Southern California High School Golf Team Birdies Will Benefit Heart of a Child Foundation

Nov. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Oak Park, CA – The Oak Park High School Varsity Boys Golf Team has launched “Birdies to Benefit,” a program designed to reinforce to its players the concept of philanthropy and community service.

“We have developed a successful golf program over the past 13 years without ever stressing winning,” said Coach Bruce Beck.  “At the foundation of our coaching is that hard work and doing the right thing will always produce positive results, and our record speaks for itself.  The odds at playing professional sports at the highest level are very slim for high school athletes, but every player that comes through our program has the ability to become a productive member of the community.   This program reinforces the idea that the actions of one, can impact others, and in this case, very positively.”

“This is not a novel program, “added Beck.  “At the pinnacle of our game is the PGA Tour whose initiative “Together, Anything’s Possible,” raises millions of dollars for charity.  By reinforcing the idea that our players can make a social investment by playing the game they love, we will further that initiative in our own community in our own small way.”

In its inaugural year, the Oak Park Golf Team will play for the Heart of a Child Foundation http://www.heartofachild.org/ , a Rancho Palos Verdes, CA –based non-profit organization whose mission is to fund research to find the root causes of congenital heart defects.   Every birdie made by a golfer on the Oak Park High School Varsity golf team during the 2013 season will help to improve the care and treatment of children born with congenital heart defects.  

The Oak Park Golf Team will play approximately 18 matches and two tournaments between February 25 and May 3. A weekly tally of birdies will be displayed on the Oak Park golf Team website at http://www.oakparkgolf.org.

The Heart of a Child Foundation was formed in 1996 and is being built with the combined efforts of two families who are determined to turn heart-breaking experiences into an enduring legacy to improve the chances of survival for other infants born with congenital heart defects. In response to this situation, the Mendus and Bronchicks independently started foundations in their daughters' memories, The Samara Foundation for Pediatric Cardiology and The Paige Bronchick Foundation. Both foundations had as their goal, the furthering of research and treatment in congenital heart defects. In the summer of 1997, the name of The Samara Foundation for Pediatric Cardiology was changed to The Heart of a Child Foundation.

Eight charities were nominated by Oak Park High School team families.  Each family then voted for three charities with five points given to their favorite organization, three points for second and one point for third.  The coaching staff had no input in the selection or the voting of the selected charity.  Players are not required by are given the opportunity to seek pledges.

The Oak Park Golf Team will make a check presentation to The Heart of a Child Foundation at the team banquet following the golf season.

For more information or to make a pledge, visit the team website at http://www.oakparkgolf.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OakParkGolfTeam.