1/24/08

Cypress Foundation’s Bridge-A-Rama is painless fundraising
By Cathy Gilbert

CATHY GILBERT/Manning Times

Cypress Foundation Bridge-A-Rama players, Dave Holder, Margaret Jackson, Phyll Holder and Jean Prothro deal a hand for a good cause. The Bridge-A-Rama tournament has donated over $1,000 to the Foundation’s coffers to date.

Across the nation, but possibly no where more passionately than the South, the card game of bridge, is both a game, a social occasion, and in Clarendon County, a great way to raise money for one of the county’s most noblest causes – the Cypress Foundation.

The Cypress Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Clarendon Health System and works hard to ensure that needed funds for hospital growth projects are available. Thanks to the Foundation, developments at Clarendon Memorial Hospital like the Generations women’s pavilion and the expanded imaging center have been made possible.

One Foundation member, Dr. Betty Brockman, put her love for the more than 100-year-old card game and her drive to raise money, even a small amount, together for what has been a very successful fundraiser, now in its fourth year.

The Cypress Foundation Bridge-A-Rama has to day, donated well over $1,000 to the Foundation and according to Brockman, it has been painless.

Contract bridge, as it is technically known, is one of the world’s most popular partnership card games, and dates back to the invention of trick-taking games in the early 16th century, such as whist. Bridge itself forked off from whist with the creation of the game “Biritch” (or “Russian Whist”) in the 1800s, and evolved through the late 19th and early 20th centuries to form the present game.

It has been the mainstay of the Southern social scene for as long as anyone can remember.

“I remember my mother having bridge at the house and having special china to serve on,” said Margaret Jackson, a Foundation board member and Bridge-A-Rama team member. “Women really dressed for the occasion with hats and gloves. It was a very big deal.”

Today, bridge is still an in-demand social occasion as evidenced by the growth of the Foundation’s tournament.

“When we started in 2004, we had, I think, 10 teams,” Brockman noted. “This year we had 18 and we are hoping to grow to 20 and have two separate groups.”

Because bridge is such a universally played game and brings people from all over together, one of the best features of the Bridge-a-Rama tournament has been that the game has allowed both natives and re-locators to get to meet and know one another.

“I would have never met some of these wonderful people,” Jackson said, of Dave and Phyl Holder, with whom they played last Friday. “It has enabled us to broaden our group of friends and we are just delighted.”

While collegiate basketball may have it’s “Sweet 16,” the Cypress Foundation’s Bridge-A-Rama had its own “Sweet 18” this year with the final champs being Team Weinberg, Pam and Julian, taking bragging rights for this year. Cumulative total winners were: The Weinbergs with a total of 30,770 points in first place; Thelma Black and MaryAlice Hoyt in second with 27,760 points; Julie Wood and Elizabeth Sefton in third place with 26,090 points; France Buyck and Sylvia Clark with 23,640 points for fourth place, Team Brockman (Betty and Bill) in fifth place with 23,590 and Dave and Phyl Holder in sixth place with 23,270 points.

It is time now to look toward 2008 and organizers hope to grow even bigger in the coming year. Several new teams have indicated interest in joining and all are welcome so the effort can grow even larger. Anyone interested in playing should get a partner and call Betty Brockman at 478-5347. Don’t have a partner? Call Brockman anyway and she will find you one!