There were birdies, there were pars, but the best score card turned in at the 2016 Maxwell Jospey Golf Challenge at Knollwood Country Club this past October was a collective “pledge card” of more than $160,000 to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
In its second year, the fundraising event drew 75 participants to a friendly competition between members of Knollwood and Franklin Hills Country Clubs. In response to a generous matching Challenge Fund of $15,000 issued to each club from the Marjorie and Maxwell Jospey Support Foundation, participants each agreed to increase their pledges to the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign by at least $1,000.
Playing golf for a good cause
All told, four teams of two players from each club competed; Knollwood Country Club took home the win– wresting the Jospey Challenge Cup from Franklin Hills, last year’s winner. Celebrating their combined achievement, the players tallied their donations to the Jewish Federation with the match from Marjorie and Maxwell Jospey Support Foundation for a grand total of more than $160,000, all in a day’s play.
The event was spearheaded by Co-Chairs Larry Slabotsky and David Schostak of Knollwood Country Club in collaboration with Federation’s Director of Major Gifts Daniel Greenberg. “What better reason for a golf scramble than to raise money for our community,” said Schostak. “We hope to continue this event for many years to come.”
“Max Jospey would have loved this,” observed Neal Zalenko, Trustee of the Marjorie and Maxwell Jospey Support Foundation.“Of all the things I do for Federation, the Maxwell Jospey Golf Challenge ranks among the most positive ones. It feels great to think that we can leverage a gift the way we have – and at the same time honor the memory of Maxwell and Marjorie Jospey. Hats off to Dan Greenberg for taking the lead with this and making it happen – and to the donors – people who already were giving at generous levels – all who dug a little deeper this year.”
About Max Jospey (1914-2010)
A lifelong supporter of Jewish causes, Maxwell Jospey was active in the Jewish community of Detroit well into his 90’s, long past his retirement as President of Center Steel. A resident of Franklin, Michigan, for many years, Max is remembered as a beloved community leader – President of Sinai Hospital, President of the United Jewish Foundation and a board member and officer of Federation. Additionally, he supported numerous other community organizations, most notably on the boards of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater, Henry Ford Hospital and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Max was an avid golfer who also served as President of Franklin Hills Country Club. As Zalenko shares, “Max loved people who were charitable and, quite frankly, he wasn’t all that keen about people who weren’t. It was almost a pet peeve of his. So one of the requirements of membership that he tried to enforce at Franklin Hills Country Club was that you had to match the fees of the club with a similar gift to a charity. And, of course, Max always would encourage members that their philanthropy goes to Jewish causes.”
In 2000, Max was named among the first four community leaders to receive Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His legacy lives on today in the Foundation that he established and in the Jospey Challenge.
