Published: April 3, 2012 |

At 9 years old, Meghan received her wish for a swimming pool. She is now a young adult attending college.
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16-year-old Jonathon reels in a big one during his fishing wish trip to Nags Head, NC.
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This year, the CONSOL Energy Golf Outing and Dinner on Saturday, May 19 at Cedarbrook Golf Course, celebrates 16 years of making wishes come true for children with life-threatening medical conditions throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Since its start in 1996, the event has raised more than $555,000 for Make-A-Wish® Greater Pennsylvania & Southern West Virginia. That’s enough to fund more than 150 wishes, according to Barbara Becker, Make-A-Wish vice president and director of development.

Each wish is as fantastic for the child as can be imagined, with the average cost of a wish coming in at $3,900. Children between the ages of 2½ and 18 with life-threatening medical conditions are eligible.

“CONSOL Energy is one of our top supporters who has helped countless children and their families have a wish come true. It’s more than that. A granted wish can be life-affirming and life-changing. It impacts the child and family, and even the supporters,” says Becker.

The first CONSOL Energy Inc. golf outing in 1996 raised $3,400, enough to grant one wish at the time, according to Dave Hawk, supervisor of warehousing supply chain management at Consol’s Bailey Mine.

The golf outing is a labor of love for Hawk, who has been orchestrating it since its start. He also has been trained as a Make-A-Wish volunteer to work directly with children as part of the process to identify their heartfelt wishes, though, he says he hasn’t “been ready” to do that yet.

Last year, the golf outing raised $100,143, with 265 players and 33 green sponsors, filling the two 18-hole Cedarbrook golf courses. The proceeds funded wishes and a year’s worth of Make-A-Wish Teddy bears and sibling gift bags.

All donations to Make-A-Wish are used for children within the service area. According to Becker, most of the referrals are from throughout the greater Pittsburgh area, and the CONSOL golf event has raised awareness and increased referrals from other areas.

“This particular event is really helpful to us in southern West Virginia and southwest Pennsylvania, where we don’t receive as much funding,” says Becker. “It also has helped to grant more wishes in these areas, simply by increasing awareness of the Make-A-Wish program. The event has been very helpful, in that we’ve had more referrals in the past 10 years than ever before.”

“There are many families connected to the coal and gas industries, and some of those families we have served,” says Becker. In fact, a Make-A-Wish child in Summersville, W.V., will be traveling to Walt Disney World® Resort when an area mine shuts down this summer.

Wish Power
Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania & Southern West Virginia granted 681 wishes last year, according to Dana Antkowiak, marketing communications coordinator. At any given time, 500 wishes are in varying stages of fruition. There is no waiting list. “Wishes are granted at the family’s convenience,” as soon as the referrals are received and approved, she says. Physician approval also is necessary.

Meghan is a Monaca, Pa., wish kid whose wish for a swimming pool was granted in 1997, the year she was diagnosed with leukemia. “Thinking about my wish kept my mind from dwelling on the rough treatments and procedures,” recalls Meghan, who is now 19 and leukemia free.

As soon as she decided on her wish, Make-A-Wish got to work installing the pool, even though it was October. “Looking out my window everyday watching them work hard on my pool gave me hope and strength to make it through this tough time. I was determined to conquer this illness, because I wanted to swim in my pool. I was not going to let my illness keep me from my wish!”

Today, Meghan is a college student and has interned at the Make-A-Wish office. She and her family still enjoy the swimming pool.

“People tend to underestimate the power of a wish. A wish can be powerful. It offers hope, joy, happiness and much more,” says Meghan. “In my opinion and my family’s opinion, that wish helped me beat my illness!”

Jonathon, a 16-year-old Peterson, W.V., teen diagnosed with leukemia was granted his wish for a fishing trip to Nags Head, N.C., in August 2010. While deep-sea fishing beyond Oregon Inlet, he caught several amberjack and landed a white marlin. He also enjoyed a visit to the North Carolina Aquarium, a flight over the barriers islands of the Outer Banks, crab fishing, a private tour of Wright Memorial and other memorable activities.

Giving Spirit
This year, the CONSOL golf outing goal is to raise $102,000. “We’re halfway there already,” says Hawk, crediting a community service mindset within CONSOL Energy.

“The big thing is when CONSOL spends money, we spend it in the local community. We invest in our communities in a lot of ways, through the Scouts, environmental organizations, you name it.”

Hawk acknowledged the senior executives who are serving as honorary golf tournament chairmen:
•  Darryl M. Husenits, D.Sc., Vice President, Supply Chain Management, CONSOL Energy Inc.
•  Sam McLaughlin, Vice President, Southwest Pennsylvania Operations – Gas, CONSOL Energy Inc.
•  Chuck Shaynak, Senior Vice President - Northern West Virginia Operations, CONSOL Energy Inc.

He thanked Chuck Shaynak for making door prizes possible for the last three years, and he offered this tongue-in-cheek challenge: “My guess is that Chuck will raise more from the coal side! We are hoping the gas side can give him a run for his money.”

He singled out several on the golf outing committee:
•  Steve Crouse, manager, material management, corporate in Cannonsburg, Pa: “He’s as much involved,
    if not more than anyone. I’m very fortunate to have him as a helper and a personal friend.”
•  Bruce Ellsworth, warehouse supervisor, supply chain management for the central preparation plant
    at Consol’s Bailey Mine: “Bruce is one of the up-and-coming young men.”
•  Rex Cooper, director of supply chain management, corporate
•  Jim Morris, warehouse supervisor at Consol’s Enlow Fork Mine
•  Sandy Muhelman, manager of accounts payable, corporate
•  Greg Eustis, Northern Operation Manager Fairmont Supply

Hawk also noted that two on the committee are friends from the community at-large, Paul Abraham, a retired high school principal, and George Zofcheck, a retired police officer who has been involved since the first CONSOL-Make-A-Wish golf outing.

He applauded the golf outing volunteers and welcomed their involvement. “All the guys and girls who show up for the golf tournament do so just because they want to help. They are good people.”

He expressed gratitude for Logi-tec Inc. and its three regular volunteers. One employee’s wife sells raffle tickets every year. Two employees with Royal Hydraulics Inc. serve on the golf outing committee. So does Greg Eustis of Fairmont Supply Co. Heath Hollowood of Hollowood Plumbing and Heating, Technical Division, contributed time and talent to create the golf outing website, www.cmwgolf.com.

Even sponsors are a willing and giving bunch, says Hawk, noting they want nothing in return. “They just pay the sponsorship for Make-A-Wish and help us make a wish come true.”

“One hundred percent of sponsorship money goes to Make-A-Wish,” says Hawk. “There is no middle company, no middle nothing.”

All checks are made out to Make-A-Wish. All golf round checks go to Cedarbrook Golf Course.

“Nothing comes to CONSOL monetarily, because all CONSOL is doing is sponsoring it, organizing it and doing all the background work. Everything is above board. Make-A-Wish can tell us exactly where money went and what wish it helped fund. I can account for every penny.”

Labor of Love
On this particular day, Dave Hawk is wearing a golf outing T-shirt from years past and reflecting on the origins of the CONSOL Energy Golf Outing and Dinner.

He shared his memory of the young neighbor girl who has long been the inspiration behind his dedication to Make-A-Wish, a story that is difficult for him to tell. After she was diagnosed with leukemia, Make-A-Wish came and granted her wish to visit Walt Disney World Resort.

Hawks says the growth of the tournament has been rewarding. “People say, ‘live and let live.’ I try to ‘live and help live.’” 

He notes that he comes from a family of philanthropists. “We had very little growing up, but what we had, we shared.” His brother and sister-in-law in Florida volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Another brother runs the United Service Organizations in Palm Springs, Calif., and offers free tax preparation assistance to senior citizens.

“I’m a very fortunate person. My children are healthy, the grandchildren are healthy, and I can pay the bills, and I’m working,” says Hawk. “I’ve gotten as much out of Make-A-Wish as I’ve given, including some extra purpose in my life.”

Looking Forward
New this year, CONSOL golf tournament players will receive a golf ball with the CONSOL and Make-A-Wish logos. The player with the single red “M&M” ball will win a gift basket with a variety of M&M products and the privilege of giving the basket to the Make-A-Wish child present, if so inclined – hint!

“We always have a Make-A-Wish kid there,” to give a testimonial about the impact of having his or her wish granted. “There is not a dry eye in the house after they talk,” says Hawk.

One year, Robin Cole, former Steeler linebacker, was in the audience. He also played golf in the outing on Hawk’s team.

When all is said and done, everyone will walk away with good memories and a memento. “Everybody gets a gift, everybody gets a door prize, everybody leaves with things to remember the day,” says Hawk.

For more information on the CONSOL Energy Golf Outing and Dinner:
• Visit www.cmwgolf.com
• Call, Dave Hawk at (724) 428-1225
• To be one of the sponsors or to register to golf, use the registration form, CLICK HERE

For information on referring a child to Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania & Southern West Virginia, volunteering or contributing:
• Visit www.wishgreaterpa.org
• Call toll free (800) 676-9474 (WISH)

- By Heidi Ketler, contributing writer for MiningConnection.com