Some of you may have seen Kevin on the big screen at Citizens Park last Friday with Chase Utley and Rob McElhenney from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. We wanted to share the backstory. And, most importantly, Kevin wanted to thank his friend Rob for arranging a really special day. Read on to hear the story.

On Friday, June 21^st, the Philadelphia Phillies held a retirement ceremony for Chase Utley, one of its most popular players in its long history. In front of family, friends, and a sellout crowd of fans, Utley delivered a well-received address to those gathered at Citizens Bank Park where he played the majority of his professional career. As part of the pregame ceremony, Utley threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his friend Rob McElhenney, star and creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, fulfilling the character Mac’s dream of having a catch with the Philadelphia Phillies star.

One of those in attendance was Kevin – thanks to Rob. Soon after Kevin’s injury, he  became connected with Rob. He developed a friendship with the TV star that, despite the geographical difference between Philadelphia and Los Angeles, would stay intact through text message and the occasional visit while filming in the city of Philadelphia.

Months before Utley’s retirement ceremony last Friday evening, in one of this text conversations, Rob asked Kevin if he wanted to catch a baseball game when he was going to be in town. Kevin gladly accepted. Rob facilitated the process of acquiring tickets and situated Kevin in a Hall of Fame level suite next to his and Chase Utley’s. Later on that evening, the two of them connected and Kevin was introduced to the evening’s honoree. The three of them had the opportunity to converse and Kevin was presented with the baseball used for the first pitch which Utley delivered to Rob earlier that evening. During the conversation, the three of them appeared on the Jumbotron where the entire crowd could see.

In addition to texting back and forth and maintaining his relationship with Kevin, McElhenney continuously donated It’s Always Sunny themed items towards the charitable events designed to offset the cost of Kevin’s medical care. The evening of June 21^st provided Rob and Kevin the opportunity to get together in a more casual setting to share in Kevin’s favorite sport and their mutual favorite team. When Rob entered the suite he situated Kevin in, he brought his friend Chase Utley to introduce the star to Kevin. He and Utley presented Kevin with the ball that was used as the ceremonial first pitch, autographed by the two of them.

Kaitlin Olson, costar in the series and Rob’s wife, was also in attendance.

Kevin has been ”honored and humbled” by the friendship that McElhenney has shown him since the two of them have become friends over the last 7 ½ years. When asked about the relationship, Kevin states, “Rob has amazed me with his ability to bring joy to my life and make me feel like a valued friend. Never would I have thought that I would be able to text a message to a busy television star and receive a message back within a few minutes.”

We want to thank Rob and Chase for their kindness and hospitality. It was a night Kevin will never forget.

Kevin with former Phillies GMs Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro, Jr.

 

 

A note of thanks to everyone who helped make the recent bingo fundraiser held in Upper Chichester’s fieldhouse on March 2^nd an overwhelming success, raising over $15,000 for Kevin’s care! Well over 250 people attended the event, and the combination of bingo, raffles, and 50/50 drawing all contributed to the total raised. A great evening was capped by a 50/50 drawing where the winner’s share was over $1,300.00. Kevin and our family are incredibly fortunate to have so many who continue to support us, and we are thankful for the support of everyone who assisted, attended, or in anyway contributed to the evening.

Of course, the most gratitude goes to the people that coordinated the event, Joan Morrison and her crew of volunteers who set up tables, ran the kitchen, shopped for the prizes, solicited donations, called the games, checked the winner’s cards, and all the other details that made the evening run so smoothly. The sheer number of local businesses that contributed and old friends who did likewise was truly gratifying.

Thanks to all who had a hand in making the evening so enjoyable and successful, and thanks to all from Kevin for attending and and stopping by to say hello.

 

We wanted to share a great event that will be hosted by Friend of Kevin Neary, in conjunction with Upper Chichester Recreation, for Kevin’s benefit.

The proceeds from this year’s Upper Chi Designer Bag Bingo on Saturday, March 2nd will go to help provide for Kevin’s care.

The event will be held at the Upper Chi Rec Center. Click here for more information  and details on how you can get tickets.

Please not the contributions to the Kevin Neary Trust are not tax deductible.

This is just a friendly reminder that our first online auction ends this Friday at 2 p.m.

We’ve got some great items still available that are steals. And the funds go to a great cause – they will go a long way toward getting Kevin the care he needs to lead a productive, positive, and healthy life.

Been thinking about making a bid? Now’s the time to get in on the action.

Please share with friends and family! The link to the auction can be found below.

https://www.32auctions.com/FOKN

 

We are disappointed that mother nature did not cooperate and we were forced to cancel the golf tournament this year. It’s an opportunity for people to catch up with Kevin and see friends in a relaxing setting. The weather was abysmal that Sunday (our venue, Wyncote Golf Club, was closed) and really didn’t improve all that much overnight. The event will not be rescheduled at this time, as Wyncote does not have many available days at this point.

However, we’re making the most of it by providing a new opportunity — our first online auction. As many of you know, the golf tournament is a major fundraiser for Kevin’s needs. Since we have a few really great auction items, we will be running an online auction that starts at 2:00 p.m. today, September 19th. Current auction items include our amazing club-level tickets to the Eagles-Panthers game, tickets to the Army-Navy game, and a golf outing at the world-renowned Plainview Country Club. Other items may be added as time permits. The auction will end on October 12th.

Start your bidding now! We are so grateful to our auction item donors for their generosity, and this is a great way for folks to give.

Important information on golf refunds. For those of you who were signed up for the tournament, to address the issue of refunds we have come up with several options to choose from:

• Refund all funds. (All refunds will be issued by check. If we haven’t cashed your check yet, we will return the check.)
• A gift card to Wyncote for $100.00. (A weekday round is $63.00, and the balance can be used at your discretion for lunch and drinks. Weekend rounds are $83.00) This option donates the difference to the Kevin Neary Trust. (The golf event usually generates about $40.00 per golfer as a contribution to the Trust as a point of reference).
• Contribute funds to the Trust. We are including this as several people have already indicated their intent to do so. Please be advised that gifts to the Kevin Neary Trust are not deductible for tax purposes.

Please let Joe Neary know which option you would like to exercise at your earliest convenience.

Unfortunately, due to inclement weather tomorrow’s golf event has been cancelled. Stay tuned to this website for further details.

Friends of Kevin Neary – Sixth Annual Golf Tournament

September 10, 2018

Thanks to everyone who is attending this years’ golf tournament. Kevin and the Neary family appreciate everyone’s continued support and hope that this years’ event is a good one for all the golfers.

As usual, golf registration is from 7:00AM to 8:30 AM.

Continental breakfast will be served, and the Dunkin Donuts Cruise Van will be in the parking lot.

Kickoff time for the golfers is 8:30 and, as there are fewer golfers, the day should progress more quickly than in past years.

Dixon Golf will be at the second tee with their closest to the hole event.

The usual prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place finishers as well as the longest drive and closest to the pin.

The day will conclude with lunch at the clubhouse at approximately 1:00 to 1:30 PM.

This year’s event features fewer silent and live bidding items; what we miss in quantity, we make up in quality!

We plan on having a beef and beer in April where many of the items available in the past will be offered. We hope to see you in April.

The following items will be available this year.

Silent Auction Items-

Dunkin Donuts Basket- $50.00 DD gift card, two pounds of coffee, two boxes of K-cups, DD swag(sunglasses, koozie, etc.), and cobranded gear (Eagles tee shirt and Sixers beach towel)

Wawa Baskets(3)- Three bags of coffee, two 16 ounce travel cups, and a small cooler.

Two Villanova-Georgetown Basketball Tickets and assorted Villanova items, including 2018 championship hats, shirts, and banners, a 2018 championship travel cup and beach towel as well as special newspaper inserts from the Villanovan. (Date to be announced).

PGA Section Basket- Includes a dozen golf balls, hats, club cover, glove, shoe bag, tee shirt, four different shirts, a leather card case, a pullover, and one or two other items, including a very nice bag that contains the items.

Two Iron Eagles Logos- Need to be seen to be appreciated.

Phillies Tickets- Four tickets to Phillies vs. Marlins, Sunday September 16^th at 1:35PM. They are in Section 105, Row 15, Seats 1-4. (As an added bonus Kevin sits at the back of Section 104 if you are interested in visiting).

Wyncote Golf Club- Round of Golf for Four.

Plainfield Country Club- Round of Golf for three plus Kevin’s great friend, Leon Aryian. A course which is rated one of the top 100 in the country, located in Edison, NJ.

Live Auction Items-

Springhaven Country Club Golf- Golf for three people with Mike Pierce and including lunch. Details to be arranged between Mike and the winning bidder.

Army- Navy Tickets- Four tickets to the game, plus parking, December 8^th, 3:00PM at Lincoln Financial Field.

Eagles Package- Four club box seats in Section C16, Row 4, Seats 5-8 for the October 21^st game versus the Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM kickoff (check the week of the game for time confirmation), a parking pass, and an Eagles Super Bowl Champion Football, with the score of the game, and signed by Corey Clement and Jalen Mills. (Tickets are electronic and details to obtain them will be forwarded to the winning bidder).

 

Thanks

There are a great many people to thank and I hope I don’t miss anyone.

Bronze Sponsors-

Mark Gibbons- Gibbons Insurance

Bill Marriott and John Garzia- AA West Company

John Schiavello- Valcourt

Steve and Laurie Schwalb

Jim and Judy Shortall

Stan Wellinsky- Valcourt

 

Program Sponsors-

Joan Stahley- Maleno

George Swayngim- Georgeo’s Water Ice

Beverage Sponsor-

Brenda Hushen- Bayada Nursing

Sign Sponsors-

Bob Barksdale- Barksdale Studios

Jonathon Capon- Valcourt

Mark Gibbons- Gibbons Insurance

Art Gorga and Nick Picozzi- Fire Police Association

George Luttrell

Chris Kelly and Denise Neary

Bill Marriott and John Garzia- AA West Company

Dan McGovern- McGovern’s Landscaping

A.J. Ober- Ober Law

Kathleen Perkins

John Schiavello- Valcourt

Steve and Laurie Schwalb

Jim and Judy Shortall

Stan Wellinsky- Valcourt

Donations-

Army- Navy Tickets- United States Naval Academy Athletics

Dunkin Donuts Gift Cards and Basket- Kristi Crocker, Alliance Marketing

Eagles Package- Tracey Foster

Eagles Metal Logos- Maurice Furlong

Golf Ball and Ball Markers-Lorna Kozlowski- Long and Foster Real Estate

Herr’s Snack Products- Maryann Tice

PGA Section Basket- Sue Unger

Plainfield Golf- Leon Aryian

Springhaven Golf- Mike Pierce

Villanova- Georgetown Tickets and Gear- Jerry Quinn

Water, Granola Bars, Orbit Gum, Koozies- Joe Neary

Wawa Baskets- Jim Shortall

Wyncote Foursome-Melanie Irrgang

Volunteers-

Bill Burland, Dan Hill, Carol Hughes, George Lutrell, Chris Kelly, Steve Neary, Kathy Perkins, Jan Tate, and Kathy Van Bergen.

Thanks to all the volunteers that have solicited gifts, contributed time, and generally always been there for Kevin. My apologies to anyone I have missed. Thanks also goes out to Joseph(JP) and Olivia Neary, as well as Chris and Lindsey Neary who have managed so much of the communication work for the event and the website.

Finally, to all of the golfers, thank you for your support for the past six years. Many of you have been here from the beginning and without you we would have been hard pressed to maintain Kevin living at home. Kevin and I and the entire Neary family can not begin to express our gratitude for your support.

Great news arrived recently as the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles continued their generous support of Kevin and the golf tournament! The Eagles donated four tickets and a parking pass to the October 21st game agains the Carolina Panthers, the very team the Eagles began their playoff run against on the way to their Super Bowl victory.

Accompanying the tickets is a football with the Super Bowl LII Champions logo, the final score and Eagles logo. To top it off, the football is autographed by two Eagles: Corey Clement, who caught a critical touchdown and four passes for 100 yards during the Super Bowl, and Jalen Mills, whose huge goal line pass break-up of a Tom Brady pass to Gronkowski kept the Patriots out of the end zone.

Don’t get shut out of the event — register early! Click here to get your tickets.

As always, thanks to all of you and the Eagles for your continued support!

As previously mentioned in Bill Burland’s emails, the tournament will be held September 10^th, 2018 at Wyncote Golf Club, with golf beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding around 3:30-4:00 p.m. Please help us support Kevin and the family with his increasing medical costs.

Here are the initial details, with more announcements to follow on this site.

Ticket sales will begin shortly and end August 31^st. (Due to increased costs, early bird discounts have been discontinued.)

The event will be capped at 120 golfers due to space limitations.

Questions about the event related to golf should be directed to Bill Burland at burlandbill@gmail.com or 484-678-8000.

Questions about other matters can be addressed to Joe Neary at jwn428@aol.com or 610-316-1588.

Details on support opportunities and costs are provided below. Please keep an eye on this website as further details on the tournament — including how to buy tickets — will be rolling out over the next few weeks!

Support Opportunities

Foursome: $550       Single Golfer: $140       Mulligans: $25

Gold Sponsor: $3,000

• Includes one foursome, hole sponsorship, unlimited mulligans, and two additional lunches.

Silver Sponsor: $2,000

• Includes one foursome, hole sponsorship, unlimited mulligans.

Bronze Sponsor: $1,000

• Includes one foursome, hole sponsorship.

Hole Sponsor: $100

Beer Sponsor: $500

• Includes hole sponsor and 2 lunches

Beverage Cart Sponsor: $500

• Includes hole sponsor and 2 lunches.

Program Sponsor: $250

• Includes hole sponsor and 1 lunch.

Lunch Only: $30

• A limited number of lunches will be available

On this Super Bowl Sunday, we wanted to give a special thank you to our hometown team. The Philadelphia Eagles have been consistently, generously, animatedly, supportive of Kevin. Every event, they’ve come through for Kevin with great auction items.

We are grateful beyond measure and wish them all good things today!

#FlyEaglesFly