Jonathan Rizzo Foundation Hosts Final Tournament

It's been 10 years since Jonathan Rizzo didn't come home.

Ten years since the young Kingston man, and "herder of stray cats." offered to give a stranger a ride to a hitchhiker named Gary Sampson.

Rizzo was 19 when he was murdered by Sampson. Sampson has spent the last eight years on death row in New Hampshire, appealing the conviction and the sentence, while Rizzo's parents, and the families of Sampson's other two victims, struggle with the loss of a loved one, and the frustrations and anger of court dates and appeals.

Out of the sadness has come hope however. Months after Jonathan's death, his parents formed the Jonathan Rizzo Memorial Foundation to continue helping the "stray cats" and needy families that were Jonathan's focus during his years as a student at Boston College High School.

The foundation has raised more than $925,000 through fund-raising efforts, including an annual charity golf tournament, and tournament organizers and Jonathan's dad, Mike Rizzo, hope to top the million dollar mark this year.

“We normally help about 150 families a year with either back to school clothes for their children, Christmas presents, food, electricity, and help with heating oil throughout the year. We’ve had many of them send us notes, and many come back and and that kind of thing,” Rizzo told WATD-FM. ”One young man in particular we helped–one of five children with a single mom. He saw me selling raffle tickets outside of Stop and Shop; he went and he told his mom that he wanted to stay and help me sell tickets rather than leave with her. “

Rizzo says that the tournament has been a comfort to him and his family through the years following their loss.

The Jonathan Rizzo Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Oct. 11 at the Pinehills Golf Club. a For more information and to register go to www.jonathanrizzofoundation.org

Rizzo says that in the future they plan to explore other ways to make make money for the foundation, perhaps at a series of smaller events.