Once again linking up: ‘Fore’th annual TRC-Matt Moscato Charity Golf & Fundraiser to step up to plate for Draper family

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

STERLING HEIGHTS — Tina Draper and her family are in a predicament few can fathom.

The 43-year-old mother of four from Sterling Heights faces extreme circumstances with her family. Not only does she have four children — Rachael 24, Tiffany, 22, Taylor, 16, and Shane, 5 — but she also receives no child support for her younger kids or grandchildren and is burdened by numerous health issues within her clan.

Times are tough. The Draper family has it far worse than most in a state ridden with economic misfortune and spiking unemployment rates.

Entertaining the thoughts of a new HD television, a trip to Cedar Point or a weekend getaway at a lake cottage resort in northern Michigan are far from the minds of the entire Draper family during these hot summer months. It’s just a struggle to get through each day.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Tina Draper can look at her family and feel like Pigpen, a Charles Schultz character in the Peanuts Gang and the famous Charlie Brown cartoons and comics. There is a black cloud hanging over Tina and her family with no escape in sight.

* Four years ago, Rachael Draper went into labor with Javen, who was born four months early. Javen weighed 1 pound, 2 ounces at birth. Due to his prematurity, he has developed Hydrocephalus, or commonly known as “water on the brain.”

Javen has two shunts in his head and one in his back and has had 42 shunt revisions. He has also had eye muscle and laser eye surgeries. Javen is constantly in and out of the hospital due to his shunt failures, is very hard to control and has many developmental issues.

He was also recently diagnosed with night terrors. He is constantly in pain and complaining of headaches.

* Near the end of January, 2011, Tina Draper’s 16-year-old daughter, Taylor, a student at Utica Ford High School, started experiencing headaches, dizzy spells and confusion.

The hospital originally treated her for Benign Positional Vertigo, but completely mis-diagnosed what Taylor had feared all along — a brain tumor. While most 16 year old girls are worried about a driver’s license and a prom date, Taylor Draper is fighting for her life.

Doctors operated immediately and were able to remove the majority of the tumor, although they could not remove the whole tumor because it is connected to the brain stem. She has been diagnosed with Medulloblastoma brain cancer stage 4. She has had radiation and is receiving repeated chemotherapy treatments.

Her treatments have already been multiple, five-night stints of chemo and that will continue for up to a year. The chemo is set to be very aggressive, and as expected, Taylor has lost all of her hair, lost over 20 pounds and just had tubes put in her ears.

This does not sound like Sweet 16.

* For Tina Draper, she has already seen two of her own loved owns suffer greatly. She has also had to endure some personal hurdles and landmines.

Tina Draper had arm surgery this year and is currently unable to take care of my family, both physically and financially.

Rachael, Javen, Taylor and Shane all live in Tina Draper’s Sterling Heights home. Five mouths to feed and very little income.

Bills are stacking up.

Stress is increasing.

The feeling of hopelessness is settling in like floodwaters over sandbags on a riverbank.

Rachael Draper has often been unable to work, thanks to Javen’s ailments and special needs. She is now responsible for taking care of five persons, three with medical issues.

Unable to talk on record in person, Tina Draper said in a statement issued through a charity group last week:

“The bills are piling up, our unreliable car is making it hard to get to the doctors and life is getting tough. I am emotionally and financially overwhelmed and honestly don’t know how much more my family and I can handle,” she cried.

MOURNING MATT

Mike Moscato said that every member of his family mourns differently for his twin brother, Matt Moscato.

Both brothers were athletes at Rochester (Mich.) High School in the late 1980s, both graduating in 1989. They played on Rochester’s first football team to reach the MHSAA playoffs, losing in the Class A regional semifinals to Utica Eisenhower, 6-0.

Mike Moscato later became a point guard on the basketball team at Wayne State University, leading his team to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 1992, and is now a teacher at Utica High School. Matt Moscato headed west to California to pursue a career in acting and later helped launch a clothing line, Thomas Richards.

Sadly, Matt Moscato was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on June 12, 2005, while living in California.

“It’s hard on my mother (Janet),” sighed Mike Moscato from his Rochester Hills home. “That’s one of her sons. We all mourn in different ways. But it’s always been hard on her.”

The entire Moscato family and many friends have also stepped up to not only help Matt Moscato’s name from being forgotten, but to help others in need or others in dire straits.

Tim Ciotti, a longtime friend of Mike and Matt Moscato, a roommate of Matt’s in California and 1989 Rochester grad who played both soccer and ran track and field in high school, has been instrumental in forming a charity organization in Matt Moscato’s name.

The concept came about just months after Matt Moscato’s untimely death. The Thomas Richards Charity — Thomas Richards was Matt Moscato’s clothing line where he was a business partner while living in California — has been growing each year since its inception six years ago.

MORE THAN A CONCEPT, BUT A PLAN WITH AN ATTACK

In 2008, the charity hosted a small golf outing for Krista Weeks, the sister of Thomas Richards Charity treasurer Eric Weeks, to help pay for some medical costs at the time.

This was a benchmark event for something much greater.

The Thomas Richards Charity has developed multiple fundraisers during the past four years with one large event held every summer in the greater Rochester area.

“We always take suggestions from people (for who) we can help out,” said Ciotti, president of TRC who is also a masseuse with Lifetime Fitness.

By 2009, the 501(c)3 charity organization was more organized and expanded with a website and an executive board of directors and advisory board made up of volunteers — Ciotti, Mike Moscato, Eric Weeks, Robin (Pankey) Ritchie, Chip Robinson, Rochelle (Pearson) McGee, Dawn (Pratt) Carpenter, Amber Luciano and Jake Mannino — all whom are Rochester High alums.

Another golf outing was held in 2009, this time for Cameron Wasiluk, a handicapped cousin of 1989 Rochester High grad Chris Orlandi. The funds raised helped remodel the Wasiluk home with a handicapped ramp and other necessities.

Last summer the TRC helped the Liam Perk Foundation, named after the late son of 1990 Rochester grad Joe Perk. Liam Perk was killed in 2009 of a dog bite and the Foundation has raised thousands of dollars for child playground equipment and child-animal awareness across the country over the past 1.5 years.

“It’s a great thing, really,” said Mike Moscato of TRC. “I know it’s a lot of work, but it brought out a lot of people last year. We hope to bring out a lot of people this year.”

Last year over 140 golfers, plus more than 40 volunteers, participated in the golf outing, held at the Westwynd Golf Club in Oakland Township. The following fundraiser festival at Buffalo Wild Wings in Rochester Hills brought in over 650 persons.

TEAMING UP FOR SOME ‘FUN’-RAISING

One of the reasons the Thomas Richards Charity hosts its main annual fundraiser in the summer months as opposed to the spring or fall is to try to coordinate them with class reunions. This is the second year the TRC has held the Matt Moscato Charity Golf & Fundraiser on the same weekend as a Rochester High class reunion.

With dozens of former classmates coming in for their reunion, the annual fundraiser gives graduates or persons with local ties another reason to come back to the Rochester area — and another reason to participate in a good cause and have a good time.

Last year the Rochester High Class of 1990 paired up with TRC and held their reunion one day after charity event (the weekend of July 23-24). This summer the Rochester High Class of 1991 has elected to do the same (July 29-30).

“It’s the perfect front end (for a reunion),” offered Ciotti. “People will be here for a reunion. This gives them more of a reason to come home. And for those who still live in the area, a good reason to come out and see some old friends and have a great time for a good cause.

“This is open to everyone,” continued Ciotti. “It’s not just for the people in town for the class reunions. We’ll have people from all over, just like the last year. It’s just a good fit to hold this event the same weekend. We hope to try to coordinate this with more than 20-year reunions, but (with) 25-year reunions, 10-year reunions. We want to make this a big, special event.”

As of Tuesday, there were still openings for five more foursomes for the golf outing. As for the charity festival, this is an uncapped event and open to everyone.

This year’s golf outing will take place at Twin Lakes Golf & Swim Club in Oakland Twp on July 29. The scramble-format tournament will begin with a shot gun start at 12 noon.

Cost is $85 per player and included 18 holes and a cart. There will also be dozens of hole sponsorships, door prizes, silent auctions, giveaways and plenty of good-ole-days stories.

The evening fundraiser will be held at Main Street Billiards in downtown Rochester, also on July 29. Cost is $10 at the door with proceeds going to the TRC’s 2011 recipient, the Draper family, and other causes. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and includes live entertainment from the Detroit Stimulus Package, food and dancing.

HELPING THE DRAPERS AND MORE

The main focus this year is the aforementioned Draper family, which was brought to the attention of the TRC by an anonymous tip early in 2011.

In dire straits with several ailing family members, all proceeds of the event will go towards medical costs along with daily necessities for this family in need.

Suggestions for future fundraisers, or to make other donations, visit the TRC website at www.trcares.com.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to help out the Drapers,” said Ciotti. “Anyone that reads their story … can you think of a better reason not to help out. With the medical costs alone, this family needs your help.”

The TRC is asking all Rochester High grads to spread the word around the greater Rochester and Detroit area.

Further inquiries and donations can be sent to Thomas Richards Charity, P.O. Box 82114, Rochester MI, 48308; or e-mail tciotti@me.com.

The TRC will also be raising money for the Rochester Community Schools in 2011 with proceeds going towards the school district’s video production department.

“We’re also raising money for some computers at Rochester High,” added Mike Moscato. “This is another way of giving back to the community.”

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INFO BOX

WHAT: Thomas Richards Charity’s Matt Moscato Charity Golf & Fundraiser

DATE: Friday, July 29

TIME: 12 p.m. (shotgun start)

GOLF OUTING LOCATION: Twin Lakes Golf & Swim Club

ADDRESS: 455 Twin Lakes Drive, Oakland, Mich., 48363

FUNDRAISER LOCATION: Main Street Billiards

ADDRESS: 215 South Main Street, Rochester, Mich., 48307

SPONSORS: Thomas Richard Charity and dozens of local and regional business

COST-GOLF OUTING: $85 per golfer; includes 18 holes of golf and cart.

COST-FUNDRASIER: $10 per person at door.

CONTACT: Tim Ciotti at (310) 704-0806, or e-mail tciotti@me.com.

DONATIONS: Donations for the event for participants or non-participants can log onto www.TRCares.com to pledge, or mail to: Thomas Richards Charity, P.O. Box 82114, Rochester, MI, 48308.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

http://trcares.com/

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Thomas-Richards-Charity/121186131275897?sk=info

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Liam-J-Perk-Foundation/371320465020?ref=ts

http://www.liamjperkfoundation.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rochester-MI/Thomas-Richards-Charity/29219891809?ref=ts

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