Mercy Newsletter

Gary’s House Celebrates 25 Years Annual Bush Family Golf Classic and Gala fundraiser, June 12-13, will honor the milestone. After years of grassroots fundraising by

Kennebunk area friends and businesses, the dedicated group raised enough money to make a local teenager’s wish come true. In 1998, a large townhouse on State Street in Portland was purchased, and Gary’s House was established to help families in need. The hospitality home, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is a tribute to Gary Pike, a Kennebunk teen who lost his battle

to cancer in the summer of 1991. Gary saw firsthand the financial hardship and stress families experience when a loved one needs medical care away from home. Gary asked his parents to make sure there was a place families could stay close to the health care facility. A program of Northern Light Mercy Hospital, Gary’s House is a comfortable home away-from-home for families and individuals with loved ones receiving treatment in greater Portland. The late President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush were early champions of Gary’s House, chairing an annual golf tournament at Cape Arundel Golf Club and lending their support to the program. The Bush Family Golf Classic and Gala is the largest annual fundraiser for Gary’s House and one of the biggest charity events in Maine. Many members of the Bush family have followed in President and Mrs. Bush’s footsteps to serve as honorary chairs of the event which now bears their family’s name. For nearly three decades, the annual tournament has raised more than $3.5 million to help the thousands of families who have relied on Gary’s House. This year, Bush grandchildren, Sam Bush LeBlond and Marshall Bush, will serve as honorary chairs of the two-day event and host the special 25th anniversary celebration of Gary’s House.

To support or learn more about the 2023 Bush Family Golf Classic and Gala to benefit Gary’s House, please visit northernlighthealth.org/bushgolf.

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