Golf tournament benefits Serving Seniors

The Southwest Center on Aging and Friends invite all golfers to play in and support their charity golf tournament at the New Mexico State University Golf Course on Friday, Sept. 30. All proceeds will be donated in support of local seniors in our community through Serving Seniors of Southern New Mexico.  The organization aims to improve health and quality of life for the thousands of older adults living in this part of New Mexico. 

This is the fifth playing of this super fundraising event, organized by Dr. Jesus R. Duran, who started his medical clinic, Southwest Center on Aging several years ago in Las Cruces.  In the past, this tournament has provided funding for the Alzheimer’s Association and Casa de Peregrinos. The partnership with local charities has been fruitful and made a huge impact on our community.

Sponsorship opportunities for the golf tournament are still available. Sponsorships range in value from a golf cart sponsor at $200, hole sponsor at $350, all the way up to a title sponsorship at $10,000 and a corporate sponsorship at $5,000. There are numerous benefits and advertising exposure at all levels of sponsorship. Go to swcoagolf.com for more details.

Registration for a four-person team is $500. That includes golf with cart, lunch, prizes and raffle. There are prizes for holes-in one, long drives and more, with a super raffle for donated gifts. The format is a four-person scramble, which means that each golfer hits a shot and the team picks the best one, then repeats the process until they hole out. Registration starts at 11 a.m. Shotgun start is at 1 p.m.

Serving Seniors of Southern New Mexico was founded in 2023 based on the need of Duran’s patients for support services and equipment, while recognizing the lack of affordability and resources in our community. Due to the limitations of federal health insurance and state assistance, our older adults often have nowhere to turn for support. Duran’s goal was to make sure that no older adult or caregiver in need would have to suffer the limitations of losing independency. SSSNM operates through the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, which provides support and assistance to older adults, as well as connecting them with resources in their area no matter where in New Mexico they live.

To help individuals take a proactive approach to their overall health, SSSNM provides free lectures and information at sites across the southern region of New Mexico to promote healthy aging. The commitment of the SSSNM Charity Fund derived from the collaboration of their leadership, seasoned staff, strategic partners and loyal supporters. Beginning as an idea a few years ago, this charity golf tournament has now grown into a full charity fund with the goal to assist as many older adults as possible in our community and improve their quality of life.

In case you’re wondering about my keen interest in giving my overwhelming support to this worthy cause, it goes further than being an “older adult” myself. During my work as a clinical psychologist, specializing in geriatric assessments and diagnoses, I traveled throughout southern New Mexico, interviewing and testing patients in long-term care facilities and rural hospitals. I quickly became acutely aware the difficulties, failing abilities and lack of resources that these individuals were challenged with. In 2011, part of my work was assisting Dr. Duran in his offices by interviewing and diagnosing his patients, which sometimes meant that families needed to be informed of the lack of decision-making competency of their loved one.  In knowing and working with him for the better part of 16 years, I have realized how much of a treasure he is here in Las Cruces.