The weather on Monday could not have been more perfect for a day on the golf course, and for the hundreds of golfers, volunteers, and friends of the Special Education Foundation gathering at Norwood Hills Country Club, the Dan McLaughlin Charity Golf Tournament was a spectacular day!

Monday was the 21st annual golf tournament for SEF and is our largest fundraising event of the year. 

We are grateful to the more than 500 businesses and individuals supporting the tournament and the nearly 100 volunteers who keep the event humming along.

One of the highlights of the Happy Hour Buffet that followed golf was a surprise visit from Brian and Cheri Norton of the local nonprofit Andrew’s Hugs.

The Nortons created Andrew’s Hugs in memory of their son, Andrew Norton. Andrew had Prader-Willi Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that affected him both mentally and physically. However, that did not stop Andrew from living a full and happy life. When Andrew passed away, his family realized that there were so many people like Andrew who weren’t living their best life or didn’t have the same opportunities as Andrew.

So they set out to change that, naming their organization Andrew’s Hugs because Andrew didn’t shake hands; he hugged. Brian and Cheri would often say that his hugs were famous because they truly made your day better.

In honor of Andrew, the Nortons presented a $10,000 check to the Special Education Foundation on Monday. SEF Executive Director Tim Eby and Board Member Todd Streff accepted the donation from Brian and Cheri as tears were shed and hearts were full from the generosity of this extraordinary gift.

We’ll have more tournament coverage in next week’s edition of Three Things.