Monday, the Matthew Potter Memorial Golf Tournament ended its 5-year run. But that won't be the end to the 7-year-old boy's memory.
The golf tournament raised an estimated $175,000 during its tenure for Leg Up Farm, a proposed physical and occupational therapy center for children with disabilities.
Jack Lehr, the tournament coordinator, said Tuesday the event would cease because it had accomplished its goal: to raise awareness and funding for Leg Up Farm.
But Lou Castriota, Jr., Leg Up Farm's founder, vowed that Matthew would not be forgotten.
Castriota said that a centralized room within the center will be known as
"Matthew's Town," in honor of the boy who was fatally injured on a ride at the York Fair on Sept. 10, 2001, said Jack Lehr, who organized the tournament.
"That's a great way to keep Matthew's memory alive," he said.
Also at the tournament, attendees learned that Leg Up Farm is closer to breaking ground than ever before.
State Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township, who was at the tournament's dinner at The Country Club of York, told the more than 200 attendees to
"keep an eye to the future (because), hopefully, a grant will be coming from the state."
Saylor said Tuesday that he and other members of York's delegation to the Pennsylvania legislature had been working with state Sen. Mike Waugh, R-Shrewsbury, who spearheaded the efforts to get Leg Up Farm funding.
Castriota began the project nine years ago when he found difficulty in getting his daughter, Brooke, now 10, to various therapies. Brooke suffers from mitochondrial disease, which is similar to cerebral palsy.
An all-inclusive facility would be easier on parents and children with disabilities, offering a wide range of therapies under one roof.
Since he developed the idea, Castriota has acquired 18 1/2 acres of land and approval from the East Manchester Township Planning Commission.
His most formidable challenge was raising funds for the farm.
But Castriota said he found Saylor's announcement "absolutely thrilling."
"It's been a long and challenging road, but it's going to be such a sweet victory for our children when we open up the doors," he said.
Matthew's Town will be at the nucleus of the farm, a 110-square-foot facility along North Sherman Street Extended. It will be a sensory play room, where children can visit places such as a farmer's market or an ice cream shop, he said.
"It's really neat that Matthew's Town will be about his spirit living on through the lives of other children helped by Leg Up Farm," Castriota said.
The York Daily Record/Sunday News