If the print dialog box does not automatically appear, open the file menu and choose Print.
Article published August 25, 2010
Golf outing aids Holben $10,000 raised for burned race driver's medical bills
PENN TWP — Charlie Holben considers himself to be a regular guy. His summer — and what he witnessed Saturday — have been anything but regular. Holben, 44, of Cabot was severely burned in a fiery crash June 4 while racing his Sprint car at Lernerville Speedway. He suffered deep second-degree burns over 40 percent of his body. The Charlie Holben Benefit Golf Outing, an idea spearheaded by cousin Bob Poston the day after the accident, took place Saturday at Suncrest Golf Course. "We always held a fund-raiser golf event here to help Charlie's race team," Poston said. "As soon as it was evident he wasn't going to race anymore, we figured, why not have an outing to help with his medical expenses? "We were hoping to get maybe 25 teams, raise $5,000 if we were lucky." Instead, the outing drew 38 teams, 148 golfers, and figured to raise nearly $10,000 or more. More than 50 businesses and/or individuals donated toward a Chinese auction that gave away a TV, gasgrill and digital camera, among numerous other items. Two banners displayed at the golf course donned hundreds of signatures from well-wishers. "More than a quarter of the people out here golfing don't even know Charlie," Amy Poston, Bob's wife, said. "They just want to help out." Current or former Lernerville drivers Dan Pflueger, Fred Bratchie, Ralph Engle, Jamie Smith, Ralph Spithaler and others were among the golfers. So was Mike Berkoben, Holben's longtime crew chief and one of the golf outing's organizers. Drivers went through the stands at Lernerville on the race night following Holben's accident and raised $6,400 toward his medical bills. The golf course itself donated back half the fees. "This whole thing is unbelievable to me," Holben said. "I'm not a big name in the sport at all. I'm just a regular guy. "To see this kind of response, this type of outpouring of generosity, how many people care ... It's overwhelming." Holben was in the hospital for a month following the accident. "I can't begin to even guess what our medical bills amount to," Holben said. "They keep coming in, my wife pays on them as we get them. Some, we have to let lag behind. "Insurance will pay 80 percent or so, but there's some co-pays in there and still a whole lot we have to cover." While Holben attended the golf outing, he could not play. His body cannot be exposed to sunlight for long. "It's amazing he's even here," Bob Poston said. "When we were putting this golf outing together, we never thought he'd actually be out here with us." Gary Risch Sr., concession manager at Lernerville, was on hand to assist with grilling chickens for dinner. A catering service donated its efforts at cost. "Charlie married (race driver) Tony Burke's sister, who is from Sarver," Risch said. "The Holbens live only a mile from the track. They're family to us. "I'm just one of many people here helping out. Honestly, this whole thing doesn't surprise me. The race community bonds together in times like this." Poston said 12 to 15 fanmily members would sit together virtually every Friday night to watch Holben race. Holben's daughter, Tiffany, 23, is getting married Sept. 4 and is grateful her father will be there to walk her down the aisle. "I've always been a Daddy's girl," she said. "From the day after the accident, he promised me he'd be there. A father's love? I don't know ... I can't put into words how that makes me feel. "This golf outing, so many people out here to support my Dad, it shows how many really appreciate him as a person." Nobody appreciated Saturday more than Holben himself. "What I've been through has been rough," he said. "But this, today, makes me feel pretty darn good."
