members of our community. And the fact that it is supported by the governors means a lot to us. It means they understand how important that end of life journey is, and how important the work that we do is."

The event is taking place on Friday, July 29, with opening remarks from Governor Gordon and others beginning at 12:45 p.m. and the tournament shotgun beginning at 1:00 p.m.

All of the proceeds will benefit patient care at Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions.

"What we want from all of the people who attend and all of the people who know about it, is to try and create more awareness about Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions and the many services that we offer," Burke shared. "As we know, if people hear the word 'Hospice,' they sort of cringe, as if that word itself was a diagnosis. It's not. It's a philosophy of care, it's a specialized field of medicine. It's something to help people who are facing end of life issues, and their families.

Burke insisted that hospice care isn't a 'death sentence.' Instead, she said, it's a chance to experience the rest of one's life in comfort, with dignity.

"It's very important to be able to navigate this journey the way that they want to," she said. "Our mission is to companion the end of life journey with skill and compassion. It's really up to the patient and the family about what they want that to look like. Hospice is not about death; it's about life. It's about living the best life that you can with the time that you are given. And that's what our mission is. And we really want people to be more aware of that and not wait until they're in a crisis mode or in the very last days to seek out the help that we can give them."