Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital has brought specialized care closer to home, with considerable thanks to local support. Now in its 34th year, the ELIH Foundation’s Annual Golf Classic, set for Monday, June 8, at Gardiners Bay Country Club (12 Dinah Rock Road, Shelter Island Heights), will continue the hospital’s tradition of raising funds to bolster the services that help and care for so many.
We asked Linda Sweeney, vice president of Foundation and External Affairs, what newcomers and returning attendees can look forward to at this month’s event.
1. What makes the ELIH Foundation’s Annual Golf Classic a not-to-be-missed summer event on the North Fork?
It’s one of our major fundraiser events and it has evolved into a really, really good event where there’s a lot of support, which helps us fund critical needs here at the hospital.
2. What can new attendees expect to experience at the golf classic?
Not only do the guests get great food [and entertainment], but the course is also spectacular.
3. With the 2026 U.S. Open Golf Championship taking place in Shinnecock Hills this month (June 18-21), are you feeling even more enthusiasm for the game this year?
It’s exciting for everybody on Long Island. People pay to volunteer [at the U.S. Open], which is amazing!
4. ELIH selected North Fork realtor Scott Bennett and his wife, Jessie, as this year’s honorees for their work with the Beacon Light Foundation. What makes the North Fork a special community in terms of giving back and inspiring generosity among our residents?
Scott and Jessie embody that spirit. Scott is a former ELIH board member and he was a member of the ELIH Board of Trustees until we were taken over by Stony Brook. Together, their steadfast support of the hospital is just overwhelming. The generosity that they have contributed, not just of themselves, but Scott being on the foundation board and finding unbelievable prospects and donors for the hospital, has been instrumental.
5. How have the health needs of eastern Long Islanders changed in recent years and how has ELIH’s mission and work stayed in front of those changes?
The North Fork [has] the oldest age per capita in New York State with an average age of 65. This aging population has a big demand for behavioral health. Now, with the stroke center, it’s going to be tremendous for us. We have a lot of services here — surgery, wound care, orthopedic surgery, gynecology — and being part of Stony Brook Medicine and Stony Brook University Hospital makes us world-class care.
