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Thank you for your consideration in donating to the Friends of Jeremy Golf Tournament to support Children's Craniofacial Association. This website provides a safe and convenient way for you to support our efforts. Your generous support will help us to achieve our goal of $25,000!
If you know others who would like to support this cause, please forward them this website.
The Friends of Jeremy Golf Tournament began in 2005 to raise money for Children’s Craniofacial Association and to spread awareness about children with Craniofacial Abnormalities. We started this fundraiser as a way to support an organization that has become a part of our family and has made a significant impact on our lives. This tournament has raised over $75,000 in the last four years thanks to the overwhelming generosity of family, friends and local businesses.
Our son, Jeremy, is the inspiration behind this event. He was born in 1999 with a craniofacial abnormality called Goldenhar syndrome which affects all children a little differently. For Jeremy, Goldenhar means a large left facial cleft, extreme cleft palate, the absence of a left ear, an underdeveloped left eye and 2 hemi-vertebrae located in the middle of his spine and at the top of his spine causing congenital scoliosis. Jeremy has had 22 surgeries so far which has included many facial reconstructions, bone grafts and a spinal fusion. Jeremy has a hand-painted prosthetic in his left eye. He is unable to eat through his mouth so he has a feeding tube which gets connected to a button in his belly. Eventually Jeremy will have a left ear constructed for him.
Despite Jeremy’s facial differences, he is a typical kid who has a lot of friends and is very active. He loves to ski and has played both t-ball and soccer. He has overcome so many obstacles and has made everyone in his life so proud of him. His primary challenge is communication. At this point, his anatomy has prevented him from speaking clearly so his main method of communication is through sign language and the use of a touch screen computer which can talk for him in school.
Our family became involved with Children’s Craniofacial Association when we attended our first family retreat in 2003. It was such an amazing and heartwarming experience to meet so many other families that were going through the same things as we were. It was also an inspiration to see how brave, confident and well adjusted all of the CCA kids were that we met. It gave us such hope that Jeremy would also follow in those footsteps. Through the annual family retreat CCA provides an escape from the everyday social and physical pressures these kids have. They are able to interact in an atmosphere where they do not stand out and where they can share common experiences that the majority of children never have to face. CCA provides the opportunity for parents to bond and share advice and for siblings to better understand and admire their brother or sister.
In addition to the annual family retreat, CCA provides educational, emotional and financial support to families while they are traveling to multiple craniofacial clinics, preparing for and recovering from surgical procedures and trying to make decisions regarding medical care for their child.
For more information about CCA visit www.CCAkids.org and for more information about the Friends of Jeremy Golf Tournament visit www.friendsofjeremy.com.
Thank you for your support!
The Dale Family
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