Golf outing leads to memories for kids with cancer

By Eliezer Rodriguez Bronx, New York Eliezer Rodriguez, Esq., is best known for the incredible sacrifice he made to promote the legacy of the first Hispanic player inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame-Mr. Roberto Clemente. Clemente died on December 31, 1972, while attempting to deliver the last load of aid to the earthquake victims of Nicaragua. On December 31, 2005, 33 years after his death, Eliezer, Eli as he like to be called, paid Clemente the ultimate tribute by chartering an aircraft, reenacting and completing Roberto Clemente's last humanitarian effort. I bet you didn't know that? Today, Eli can be found at The Bronx Manhattan North Association of Realtors (BM-NAR) where on January 1, 2013, he assumed the position as their new Association Executive Officer. When Eli took the job, he promised the association excitement and an increase in membership. It didn't take Eli a whole lot of time to get the ball rolling. June 24, 2013 is another date Eli will not soon forget. What happened that day led to a whole collection of memories. To fully appreciate Eli's day, a condensed version will not do the whole story justice. So, here is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. When the alarm clock rang at 5 a.m., Eli was already suffering from a splitting headache. He thought to himself: "I need a headache right now like I need a whole-in-the-head!" His wife, Fiordaliza, gave him a few pain killers and told him not to worry that his day will be wholesome. Eli went about his morning ritual and by 6:30 a.m., he was headed for the door. Before inserting his key into the keyhole to lock his door, he asked the Holy one to bless his day. After months of meetings and planning, Eli was on his way to the Fresh Meadows Country Club where his Association was going to hold its 78th Annual Golf and Tennis Outing. As the new association executive officer for BM-NAR, this was his first sponsored outing. Fortunately for Eli, BM-NAR's planning committee has a whole lot of experience in organizing such an outing. Eli's drive to the club went pretty smoothly, but for that one pot-hole he hit and the missing manhole cover he nearly ran over. He was the first to arrive at the club. As he waited for the rest of his office crew to show up, Eli helped himself to a cup of coffee and used the time to gather a few thoughts on how he was going to introduce his ace-in-the-hole, Mark Engel, president of Langsam Property Services Corp. Mark was going to run the whole charitable portion at the outing's dinner. Fast forwarding about an hour or so, the outing was now under way. Eli drove to each hole to ensure everything was as planned, paying particular attention to holes 7 and 11 as they were designated as the $10,000 holes for anyone fortunate enough to sink the ball in the cup on one drive. Although the likelihood of winning the money was slim to none as no one, as far as the planning committee knows, has ever sunk that miracle shot at BM-NAR's outing. Nevertheless, Eli made sure the observers were in place. With each passing hour, the day got hotter. What a scorcher the day turned into! Holy-mackerel, the sweat was pouring from Eli's forehead. Then, after the noon hour, the weather changed and the course was forced to shut down because of the lightening and the rain that followed. The initial report called for a two-hour delay. Not having done this before, Eli wondered if the long delay would affect his Holy Grail-the fund raiser that was planned for after the dinner for Camp Good Days and Special Times. The Camp is BM-NAR's official charity and they strive to give back to children, adults and families with cancer and other life challenges have taken away from them. Who said a morning prayer doesn't help? After the long hold up in the clubhouse, no one left and the course opened sooner than expected. The golfers were all headed out when Eli saw that the observer for hole 11 was still in the clubhouse and headed to the bathroom. Eli jumped into his cart and drove out to observe that hole. About fifteen minutes later, the official observer replaced him and he went on his merry way. Then his phone rang, but Eli couldn't understand a word with all the excitement that was coming through the phone. He asked the caller to slow down and try again. "Rubin Pikus got a hole-in-one on the contest hole" she repeated. Eli said "What?" "Rubin just won $10,000 with a hole-in-one on hole 11?" He drove to hole 11 and sure enough, it was true. The caddy, the observer, the three-some and the next four-some all witnessed what was once thought to be an impossibility at BM-NAR's outing. Eli made a few calls to share the news and found himself convincing others that Rubin Pikus, CEO of Millbrook Properties, had indeed won the whole shebang. Finally, the news started spreading from hole to hole until the whole course knew. Eli drove his golf cart under a tree and scanned over several holes thinking: "Holy-moly, thank God we were insured. It was now time to get ready for the cocktail hour and then dinner. Eli spotted Rubin and some pictures were taken to commemorate the historical event. It was now Eli's turn to welcome the crowd and to introduce Mark Engel to rally the guest to support Camp Good Days. Mark, with his Don Rickles' like approach, was successful in getting the guests to open their hearts and wallets. Mark is wholeheartedly into fundraising for The Camp. Instantly, dollar amounts were shouted out followed by a humorous line causing others to yell out dollar amounts and so went evening. The highlight for Eli was when Rubin Pikus, Mr. hole-in-one, decided not to let his winnings burn a hole in his pocket, and instead of keeping the whole enchilada, chimed in and donated $5,000 of his $10,000 to Camp Good Days. A day that Eli feared would be ruined by the weather turned into a magical experience for kids with cancer. At the end of the evening, Eli's heart was full of joy. BM-NAR raised about $25,000 for Camp Good Days and Special Times thanks to Mark. It was a thrill for Eli to watch Mark operate. Next year, Eli plans to record Mark in action and post it so others fundraisers could learn a thing or two from Mark. Unfortunately, on his ride home, Eli recalled an office matter and his headache returned. He said to himself, once again, "I need a headache right now like I need a loch in kop (hole-in-the-head)." The next morning Eli contacted the insurance company, Hole-In-One International. After a careful review, they could not find a loophole and eventually paid Mr. Hole-in-One, Rubin Pikus, the whole $10,000. Eli thought Rubin was going to keep one-half of the whole. Instead, Rubin told Eli that once the check to Camp Good Days and Special Times is cut, to please make the other check for $5,000 payable to the North Shore-LIJ Health System Foundation. Incredible, Mr. Hole-in-One gave his whole winnings away. So, there you have it - the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Thanks to Mark Engel and Rubin Pikus, a whole lot of people will be benefitting from their good work and generosity. As for Eli, he has added to his life's work a whole collection of memories about a normal golf and tennis outing that turned into a Holy experience. Eliezer Rodriguez is the association executive of BMAR, Bronx, N.Y.