Hen Hud's "Mattsters" Disc Golf Tournament a Massive, Heartwarming Success

There is always something happening at Hendrick Hudson High School, and it’s usually something special.

On June 4, one of the most special events ever drew hundreds of participants to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy, and in particular, a Hen Hud freshman who has the condition and uses a motorized wheelchair to get around. Matt Marricco is a humble, soft-spoken teenager who has inspired his schoolmates to support him in whatever ways they can – including fundraising.

The Peer Leadership group, led by teacher Bradley Fredman, organized and pulled off “The Mattsters,” a disc-golf tournament with 18 holes of non-stop fun and participants and sponsors from throughout the Hen Hud community. Matt himself made the first throw – a series of lacrosse balls – and after that the student and faculty participants were unstoppable, flinging discs from “hole” to hole, and having a blast in the process.

“The ‘Mattsters’ was organized to give something back to Matt. For those of us who have the pleasure of spending time with him on a daily basis, the lessons he’s taught us far outweigh what we could ever teach him,” said Mr. Fredman. “Matt’s enthusiasm, work ethic, optimism, and incredible smile are contagious, and his presence can be felt throughout the high school campus. He has always had an affinity for canines, and after discussing the idea with peer leadership, we thought adopting a potential service dog would be a fabulous idea. The event also gave the peer leadership class a first-hand look at the world of fundraising, and they absolutely hit it out of the park. We had over 100 golfers and 40 sponsors, and hope to see this event grow and prosper through the years. Thanks to the entire Hen Hud community for the incredible support.”

Following the tournament, participants gathered to purchase food provided by local vendors and to celebrate with Matt. But the best was still to come. The Peer Leadership’s goal was always to raise enough money to help Matt get a service dog, and he was thrilled when they presented him with a certificate for one dog adoption. The process of selecting and training the dog will take some time, but the process has already begun.

Matt’s mother, Dianna Marricco, was moved by the event: “Thank you so much to all the sponsors, teachers, students, players for helping make Mattsters a success. Matthew May not talk much but he had a great time and thanks everyone for putting this together. A special thanks to Brad Fredman and HHHS peer group for putting this together,” she said in a Facebook post.

And Matt himself told Mr. Fredman, “I’d like to thank everyone for participating. There were a lot of people who were so generous, and I’m really excited about getting a dog. I look forward to seeing everyone again next year!”

At press time the amount raised was estimated to be $3,000, with more to follow, according to Mr. Fredman. Anyone interested in donating can contact Mr. Fredman at Bradley.Fredman@henhudschools.org.

For a slide show of The Mattsters, click HERE.