Tommy Brull Foundation set for 10th annual fundraiser

The Tommy Brull Foundation will hold its 10th annual fundraiser on Nov. 11 at Cannon’s Blackthorn, which, to celebrate a decade of giving, will raise money for more individuals and organizations in a single event than ever before.

The Rockville Centre-based organization has been dedicated to raising money for people with physical, mental and emotional challenges since 2008, when Martin Brull founded the nonprofit in memory of his brother, Tommy, who died in an accident in 1999.

Tommy was a counselor at Camp ANCHOR — Answering the Needs of Citizens with Handicaps through Organized Recreation — in Lido Beach, and the foundation has raised more than $100,000 for the camp alone.

All told, it has raised about $500,000 since its inception for the camp and other causes, including Connor & Friends, a monthly special-needs play group at the Recreation Center; Centre Stage, a South Side High School drama program that couples students with special-needs peers; and the Challenger Baseball League. The foundation has also benefited individuals suffering with a variety of debilitating conditions.

Brull most recently donated $20,000 on Oct. 27 toward the building of Mr. B’s Playground, a special-needs-accessible play space named in honor of longtime Recreation Superintendent Anthony Brunetta, widely known as Mr. B, who died last year. The money was raised at two musical events earlier this year, including the latest installment of the Shine A Light Music Series in June, and added to the $30,000 that the foundation had already raised for the project. The next concert of its kind, which will also benefit the playground, is set for Dec. 28, during which the Felice Brothers will perform. Tickets are available online at Ticketfly.com.

The money for this year’s annual fundraiser will go to 10 groups and families, one for each year the Tommy Brull Foundation has existed. The foundation has pledged to donate $3,000 for the Exceptional Artist Foundation, which empowers special-needs artists; $3,000 to the MOVE Program, which uses different assistive devices to promote mobility and learning in educational atmospheres; at least $1,000 to the Mary Quinn’s Mark Foundation, named for the youngest child of a Floral Park family who was born with Down syndrome and other medical conditions and died in 2015 at age 16; as well as other organizations that the Tommy Brull Foundation has supported in the past.

The foundation also plans to donate $10,000 to two individuals and their families. Lauren Richardson, a 7-year-old from Long Beach, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age. Her family needs a wheelchair-accessible minivan, and the funds will go toward easing the burden for them. The family of Tricia Pikul, 44, a Camp ANCHOR camper who suffered a traumatic brain injury years ago and is unable to speak, with help from the Tommy Brull Foundation, will be able to renovate their bathroom to make it more accessible for Tricia to use.

“We never really imagined the foundation getting as big as it has, and we never really had a timeline of how long we were going to do this,” Brull said. “I can’t believe it’s 10 years later.

“…It started out as a very small, grassroots foundation,” he continued, “and now it’s grown to be very successful, so we’re very happy to be able to help that many people out.”

For more information, or to donate, visit tommybrullfoundation.org.