Hit The Links And Raise Funds For Recovery At The Annual HUGS Foundation Golf Outing

Lakewood, Ohio, June 22, 2010 – The HUGS  Foundation, a local non-profit focused on providing funding and support for families of chemically dependent adolescents will be holding their annual golf outing Monday, July 26, 2010. Proceeds will help HUGS provide the necessary financial support to assist families in defraying the cost of extended addiction recovery treatment.

 The HUGS Foundation was launched in late 2008 by Lakewood resident, Dianne Vogt, after she saw first-hand, (first as a mother dealing with her own son’s addiction, then as a volunteer at Oakview Behavioral Health Center helping families dealing with the same problem) the need to “bridge the insurance gap” and provide funds to help families afford the staggering costs of addiction recovery programs. HUGS stands for Hope, Understanding, Gratitude, and Serenity. Hope for the future; Understanding of where they have been and where they want to go; Gratitude for those who have helped them and Serenity to enjoy life and the person that they were meant to be.

 Since then, “donors and recipients alike have been very positive about what we are doing,” said Vogt.

 “The most important thing right now is to make the treatment centers and the public aware of what we are doing. There are so many families struggling – as evidenced through the volunteer work that I continue to do at Oakview. The rooms are never empty,” she said.

 The outing, which will be held at the Stonewater Golf Course, 1 Club Drive, Highland Heights, OH, will include breakfast, lunch, a Chinese raffle, and an ice cream social in addition to 18-holes of golf, a putting contest, skill prizes and a Hole-in-one contest for a chance to win a car donated by Gary Mundson of Advantage Leasing.

 The day will begin with registration at 8:00 am, followed by a putting contest at 9:15 am. Shotgun start will be at 10:00 am.

 Hole sponsors include: Linton & Hirshman, Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs, Thacker Martinsek, Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center, Giant Eagle, Cleveland Clinic Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, PDQ Signs, New Directions, Hazelden, Lubrizol, Hyland Software, and Force Indoor Sports. HUGS is still looking for a few additional sponsors. Interested parties should contact Vogt at 216-521-5568.

 “The fact that so many companies were willing to donate as Hole Sponsors for the golf outing affirms that HUGS is fulfilling a need for those families who are struggling with adolescent addiction,” said Vogt.

 Cost is $150 per person. Register as a foursome or individually.

 For questions, or to register, contact Dianne Vogt at hugs@hugs4families.org. You may also download a registration form or register online at www.hugs4families.org.

 Registration deadline is July 15, 2010.