Ben & Adith Miller Classic raises $200,000 for Patient Care Fund

The Winona Health Foundation’s 2021 Ben & Adith Miller Classic raised $200,000 for the Ben & Adith Miller Patient Care Fund, a charitable fund for individuals and families who receive healthcare services at Winona Health. This was the Classic’s 31st year.

The 2021 Golf Classic was Monday, August 9 at Cedar Valley Golf Course and included an 18-hole tournament and a 9-hole scramble. World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez gave a demonstration, answered questions and gave tips during a community presentation Monday morning at 10, and then chatted and played with participants throughout the afternoon. “To be a part of something like this and to help those who are less fortunate is important to me. I sleep so much better knowing I’m helping to make things better for others through causes like this,” said Lopez during the post-tournament dinner. “I felt so welcome, and I had a great time. You have a wonderful community. Keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll remember Winona and tell others what a wonderful community this is.” Rebecca Lamberty, Winona Health chief administrative officer thanked the Hugh and Vera Miller Family and RTP Company for their continued support of Winona Health, the Ben & Adith Miller Patient Care Fund and the Ben and Adith Miller Classic. “Everyone deserves access to excellent healthcare services,” she said. “The Ben & Adith Miller Patient Care Fund helps ensure that everyone has that access.”

“I have been a self-supporting person living on my own and working until COVID. My hours dropped. No insurance. I needed to move in with family. This patient care fund helped me more than financially. The leg up in time of need helped me emotionally and mentally. It gave me hope to keep going forward. I’m more grateful than words can express. I hope someday I can afford to do the same for others.” — Patient Care Fund recipient

More than 40 Winona Health volunteers were on hand to assist with hole duties, refreshment carts, mailings, gift bags and a wide variety of jobs to make this event run smoothly and ensure participants had a great day. The Ben & Adith Miller Patient Care Fund was established in 1986 by Benjamin A. Miller, a former Winona-area businessman and philanthropist, in honor of his wife, Adith, to help local individuals and families in need pay for medical care at Winona Health. The annual Golf Classic began in 1990 as a fundraiser to help ensure ongoing funding for this unique community resource. Since the fund’s inception, it has helped more than 6,236 individuals pay over $13.2 million in Winona Health medical costs. In fiscal year 2020, the Ben & Adith Miller Patient Care Fund gave out $796,985 to 530 people. The next Ben & Adith Miller Classic will be Monday, August 8, 2022. For more information, or to contribute to the Ben & Adith Miller Patient Care Fund, visit www.winonahealth.org/foundation.