My friends,

I need your help.

I am raising funds for my Special Olympics East Valley Golf program; we have 35 Special Olympics athletes that have a passion for playing golf. The athletes and their partners, who are usually a parent or good friend, play year-round, at many challenging courses in Arizona. This year we will be playing at Sun City CC, Omni Tucson National, Antelope Hills in Prescott, Longbow in Mesa, Oak Creek CC in Sedona, Augusta Ranch in Mesa, and TPC Scottsdale. All funds raised go directly to support our special year-round golf program. With your support, these funds also enable us to participate in the Special Olympics National Invitational Golf Tournament if we are lucky enough to be selected. The National Tournament is 3 days and, like the PGA, we cannot use golf carts. It can be very challenging.

I have participated in Four National Invitational Golf Tournaments; 2012 in Phoenix, AZ, 2013 in Atlantic City, NJ, 2015 in Hilton Head, SC, and 2016 in Port St, Lucie, FL.; I earned a Gold, Silver and two Bronze medals at these tournaments.  I’ve also been competing in the 4-hole pro-am tournament held by the PGA Tucson Open; for the past 20 years. Playing golf is one of my favorite things to do, especially when I get to play with my dad. We play in as many tournaments as we can throughout the year, and we have played in many tournaments for Special Olympics Arizona and the Arizona Law Enforcement Torch Run over the years.  Two of my favorite tournaments to compete in are the regional and state Special Olympics tournaments; I’ve proudly brought home the gold in both of these tournaments, Special Olympics has given me great experiences and opportunities; one of my favorite opportunities is getting to meet and play with some of my favorite professional athletes including Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Luis Gonzales, Paul Goldschmidt and Larry Fitzgerald. 

How can you help?

The Thunderbirds have given us a great opportunity to raise funds by matching all donations by an additional 10%. One hundred percent of the funds stay in our Special Olympics golf program and enable us to continue to play golf and improve our game. Your help comes from sponsoring me with a one time donation, or  a Pledge per Birdie for the 4 days of the Tournament.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Rocky Jr.