For 27 years, Jack Flagler has hosted a golf tournament to help kids.
Since his son died of cancer at the age of 26, he felt he needed to do something and that something is raise some $80,000. The great majority of the money has gone to the Ronald McDonald House, a program that helps support families who travel and stay out of town while their children get medical treatment.
A couple years he donated to another charity and once he helped out the family of a fellow volunteer firefighter. But now he hosts his annual golf tournament exclusively to help out Ronald McDonald House.
“I told my wife that if we are going to lose our son we might better do something to help out some other kids,” said the retire State Police trooper and Slingerlands volunteer firefighter.
Recently, Flagler presented a check for $1,250 from the 2016 golf tournament to Ronald McDonald House at Crossgates Mall, and appeared on Magic 590 am radio.
The tournament is held every year on the last Friday in September at the Thunderhart Golf Course in the Catskill Mountains town of Freehold.