Western New York Pool Tour director Nick Brucato and his wife, Pamela had been considering a charity pool tournament for a while. In the process of deciding exactly which charity to benefit, a lone gunman walked into a movie theater in Colorado, killing 12 and injuring 59 others, including a Facebook friend of Pamela. The woman is recovering slowly, and tentative plans for a Western New York benefit tour stop got underway almost immediately.
"We have two daughters and go to the movies all the time," said Brucato. "When we got to talking about what happened in Colorado, we were picturing what would have happened if it had been us in that movie theater."
Scheduled for this Saturday, August 11 at The Doctor's Inn in Rochester, NY, the charity tournament is being conducted on behalf of the Thrive with Confidence Foundation, based out of Denver, CO, which is working with the incident's victims and their families to help them rebuild their shattered lives.
The Thrive with Confidence Foundation works with "men, women (and children) working to overcome unexpected challenges with the tools to regain confidence and success," notes the organization's Web site.
The tournament will be a bar table, 8-ball tournament with races to 3 for A/B players. There will be no tour fees for this event, and a portion of each entry fee will be donated to the Thrive With Confidence Foundation. According to Brucato, a number of organizations have already donated goods and services to a planned blind auction during the tournament. Among those contributors are Empire Fitness and Gym (who donated $229 and clothing), Gold's Gym (numerous memberships), Martial Arts of America, Mobil Corporation (gas cards) Created by Us (craft tools), and the host venue, The Doctor's Inn. The Western New York Tour itself has donated two free tour memberships and three entry fees (up to $100).
In the face of unspeakable tragedies, we all look for ways to help, especially when we, personally, are too far away to contribute any sort of physical assistance. The Aurora incident sparked a collective need to help, and for those in the Rochester, NY area, this Western New York Tour charity event provides a means to respond. Tour director Nick Brucato, and especially, his wife Pamela were touched personally by this event so many miles away and are hoping that area residents turn out in large numbers to do whatever they can to assist those victims and their families.
For further information about the Thrive with Confidence Foundation and its varied contributions to the victims and families in Aurora, visit the Foundation Web site at www.thrivewithconfidencefoundation.org or visit their Facebook page. For information about the tournament, call tour director Nick Brucato at 585-360-3653.
