Amy Otteman Nursing Education Fund

The Amy Otteman Nursing Education Fund was created in honor of a beloved daughter, sister, and friend. Amy was a high school scholar athlete, and achieved her lifelong goal of becoming a registered nurse. Amy was an oncology nurse and cared deeply for her patients and their family members.

Amy unexpectedly left this life in 1995 as the result of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. She was 24 years old. When her family made the decision to donate her organs through the Gift of Life in Michigan, they also discussed doing something else in Amy’s memory to benefit others. Just months later, the inaugural Amy Ottemen Memorial Classic (AOMC) charity golf outing was hosted.

“We knew this was what Amy would have wanted,” said Suzi Tengen, Amy’s Mom. “Her brothers Jim and Tim, along with my brother David, came up with the golf classic idea. The event has been a healing vehicle for our family. Amy was a giver and the golf outing has been the right way to honor her memory.”

The first year, the family raised $5,000 which was donated to Bronson Memorial Hospital (where Amy had worked) and Central Michigan Community Hospital (CMCH). The family decided to continue the outing with a goal of raising $50,000 for charity purposes. In a few short years the Ottemans met that goal and the memorial classic continued. Other milestone years and charity amounts came and went. “We had many opportunities to draw the event to a close,” said Amy’s brother and Tournament Director Tim Otteman. “But the community just wouldn’t let us quit!”

“This event has truly been a labor of love for our family,” Tim says. “More importantly, for something that was born out of a terrible family loss, the Amy Otteman Memorial Classic has developed into an event which involves the entire mid-Michigan community, including golfers, sponsors and volunteers.”

Monies donated to CMCH over the years created the Amy Otteman Nursing Education Fund, which benefits the on-going education requirements of patient caregivers. In 15 years, the AOMC gifted $100,000 to the community hospital, which has been used for reference textbooks, computer software, educational conference registration fees and other related expenses. When the Otteman family announced the final event in 2009, they also chose to endow the Amy Otteman Nursing Education Fund at the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation to support the educational endeavors of patient caregivers like Amy for years to come.