OUR BENEFICIARIES
Our goal with the Pizza Joe Golf Tournament will always be to give a helping hand to people in need. That may look different from year to year in terms of beneficiaries, but the mission of providing a source of comfort to those struggling will always be the same.
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Thanks to all of you, we were able to raise another $30,000 in last year's tournament (2024), bringing our six year total to $147,000!!
We are proud to announce that Pizza Joe Memorial is now a 501(c)(3) organization! This allows us much more flexibility on where and to whom we donate the money. We will always stay dedicated to our mission of providing and inspiring hope and healing to the poor, distressed, and under privileged.
Here are the stories of the three beneficiaries that were chosen for last year (2023):
Our first beneficiary is a family that has had a long road to welcoming their daughter into this world. After a miscarriage, they became pregnant with their daughter, and soon found out (during pregnancy) that she had a congenital heart defect. With the unknowns of what would happen after birth, the parents tried to prepare for it all. She was born at the very end of May, and after an ultrasound, she was officially diagnosed with Pulmonary Stenosis. This leads to very limited blood flow from her heart's right ventricle to her lungs, among other complications. Her tiny body has gone through several procedures already, with an uncertain number of procedures to come and lifelong risk of needing a heart transplant some day. Additionally, her father received notice from his employer this spring that he was being laid off. So with a change in insurance mid-year, it makes the medical bills even harder to stay on top of, and we hope that our donation can offer a bit of a buffer when all the medical bills continue to roll in.
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Our second beneficiary has been living with long-term mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, regular intrusive thoughts of suicide, and a recent diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. This person highly values their family and children, and is terrified of sinking deeper into the dark hole of depression and suicidal thoughts. It has already taken control of so much in their life. These struggles are made incredibly worse by their current job, which involves working with people who have committed violent crimes, committed crimes against children, and are struggling with addictions and severe mental illnesses. This is all done in a work environment that doesn't support the mental health or well-being of its employees, and doesn't offer the support necessary for working in this field. Simply quitting to find another job would put their family under too much of a financial burden, and so their mental health can't get a chance to catch up, and things continue to worsen. This gift would allow them to get out of this toxic work environment and put focus on health and healing, and be better equipped to find a job with a healthy and supportive environment.
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Our third and final beneficiary has recently gone through a significant and traumatic life change after a car crash left him paralyzed from the neck down. He was sitting at a stop sign with a blinker on, and a person on their phone rear-ended him going 68 mph (with no sign of braking.) This man has a wife and 2 young kids at home, in addition to a farm, a full-time job, and coaching position. And in just one moment of time, everything changed. His wife had to quit her job to take on the new job of full-time caregiver. The kids went weeks at a time without seeing their parents, and are growing up faster than anyone wishes they had to. It has been over a year since the accident, and they all sit with the discomfort of this new reality every day. Unfortunately, they are now considering what parts of their farm they need to sell off in order to make ends meet. They mentioned immense gratitude to us, and shared that the money they will receive from Pizza Joe will be put towards a lift they have been saving for that will allow him to simply go downstairs each night to say goodnight to his kids.
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WE ARE SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL THAT ALL OF YOU ALLOW US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THESE PEOPLE'S LIVES!
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Additionally, we also donate a small portion of the proceeds to Zoey Jo’s college fund. Joe and Brooke had many discussions about finances (thanks to Joe, of course!) and having funds set aside for their children to go to college was always something that was important to them. These donations make this dream possible and is an incredible blessing for both Brooke & Zoey.
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If you know of anyone that could benefit from our donations and profits from this golf tournament, please fill out the nomination form below. Our goal will always be to support those in need, whatever their situation.
