Bell & Evans Charity Event Raises $275,000 for WellSpan Sechler Family Cancer Center
Combined contributions from the Bell & Evans Charity Golf Tournament exceed $1.5M
Lebanon, PA (August, 25, 2017) – The 9th Annual Bell & Evans Charity Golf Tournament benefiting the WellSpan Sechler Family Cancer Center took place today at Iron Valley Golf Course in Lebanon, PA, and netted $275,000, up from $250,000 last year, totaling more than a cumulative $1.5 million contribution to the cancer center to date.
Local philanthropist and Bell & Evans Owner Scott Sechler contacted the Good Samaritan Hospital in 2009 to announce plans for a charity golf tournament to benefit the hospital’s oncology department. When Good Samaritan shared its dream of one day opening an integrated cancer care center in Lebanon, Scott vowed to help them turn that dream into reality by pledging to raise $2 million for the project. In January 2016, WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital opened the WellSpan Sechler Family Cancer Center in Lebanon, PA.
WellSpan Sechler Family Cancer Center offers comprehensive, integrated care, which includes chemotherapy, infusion therapy and radiation treatment. Other features include physician offices, a pharmacy, a laboratory and a spiritual center, as well as offices for a social worker and dietitian. The center’s goal is to make treatment more seamless and convenient for cancer patients.
Longtime business partners of Bell & Evans have been supporting the fundraising event for years. The event includes a round of golf, lunch and a silent auction.
“Cancer has touched each of us in some way,” said Scott Sechler. “This cancer center is so important to our community because of the breadth of its reach, and I hope that those fighting this terrible disease are able to heal quicker and more comfortably closer to home. The generosity of our vendors is unparalleled, and I personally thank them for their support and encourage others to donate to this wonderful organization.”
Scott’s philanthropy goes well beyond the cancer center. In Fredericksburg, where Bell & Evans’ plants and new state-of-the-art hatchery are located, Scott is well known for his support of community projects, from ball fields to 4-H programs and the annual weekend-long Hinkelfest chicken festival. He has been a longtime supporter of Lancaster County’s annual benefit for the missionaries in Haiti, and he also helped orchestrate and fund the renovation of a vacant elementary school in his hometown of Strausstown (Berks County) into a community campus that houses a few organizations. In 2016, The Association of Fundraising Professionals named Scott “Philanthropist of the Year.”
Scott and his family not only use their time and financial resources to help others in the local communities, but they also encourage business friends and partners to increase their philanthropic involvement. Donations to the WellSpan Sechler Family Cancer Center can be made payable to Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation and mailed to WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital Development Office, Fourth & Walnut Streets, Lebanon, PA 17042.
About Bell & Evans – Bell & Evans is the oldest branded chicken company in America, dating back to 1894, and the industry’s pioneer in humane animal welfare standards and innovation, from its first-of-its-kind organic certified and chick welfare-focused hatchery to its Slow Induction Anesthesia and 100% Air Chilled methods. Bell & Evans is committed to producing the highest-quality, natural chicken for its consumers and is passionate about raising chickens responsibly. To learn more, visit www.bellandevans.com.
Heather Hitz, Public Relations and Communications Manager
Bell & Evans
154 W. Main St., Fredericksburg, PA 17026
717.820.3113 (O) | 717.865.9157 (F) | 717.679.6188 (M)
[email protected] | www.bellandevans.com