My friends,

I need your help.

I am raising funds for my Special Olympics East Valley Golf program. We have 35 Special Olympics golfers that have a passion for playing golf. Each athlete plays on a team, typically with a parent or good friend, year round at many challenging courses in Arizona. This year we will be playing at Sun City CC, Omni National in Tucson, Antelope Hills in Prescott, Longbow in Mesa, Oak Creek CC in Sedona, Augusta Ranch in Mesa, and TPC Scottsdale. All of the funds raised will go to support this special year round golf program. 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. So it can be very challenging.

I was born in Fremont, California and moved to Arizona 19 years ago and attended Knox Elementary, Willis Junior High and Hamilton High Schools (graduated in 2010) in Chandlerr. For the past three years I have been working at Albertsons supermarket in Chander. I started participating in Special Olympics Arizona sports in 2004 beginning with Track and Field. Since then I have participated in Special Olympics continuously and have enjoyed many different sports including golf, swimming, softball, bowling, flag football, floor hockey, track and field, basketball, kayaking and soccer. Currently, I participate in golf, bowling, soccer and softball. My fondest memories include participating in the Special Olympics North American Invitational Golf Tournament in 2012 and 2013 held in Arizona and New Jersey, respectively. I look forward to continued participation in Special Olympics Arizona activities for many years to come.

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.

Matthew