On Monday, May 22, the inaugural Joseph Bettencourt Charity Golf Tournament will be happening at the Bay View Golf Club.
The Joseph Bettencourt Foundation was founded by Sonia Medina-Ashby and Joe Bettencourt, in honor of their son Joseph, who passed away in a skateboarding accident in 2018.
“He had played every sport – football, basketball, baseball, hockey, skateboarding…” said Medina-Ashby in an interview with The Beat. “Ever since my son passed, I wanted to do something meaningful in his name.”
The foundation, which officially launched last year, foots the bill for sports fees, uniforms, safety gear, and equipment for families who need a little support. The charity golf tournament is the first big fundraiser that the organization will be hosting since its inception.
At the event, there will be 18 holes, which are sponsored by small businesses. There will also be an auction and entertainment, along with both lunch and dinner. Throughout the day, various contests and festivities will take place on the course.
“The biggest goal is to promote what Joseph Bettencourt Foundation stands for,” said Juliette Gomez, the Vice President of the foundation. “To get the word out that there is a foundation here in Milpitas, and for families who need that support, it’s available.”
When her son was just a young child, Medina-Ashby was a single mom living in Sunnyvale.
“He wanted to do all these sports,” said Medina-Ashby. “So he needed cleats, gloves, and all these other things. And I thought to myself: I can’t do this, I’m barely making rent…”
Medina-Ashby recalls having to rely upon scholarship funds from the City to be able to make things work, so that her son could devote himself to the sports he loved.
“That always stuck in my head,” said Medina-Ashby. “I told myself that when I can give back, I’m going to give back.”
Along with running the foundation, Medina-Ashby has also built a successful real estate business and is fortunate that she is now in a position to provide families with support. She hopes that this upcoming fundraiser will bring in the funding needed to multiply their efforts to make youth sports more of a reality for all children in the community.
To learn more about the golf tournament and foundation, go here.
