Proceeds enable OP’s mission critical work serving individuals with brain injury
Millburn, NJ – Sept. 15, 2025 - Opportunity Project’s 17 th Annual Golf Classic at the Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park raised over $306,000 –– the highest total in the event’s history. Proceeds help fund New Jersey’s first and only free-standing Clubhouse – a place where people who have experienced brain injury can regain independence and attain their individual goals.
“Brain injury is lifelong — often invisible, yet always life-altering. Opportunity Project has dedicated over 30 years to transforming lives by providing programs and services for people who have sustained a brain injury and their families,” said Kerri Berson Levine, Board Chair for Opportunity Project. “We have grown from serving 15-20 members in 1994, to serving over 750 members and their families since then. The Clubhouse successfully helps bridge the gap between hospital discharge and full community reintegration and provides a community of peers and professionals to help navigate life after brain injury.”
The Golf Classic provides vital support for Opportunity Project programs, including occupational therapy to promote independent living, nutrition and wellness initiatives to support a new lifestyle, vocational support, mental health workshops, member-to-member mentoring programs, speech-language therapy, physical therapy and other critical services for its members and their families. The event also supports awareness initiatives that Opportunity Project brings to the local communities to increase knowledge about brain injury and advocate for prevention.
“More than five million people in the U.S. live with long-term disabilities due to brain injury,” said Eduardo Plata, Executive Director of Opportunity Project. “No two people are alike and no two brain injuries are alike. We are proud to continue to meet the demand for our brain injury programs and services and to continue to expand, most recently adding art therapy and physical therapy to our offerings.”
The Golf Classic’s 18-hole scramble featured contests, raffles, and prizes such as an exclusive Miami Marlins suite package, experiences with the New Jersey Devils, Somerset Patriots, and New York Giants, an evening at NJPAC, and more. The evening festivities were hosted by noted broadcaster, author and motivational speaker, Steve Adubato Jr., Ph.D.
This year’s event was co-chaired by Gary Berson, Jacob S. Buurma, Sandi Davino, Gemma Giantomasi, Esq., Matthew Kaplan, Murray Kushner, Esq., Jared Levine, Matthew B. McDonald III, MD, Jonathan Sobel and Eileen Sudler. Mission Champion Underwriters included: The Fidelco Group, The KRE Group, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and RWJBarnabas Health; Founders Circle Sponsors included: The Sobel Family Foundation, and The Sudler Family Foundation; and, Event Sponsors included: CSG Law, Fidelity and The Kenneth + Claudia Silverman Family Foundation.
About Opportunity Project, Inc.
The Opportunity Project Clubhouse is a unique program created by and for adults with brain injuries who are seeking the next step in their journey of recovery. They provide an environment of support, challenge and choices that create independence and productivity in their members. Through the work environment in the Clubhouse, Members explore their strengths, abilities and interests so that they can establish and attain their individual goals. The ultimate goal is full integration back into family, work and community.
In 2019, Opportunity Project announced a partnership with Children’s Specialized Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest integrated health care delivery system, providing treatment and services to more than three million patients each year. This partnership maximizes the strength of our services.
Contact:
Julie London
golfclassic@opportunityproject.org