f l i o s g g y oo d h W for business n p o r n o fi t s) d n a ( BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
G
olf, it has been said, is a good walk spoiled. But for businesses and their nonprofit partners, it’s an opportunity to do well by doing good.
The charity golf tournament season, a staple of Westchester and Fairfield counties’ summers, hit the pause button during the pandemic. But with restrictions eased, golf outings — which typically include lunch and dinner with auctions and entertainment — are in full swing (pun intended). “A lot of deals are made at the country club,” says Scott R. Gance of networking on the links. “But at a golf tournament you meet new people.” And new people, the implication is, mean new opportunities. Gance has seen this from both the business and nonprofit sides. He’s president of The Partners Commercial Real Estate Ser-
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vices in Wilton, encompassing brokerage, consultancy and development, with multifamily offerings a specialty. These include The Station Lofts at Port Chester, an upcoming community of 180 luxury apartments at New Broad and William streets. But then he puts on his golf cap as chairman of the Honorine Golf Classic, whose eighth annual event takes place Aug. 2 at The Country Club of Darien. Over the years, the classic has raised more than $130,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, which treats pediatric cancer. For Gance, this is more than an opportunity to get The Partners’ brand out there. It’s a way to honor his late parents, Anthony and Marcelle Gance, St. Jude supporters who died of cancer. (The tournament was named Honorine after Marcelle’s middle name.) This year, the classic has added another, local beneficiary — The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, founded in 1988 in Ashford, Connecticut, by the late actor and Westport resident Paul Newman to give seriously ill children and their families a chance “to raise a little hell” in summer and year-round. “I can't think of two better organizations to support given the work they do for kids struggling with life-threatening illnesses,” says Mark. J. Curtis, CEO of Splash Car Washes, a fixture in Fairfield and Westchester counties. “Moreover, Splash can't help but lend a hand to a guy like Scott Gance, whose passion for raising money for these groups is contagious. We welcome him and his fellow volunteers back to our locations to help promote participation in the outing." Honorine is just one of the many tournaments that have been teeing up this summer. The Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon
