Golf tournament raises money
The third annual Dr. Darrell L. Abel Memorial Golf Tournament raised approximately $20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania. This year’s event had a full field of golfers who participated in the day’s events, auction and raffles and the evening’s festivities. Many of the golfers and volunteers returned for the third year. There were also many new participants who helped support the event. The day was hot, but this did not affect the fun and the challenge.
The event was held recently at the Uniontown Country Club.
With the money, the Make-A-Wish Foundation will be able to fulfill the wish of approximately six children in Fayette County. Each wish averages $3,400.
“The proceeds for the 2002 event have again exceeded our expectations,’ said Abel, who established the tournament with his wife, Suzanne Abel, in honor of his father, the late Dr. Darrel L. Abel, a former Uniontown dentist.
“The first year we were planning on one wish. The event, which was held on Monday, June 5, 2000, funded three wishes. The second year, June 11, 2002, funded six wishes. The event this year will again be funding six more wishes. We never expected that in our third year that we would have funded 15 wishes.
“We are so grateful for the success in this event. Citizens in the local and surrounding communities have made this possible. Being able to help a child, who has a life-threatening illness, truly warms our hearts to know that we all can make them smile,’ said Abel.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a national non-profit organization that fulfills the special wishes of children under the age of 18 who have a diagnosed life-threatening disease. It was founded in Phoenix, Ariz., in 1980 by a small group of people wanting to help a very ill young boy achieve his wish, to be a state trooper for a day.
There is a range of wishes requested by the children. Many wishes are for computers, swing sets, meeting famous celebrities and shopping sprees.
The most popular wish (made by 35 percent of the children) is a visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
One wish this year was for a robot dog, which will help pick up toys and play with its loving owner, Colby Cole. He is a 4-year-old boy from Fayette County. He was diagnosed with JMML-Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia in January of this year.
The children who attend Duck Hollow Discovery Learning Center raised the funds to make his wish come true. They held a Dance-A-Thon in April which benefited Cole through the Dr. Darrell L. Abel Memorial Fund.
Abel has been involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh for several years. After attending a golf tournament in Pittsburgh, he decided to bring the funding to Fayette County. He noted that his father loved children and having this memorial is a wish that his father would have wanted.
“We should like to thank everyone who was involved in making this event another successful year. We all share a special place in our hearts for these deserving children. No child should be ill,’ added Abel.
The fourth annual Dr. Darrell L. Abel Memorial will be held on Monday, June 9, 2003.
For more information about the make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, call 412- 471-WISH (9474).