8/11/23 (Sudbury, Massachusetts) – SMILE Mass, a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides services to the disabled community, held their summer party and Cornhole Fundraiser on Saturday, August 5th at the Norwood Knights of Columbus.
A crowd of nearly 100 guests enjoyed refreshments, raffles, and some competitive cornhole while raising funds for SMILE Mass. This was the first year that the Sudbury-based charity held the event and they were very pleased with the outpouring of support.
“We’d like to thank the Norwood Knights of Columbus for hosting the event,” said SMILE Mass President Lotte Diomede, who founded SMILE Mass in 2009. “They donated the hall to us and made a generous donation. This allowed us to hold a very successful fundraising event to support our programs.”
Among the many sponsors of the event were Zammitto Insurance and Real Estate and Milwaukee Tools both of Norwood, Dedham Savings, Neville Design (Braintree), Volunteer Ventures MA (Lexington), and Sperling Interactive (Salem).
Winning teams of the Cornhole Event included:
First Place: Greg Boutwell, MetroWest and Dana Magri, MetroWest
Second Place: Chris Bolduc, Norwood, MA and Chrissy Thomas, MetroWest
Third Place: Mark Chirokas, Jamaica Plain and Audrey Cabrera, Jamaica Plain
SMILE Mass creates educational, recreational, and vacation opportunities for the disabled community. Among their many programs are the construction of seven accessible playgrounds in Massachusetts, the donation of 180 beach wheelchairs throughout New England, and the purchase of rental property in Truro, MA that is fully accessible allowing people with disabilities and their families to enjoy a Cape Cod vacation and the development of Club Smile Mass, a day program which consists of hybrid classes to stimulate clients both mentally and physically.
SMILE Mass is in the process of creating its own Community within a Community- Club SMILE Mass in the Framingham/Sudbury/Marlboro region, which will allow them to bring all classes in-house instead of utilizing a local fitness facility.
“This is our biggest undertaking yet,” explained Diomede, who is the mother of 22-year-old Nicholas, who was born with hydrocephalus. “It is an opportunity for those that believe in equity and equality to resolve a national crisis following the pandemic. In order to build “A Community within a Community” we have launched an exciting campaign to raise the necessary funds to take us through each stage of the project. We are relying on our existing donors, new donors, sponsors, special events like the Cornhole Fundraiser and even selling bricks and coffee club memberships. There is a donation level for everyone regardless of your financial means.”
About SMILE Mass
Small Miracles in Life Exist (SMILE Mass) is a 501 C3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping families raising children or adults with disabilities enjoy happy, healthy memories through vacation and recreation experiences. For more information, visit www.smilemass.org
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