Posted on: Wednesday, January 11th, 2017
Legends Ball 2016 Impact
For all of us at our Y, our Legends events have become much more than fundraising opportunities. These events are a celebration of families and our success including individuals with disabilities into every aspect of our Hockomock Area YMCA experience.
Our 11th annual Legends Ball was held on Tuesday, November 15th at Lake Pearl in Wrentham and was an overwhelming success. Legends Ball is a signature event for our Y, and combined with our Legends Golf Classic in October, fund our Integration Initiative.
This year through the outpouring of generosity and support of our sponsors – including our presenting sponsor CVS Health – donors, legends, and attendees, we raised more funds than ever before.
Twelve years ago we identified a segment of our community that was not fully included at our Y. And the first thing we did was listen. Then we found ways to foster inclusion and convened many community partners together to address this critical need.
Then Peter Brock listened. And along with the Patriots Alumni Club provided the foundation for our Legends Ball. Years later this collaboration is much larger than the Legends Golf Classic and Legends Ball every fall. It has evolved into the fostering of life-long friendships among participants and their families with many former and current Patriots and other New England sports legends who come back year after year.
This was especially apparent during this year’s celebration and the commitment of our Legends Honoree Rob Ninkovich. We were all thrilled and proud to honor Rob for his character on and off the field.
Rob has had a great impact on the participants in our Initiative. So much so, that Peter Willis, who has grown up in the program, framed a photo of Rob and himself and autographed it for Rob, knowing how much he would appreciate the gift. The presentation of Peter’s gift was one of the many highlights of the evening.
While we certainly celebrate breaking fundraising records – translating into more kids with disabilities in our summer camps, in our aquatics and our afterschool programs – we also celebrate being part of these young men and women’s lives.
For all the young people in our Initiative and for all those that will follow, thank you for the incredible impact your support makes possible and for being part of our community stepping up to help our Integration Initiative families when they need us most.
Ed Hurley
President, Hockomock Area YMCA
From our November Integration Initiative Newsletter
Stay connected: check out our 2016 Legends facebook photo albums and give us a follow today.
Below, watch the ABC 6 News coverage of our 2016 Legends Ball.
