First Tee
The Mike Mancini Invitational Golf Tournament is honored to announce a $2,500 donation has been made to The First Tee - Connecticut to help fund and support their partnership with New Britain Police Athletic League to provide youth golf camps at Stanley Golf Course.
The Mike Mancini Invitational Golf Tournament was established in memory of Mike Mancini who passed away on March 4th, 2022 after a hard-fought and courageous battle with Colorectal Cancer. Mike was a relentless advocate for FightCRC, which is the leading patient advocacy group for Colorectal Cancer. His advocacy took him to many events such as: Call On Congress and Climb for a Cure. The Mike Mancini HERO Fund was established to recognize Mike’s powerful commitment to the Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) community of survivors and care partners.
In the first 2 years the MMI has welcomed over 250 golfers, 100 dinner guests and raised close to $40,000! This allowed us to support FightCRC’s Mike Mancini HERO Fund and establish scholarships in Mike’s name at his alma-mater, Wolcott High School. The first four scholarships were awarded in 2023.
Anyone who knew Mike, knows how important the game of golf was to him. Mike’s advocacy led to him being awarded The John MacLeod COURAGE Award at the 2021 PGA Cologuard Classic Golf Tournament, where he played in the Pro-Am alongside PGA Champions Tour Member Jerry Kelly. While Mike was born in Wolcott, he spent a good portion of his life in New Britain.
“We could not think of a better way to continue Mike’s impact than partnering with The First Tee - Connecticut and New Britain Police Athletic League to sponsor a youth golf clinic to grow the game he loved so much.” Jamie Giantonio - Tournament Co-Chair.
“Studies show that children who engage in sports and extra-curricular activities have 73-82% higher confidence in academic ability and social well-being. The generous donation received by the Mike Mancini Invitational to support the First Tee - Connecticut initiative with the New Britain PAL program at Stanley Golf Course, allows us to offset the costs of the program and keep the fees affordable (approximately $7/two hour session) for all children in the New Britain community. This is especially important as lower income families have even lower rates of participation in sports and extracurricular activities, and fewer opportunities for children to realize the benefits of playing a sport. Through Mike Mancini’s legacy, and the New Britain PAL program, we will continue to make sure more children have opportunities to learn important life skills through the game of golf.” Mark Moriarty, Chief Executive Officer- First Tee - Connecticut.