ROCHELLE — On Monday, the 24th Annual Rochelle Community Hospital Foundation golf outing was held at Fairways Golf Course in Rochelle. The day saw sunny weather after dealing with rain for the past two years on play days.

The RCH Foundation supports the hospital and the community in various ways. Foundation Board Member Reed Harris and RCH CEO Karen Tracy spoke to golfers ahead of Monday’s shotgun start. 

“We've done this for a lot of years,” Harris said. “24 years is a long time. I want to thank the sponsors we have that have this year. We want to thank everyone for coming. It's an important day for the hospital because it's one of our best donation days. This year we'll be using the funds to replace respiratory ventilators and white boards in the patient rooms. We appreciate you coming out and giving your money, time and hearts.”

Tracy thanked attendees for their time and donations. She praised the foundation board members and RCH board of trustee members for their volunteer work at the outing and contributions to RCH throughout the year. 

RCH Marketing, Foundation & Organizational Development Manager Michelle LaPage said the outing came together well with logistics and sponsorships. 

“Things have gone really well,” LaPage said. “The weather is cooperating. We're excited about that. We have some really great sponsors and we're happy about that. A lot of our vendors from the hospital and local businesses are participating. We're happy to see the support of the sponsors year after year. We've picked up some new sponsors. It's still a really good fundraiser for the foundation.”

LaPage said RCH’s donor wall was updated this year to honor all of its contributors, including golf outing supporters. The RCH Foundation works to donate towards updates and new technology at the hospital and supports the community. 

The RCH Foundation outing is “a lot of work” to put on each year, LaPage said. She thanked the foundation’s board and the management team at RCH for their work on the day. 

The yearly golf outing also provides networking opportunities. 

“Today is a neat opportunity for our vendors to see our staff in a different light outside of the hospital and vice versa,” LaPage said. “It really shows that we have support outside of Rochelle with the different vendors and technology. And we can see our support in Rochelle too with our local businesses that are here. I've been with the hospital for 10 years. I've gotten to see the golf outing grow and change. It's very humbling to know that we've had this support for 24 years.”