Cody Englander
Staff Writer
Saturday marked the 20th annual fundraising tournament in memory of Timothy Ritacco, a young Chautauquan who has left a lasting mark on the Institution.
After Timothy’s passing from Sandhoff disease in 2004, his parents Ann Ayers and Mark Ritacco began organizing basketball and kickball tournaments at the Institution, raising awareness and money for medical research on Sandhoff disease and to support projects at Chautauqua, like the playground in Miller Park, opened in 2016, that bears their son’s name.
Those efforts turned into “Timothy’s Tournament.” This year, Team Tacco won for the first time in the kickball tournament’s history, defeating the newly established Team Peanut M&M’s. The tournament raised over $4,000 dollars for two separate causes.
“We raise a small amount of money for Sandhoff disease research,” said Ann. “Mostly, we’re focused on funding youth and recreation (at Chautauqua), which puts smiles on kids’ faces.”
Part of the reason for this fundraiser’s success has been the growth of the tournament. There were originally four teams when the fundraiser began — this year, there were 11.
“Some fundraisers get smaller. This is sort of an anomaly, getting bigger every year,” said Team Tacco member and Timothy’s brother, Tate Ritacco.
While the tournament continues to gain popularity, so do endowment funds for Chautauqua’s youth activities.
During a celebration for the 20th anniversary of the tournament Saturday night, Mark and Ann, along with Katie Cooke and Erin Cornelius, announced the creation of two new and separate endowments with a goal of $1 million each: The Kit Trapasso Endowment for Children’s School and The Greg and Linda Prechtl Endowment for Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
The goal of these funds is to improve the youth experience in Children’s School, Group One and Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
The endowments will begin providing annual financial support the year after they are established in perpetuity. These funds will be used for the daily schedule of activities for each program. Generous donors have stepped up to the plate already, with the Reeve family and the Ritaccos’ Timothy’s Fund contributing the initial gifts to establish the endowments.
Last year, Ann — along with Cooke and Cornelius — worked with the Office of Advancement and the Chautauqua Foundation to begin fundraising for Al Dibs Endowment for the Youth Activities Center, with a goal of $250,000. With contributions from over 103 donors, that goal was reached in just one year.
In 2016, Mark and Ann helped unveil Timothy’s Playground at Miller Park in their son’s memory. Nine years later, they continue to help build a community for the youth of the Chautauqua Institution. Ann sees these endowments as a long-term investment in the community.
“In Chautauqua, love multiplies across generations,” Ann said. “We’re surrounded by a community that sees our best selves and helps us reach our goals — whether that’s riding up the hill for the first time on a bike, becoming a writer, finding your voice on stage, sailing across the lake, healing from a hurt or building a family. Chautauqua is not just where we belong — it’s where we become.”
