Volunteers give to charities
Known for their generosity to charity, the volunteers who assist the pros as the locker-room committee at the 84 Lumber Classic in Farmington are focusing their efforts this year on children. The volunteers are donating their tips from the pros this year to Uniontown Hospital’s pediatric unit and Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C., for children with chronic medical conditions and those who are seriously ill.
“Uniontown Hospital will always be on our list because it’s local,’ said Pete Stefancin of Hopwood, committee chairman. “Many of our volunteers are local and their kids use Uniontown Hospital.’
A NASCAR fan, Stefancin was also drawn to the work of Victory Junction Gang Camp, which was founded by racecar driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Patty, in honor of their son, Adam, who was killed during a race in 2000.
“Being a school teacher and around kids, you see it all the time (youths who are seriously ill),’ said, Stefancin, who teaches fifth grade at Hatfield Elementary in the Laurel Highlands School District.
He is glad to support the work of Victory Junction Gang Camp, noting it will help youths “get something out of it that makes them feel good about themselves.’
Stefancin began the practice of the locker-room committee donating its tips to charity when he was asked to be committee chairman for the first 84 Lumber Classic in 2003. Committee members are happy to support the practice.
Asked why it’s important to him, Stefancin said, “Maybe it was my upbringing. If you can help, you do it. And it’s fun giving away other people’s money. That’s what it is. Our tips come from the pros. And for something like this to be in Fayette County, why not give to charity?
“I’ll never match what the Hardys give, but this is my way of thanking the Hardys for what they’re doing here and for Uniontown.’
Stefancin can joke that the locker-room committee is giving away other people’s money, but they work hard for their tips. They clean shoes, change spikes on shoes, help carry boxes from company representatives and distribute supplies to the players. They even find someone to dry clean the players’ clothes and post their mail. And then they give their tips away.
In their first year, the locker-room committee gave $7,000 to UPMC Children’s in Pittsburgh. Last year, they split their donations between Uniontown Hospital’s pediatric unit, which used the money to purchase specialized hospital cribs, and to the ALS Association, Western Pennsylvania, which used the money for research.
Stefancin chose ALS after reading a book called “Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story.’ Edwards, who was Tom Watson’s caddy, died from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease). Stefancin designated this donation as a way of recognizing the Tour players. Each charity received about $3,400 last year from the locker-room committee.
Stefancin said the locker-room committee is hoping to raise about the same amount this year to be split between Uniontown Hospital and Victory Junction Gang Camp.
“I don’t know if they’ll be surprised or disappointed – it depends on the pros. What they give us is what we ship out of here,’ said Stefancin.
Leona Trombly, media and communications manager for Victory Junction Gang Camp, noted that a $3,000 donation would be enough to send two children to camp for a weekly session.
“We just finished our second season and we have served just about 1,400 kids in two years,’ said Trombly, who explained that children at the camp suffer from a number of illnesses and conditions, including cancer, sickle cell anemia, asthma and spina bifida. “They may not all be terminal, but these are things the kids have to deal with.’
She said the camp depends on corporations, organizations and foundations to operate. Its annual budget is $5 million. The camp is appreciative of every contribution.
Gary Macioce, vice president, operations, at Uniontown Hospital, said, “The real positive is this was done in the past and continues to be an unsolicited contribution. The group decided on its own to contribute to Uniontown Hospital without being asked and support the pediatric department. It makes it even more rewarding.’