MEDINA, Ohio – Thanks to the drive and dedication of a Medina resident, Hospice of Medina County has received more than $500,000 in donations over the last 16 years.

Back in 2009, Patrick Spoerndle spent the day playing 100 holes of golf at Fox Meadow Country Club in an effort to raise money for Hospice of Medina County.

“I had planned for it to be a one-time thing and I had hoped I could raise $10,000,” he said. “But I ended up raising right around $18,000 and I thought it would be criminal if I didn’t keep doing it since we had such great results.”

Spoerndle said he had always respected and admired the work that Hospice of Medina County does for not only their patients in the community, but also their families, so the organization was always at the top of his list each year when he would make personal donations, so Hospice of Medina County was an obvious choice to benefit from his annual fundraiser. He added that over the years as an avid golfer, he had played in a lot of golf fundraisers.

“But what always troubled me was that only about 30 to 40 percent of the donations would actually go to the charity because the rest would cover the expenses of the event,” he said. “That’s why I came up with the idea of just me, doing a boatload of holes to get people’s attention and then every single dollar I raise can go to the charity.”

Since that first year in 2009, Spoerndle said Fox Meadow Country Club has offered their golf course for a Monday in the summer so Spoerndle could play 100 holes of golf becoming an event known as “100 for Hospice” which raises money for Hospice of Medina County. After the event last year, the initiative reached a grand total of $500,000.

“I’m very grateful to Fox Meadow for allowing me to do this on their golf course,” he said. “They have been awesome for the last 16 years.”

Spoerndle admits he was nervous about this year’s event, which took place July 29. Having had a knee replacement six months before, he wasn’t sure if he was up for playing 100 holes of golf.

“But it ended up going pretty well,” he said. “I had tested things out recently by playing 36 holes at one time. I manage to get done in six and a half hours.”

Spoerndle said donations for this year’s event are still coming in, but he believes he was able to raise at least $35,000. He said the money goes into an endowment fund which is used to fund the training of volunteers as well as any supplies needed for the training. He said every dollar benefits patients in the Medina County community.

For more information or to make a donation visit www.100forhospice.com.