West Hartford's Slifka To Head Lendl Charity Event

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Jonathan Slifka of West Hartford will chair the Hospital for Special Care (HFSC) Ivan Lendl Golf Classic.

The event is slated for Aug. 16 at the TPC River Highlands.

The tournament has helped individuals living with disabilities pursue their dreams through competitive sports for 25 years, but will temporarily shift focus in 2021 to help HFSC overcome the financial challenges driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hospital for Special Care has operated at surge capacity throughout the pandemic, caring for patients above the 228 licensed bed capacity, including patients severely impacted by COVID-19. HFSC’s ability to care for some of the most challenging medical conditions has helped keep intensive care beds open for COVID-19 patients at other hospitals.

Slifka and his family founded the tournament and drew in tennis legend Ivan Lendl.

"Hospital for Special Care has been an extraordinary home for adaptive sports and the Ivan Lendl Adaptive Sports Camp for more than 25 years – and they’ve been on the front lines of a global pandemic for the past year," Slifka said. "I am absolutely committed to keeping HFSC strong. The adaptive sports camp and program my family and I helped create and build through the years won’t survive without that solid foundation."

Slifka, executive assistant to the commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Aging and Disability Services, has remained actively involved in the camp and sports programs at HFSC.

"Jon, Ivan Lendl, our sponsors and volunteers recognize the financial impact the pandemic has had on HFSC, layered on top of years of chronic under-funding," said Lynn Ricci, FACHE, HFSC President and CEO. "We are incredibly grateful for their support of our core mission as we work toward long-term funding solutions with state leaders to ensure we can maintain the capacity to care for our most vulnerable patients."

Platinum sponsors Kaestle Boos Associates, Inc., and Webster Bank and dozens of others will ensure the event will raise the funds needed to support patient care. The master of ceremonies will be NBC Connecticut’s Bob Maxon.

For more information about the HFSC Ivan Lendl Golf Classic, contact Dee Goodrich at the Hospital for Special Care Foundation at 860-827-4826, dgoodrich@hsfc.org or visit www.hfsc.org.