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RYE, N.Y. Eugene DeStaebler was one of 120 golfers who participated in the Rye YMCA's annual Christopher D. Mello Memorial Golf Outing on Monday at the Apawamis Club.
"It was a great day to get outdoors and support the YMCA," said DeStaebler, of Manhasset, whose son Douglass DeStaebler serves on the Rye YMCA's Board of Directors.
The event raises funds to provide financial aid for families that couldn't otherwise afford memberships at the Rye Y."Life can be hard, especially with so many people having lost their jobs," said Sally Wright, development director at the Y. "But kids still need a safe place to be active and have a healthy life."
Wright said that within the first half of 2011, the Y has raised over $420,000 in financial aid. Since 1994 the golf outing has raised nearly $800,000.
The golf fundraiser has been around for 17 years but was renamed in memory of Rye community member Christopher Mello, who died on American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. His parents, Doug and Ellen Mello, wanted their son's memory to live on through supporting the YMCA.
Every year, people like DeStaebler come to play golf and give their support in Mello's name.
Although DeStaebler lives on Long Island, his grandchildren are very active at the Y, so he knows the value it can serve in a child's life.
"It's a great institution for the community," he said.
Have you supported fundraising for financial aid at the Rye YMCA?
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