September 11, 2001 changed history forever. It did not however change the strength of the human spirit. It did not weaken our inherent desire to care about people and to help them in their time of need. In fact, this tragedy strengthened the universal bond we have with people who share similar values of love and life.
Michael Finnegan was killed while working at the World Trade Center. After this horrific attack, people from all over the world showed our family an unprecedented amount of compassion. Whether it was a brownie troop bake sale, a hand-sewn quilt with children’s handprints and kind words on it, a prayer, a warm smile, or a donation to help us pay a bill, our neighbors were there to help us. These random acts of kindness are endless. The love and support we have received over the years is something our family would like to share with others who may need our help now. In 2002 we created the Michael B. Finnegan Foundation. For six years we have raised money, in Michael’s memory, to help children with disabilities. During this time we have donated generously to The Juvenile Diabetes foundation and The-Make-A-Wish foundation.
Michael Finnegan was a passionate person. He was passionate about many things; his family, his friends, his community and yes, golf. Golf was a dominant part of Mike’s childhood. It shaped his thinking, his personality, and his approach to life. Michael loved children and children loved Michael. After Michael’s death, we had a vision of honoring him by supporting a golf school for handicapped children. For a long time we couldn’t find one, we knew we couldn’t build one, and then in the winter of 2008 we found one! The Children’s Golf Foundation is dedicated to providing physically and mentally challenged children the opportunity to achieve “little victories” through the game of golf. For us, this is the ideal way to combine the things that mattered most to Mike; the life lessons he learned from golf and his love of children…not to mention, Mike’s desire to teach these lessons to as many children as possible.
The Children’s Golf Foundation transcends golf. It’s really about building self-esteem. We visited the Golf Learning Center and watched an instructor coaching a seriously challenged young boy named Brendan. He hit some very good shots. The smile on Brendan’s face was priceless. His father was observing…smiling as well. The children of The Children’s Golf Foundation are an inspiration to all of us. They continually demonstrate courage, despite adversity. They don’t give up, but instead choose to bravely challenge themselves every day.
We are so very proud to be a part of this fantastic organization and hope to help in some way to make the world of even one child a little brighter.
We know Michael is truly humbled by the honor of having the Golf Learning Center for Disabled children named after him.
Thank you,
The Michael B. Finnegan Foundation
