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Twelve years ago we were looking for ways to help Deaf and Hard of Hearing children get the resources needed to participate in a healthy and competitive environment. Our son, Sean Patrick was just starting school. We knew he and his peers had the talent and abilities, as all children to grow up and become successful in life. However, because of their hearing loss they were presented with many challenges and obstacles that in some cases needed the financial and emotional resources that our educational system could not provide with their already stretched budgets.
We thought about how we could help. Having been involved with many charitable ventures, specifically golf related, we thought that maybe if we tried to put on a tournament of our own we could make a difference.
We started with our friends, high school friends, work friends, family, local community friends, corporate friends and many more. The response we received was overwhelming and beyond our wildest dreams.
These outings started with 144 golfers and one public course raising about $25,000. We, through the help of many have seen it grow to over 400 golfers annually, three flights on private courses and hundreds of thousands of dollars being raised to benefit Deaf and Hard of Hearing children.
But it started with our friends. This is the reason behind the name of the tournament appropriately called………The Friendship Cup.
We are very fortunate to have found a friend in the National Easter Seals Office our charitable umbrella and 503C organizational arm. www.easterseals.com. We have teamed with this wonderful organization in order to support some of the many needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.
We feel strongly that while financial assistance is critical, it is secondary to our community leaders stepping up and working with these children giving educational and training opportunities. You are the examples for them to follow.
Last year’s event raised over $75,000 to benefit Deaf Children in the southeastern New England area. Through the wonderful relationship with Easter Seals, our foundation sponsor, we were able to give money to the following Deaf affiliations:
- The Rhode Island School for the Deaf, Providence, RI
- EDCO Program for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Newton, MA
- The Learning Center for Deaf Children, Framingham, MA
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Deaf Aposolate (RCAB), Newton, MA
- MSAD (Massachusetts State Association for the Deaf)
- NEADS (National Education Assistance Dogs)
- NIEVA (Nat’l Institute for Education through Visual Arts)
- Bishop Feehan American Sign Language Dept.
- Austine School for the Deaf, Vermont
- Camp Mark 7
- READS
- Easter Seals National Endowment for the Deaf
In 2004, our incredible partner, Easter Seals, established the National Endowment for The Deaf. Their ongoing commitment and advocacy for all those uniquely challenged is an inspiration. We are proud to call them friends.
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