Michael Farren has assumed a leadership role in fundraising for a great cause. Please Read Below:
Fundraising Surpasses 500-Mark in Scholarships for Life-Saving Water Safety Lessons for Philadelphians
CLASS OF ’08 ALUMNI OF ST. JOSEPH’S PREP
ASSUME LEADERSHIP ROLES IN FUNDING WATER SAFETY PROGRAMS
IN MEMORY OF THEIR CLASSMATE JOSIAS STERLING
The Seventh Annual “Apple Pie” 7s Rugby Tournament is Scheduled for 11/27/15
Philadelphia, PA (November 8, 2015) – Five members of the Class of 2008 of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School are demonstrating their commitment to the credo of their alma mater, to be “men for and with others,” by assuming leadership roles in the annual fundraising in memory of their late classmate, Josias Sterling ‘08. Mike Farren, Ryan Gregory, Jim O’Brien, Vince Quinn and John Waldron are proud to participate in a mission that has already provided scholarships for over 500 individuals who received water safety lessons through The Josias A. Sterling Aquatic Education Program at the Ray and Joan Kroc Center of the Salvation Army in North Philadelphia.
The mission was established in the wake of a tragedy. Sterling, a well-loved member of the class of ’08, became caught in a riptide in Ocean City in the summer of 2009 just weeks before he was to begin his sophomore year at Temple University. Despite being physically strong and though he was just in knee-deep water, he was pulled out with the current and lost his life. He was 19 years old. As Josias Sterling had never learned to swim, a plan grew quickly to establish a fund to support water safety training in his memory. The first “Apple Pie” 7s Rugby Tournament — the primary fundraiser for this mission — was played just four months later. Now an established event, the seventh annual “Apple Pie” 7s will be played in Fairmount Park on November 27, 2015. Two additional fundraisers developed by Josias Sterling’s classmates, are helping to grow the impact in valuable new ways.
Vince Quinn, an on-air personality and producer at Sportsradio 94WIP, was recruited in 2012 to serve as emcee for the first “Buy A Brew/Make A Splash” tavern-based fundraiser. By this year’s fourth Annual Event, held October 4 at 2nd Story Brew House in Old City, Quinn assumed the leading role as event producer, moving it to a larger venue with enhanced door prizes. “Lots of seasoned broadcasters are recruited to support a worthy cause,” noted steering committee member and retired TV personality Liz Matt. “In Vince’s case, at 22 years old, our guy began his on air career already primed with a great cause he truly believes in. And he’s been using his influence right from the beginning to build awareness for our mission. And it’s always done in a way that’s pure ‘Vince’ – with lots of humor and heart.” In 2011, Quinn was also a key contributor to the production of the video that promotes the mission.
The charity branched out with a brand new fundraiser this past September 25, when four of Josias’s classmates established the first-ever JAS Memorial Golf Outing, played at Center Square Golf Club in Montgomery County. The leadership team was Jim O’Brien, a staff engineer with Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Ryan Gregory, a sales representative with Ecco-Gregory, Mike Farren, a staff accountant with Stephano Slack, LLC and John Waldron, an application engineer at Pruftechnik Inc. “We can share our excitement and build financial support by attracting athletes who don’t play rugby,” noted O’Brien. “Even those of us who are fortunate enough to still play rugby won’t be able to play forever. With this event, we can stay active and increase the overall reach of the fund and to continue to grow it in a positive direction.”
The director of the swimming program at the Kroc Center, famed Philadelphia competitive swimming coach Jim Ellis, notes that: “Because of this beautiful community partnership, there are 500 Philadelphians who are safer today in their community pool, in a private pool, down the shore or in a lake. We have a cause that has the power to change lives. Statistics of the National ‘Make A Splash’ program tell us that ten people die every day of drowning in this country and the majority of them are people of color. The work done by this charity is literally saving lives. It also launches the opportunity for one of the healthiest life-long activities, as swimmers enjoy the water for both fun and fitness.”
For more information on the upcoming 2015 tournament, please visit our general information FACEBOOK page for the Apple Pie 7s. A video about the tournament is viewable at YouTube at this link: http://youtu.be/lifX4kQ5vLE To learn more about the Josias A. Sterling Aquatic Education Program, or to make a contribution to the charitable memorial fund in his memory please visit: www.josiassterling.org The Josias A. Sterling Memorial Fund, a 501.c.3, is established as a division of CHARITYSMITH non-profit foundation. www.charitysmith.org EIN: 87-0636433
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Contacts: Liz Matt – (mobile) 609-410-3558
LizMattTV@gmail.com
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