Charity Golf Tournament to Help Special Needs Kids

Sunday is the last day to register for the aMAYZing Kids Charity Golf Tournament in memory of a little girl who made a big impact on the community.

Featuring a helicopter golf ball drop and prizes such as a 2013 Lexus ES350, a 2013 Toyota Camry, sporting tickets, trips and $2,500, organizers hope to raise money for children whose families can’t afford their intensive medical treatments.

Inspired by Hailey Mayz Vassilaros, the aMAYZing Kids clinic provides services to under-insured or uninsured families with children who need intensive medical assistance. It specializes in occupational, physical, speech, feeding and infant stimulation therapy. Hailey, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 3, was born with tracheoesophageal fistula, a birth defect that kept her from feeding properly.

Though her life was short, the toddler known for her sunny disposition left a huge legacy, said Vinutha James, a board member for aMAYZing Kids.

“She left us way too soon. She was just a bright fountain of joy,” said James.

The therapists who cared for her in her first three years of life meant so much to her family, and they teamed up with her longtime therapists to open the clinic in Lake Forest, added James.

“As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the aMAYZing Kids Clinic, we wanted to hold the first annual charity golf tournament to continue to raise awareness and money for the clinic,” said Hailey’s father Sean Vassilaros, founder of the Hailey Mayz Foundation. “In the past year, the aMAYZing Kids Clinic has been able to help over 500 Orange County children and their families―I can’t think of a better way to honor Hailey’s life.”

Registration for the tournament and dinner is $150. People interested in donating without playing in the tournament can join the dinner for $35 per person, or they can purchase a ball for the helicopter drop for $10, said James.

“The helicopter ball drop is a lot of fun,” James said.

Each ball will be numbered and dropped onto the golf course from a hovering helicopter. The balls that role into the holes automatically win, said James.

The charity event is Wednesday at the Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita.

To purchase tickets, visit www.aMAYZing.org/balldrop.

Schedule of Events

• 10-11:45 a.m. – Registration and Lunch
• Noon – Shotgun Start
• 5 p.m. – Helicopter Ball Drop and Silent Auction
• 6 p.m. – Dinner and Awards