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22 N. Orchard St
P.O. Box 536
Wallingford, CT
06492
(203) 269-5983
About Ryan Gordon
In 2006, the tragic death of a young congregant changed the face - and the name - of the Kiddush Cup.
During his life, Ryan demonstrated great courage in overcoming severe congenital handicaps, becoming a creative and successful fundraiser for causes that touched him.
Ryan, a 19 year-old college freshman in 2005, grew up at Beth Israel. An avid golfer with a 10 handicap, he played the Kiddush Cup every year since its inception. He is responsible for bringing some of the celebrities who have played the tournament, including Fox61 sportscaster, Rich Coppola, who has MC’d the Cup’s live auction for the past 2 years. That summer of 2005, two months before going off to college, Ryan earned the coveted title of the “Kiddush Cup Putting Champ”.
Three months after he went to Florida to pursue an education in broadcast journalism, Ryan took ill and had to return home to CT. Just 3 months later, in March 2006, he passed away from a very aggressive form of cancer. A week before he died, Ryan requested that his unused college funds be given to three organizations that he felt had benefited him throughout his life in order to give back to them. He also wanted his act of giving to be made public – he explicitly stated that he hoped his donations would inspire others to give. It clearly has.
In honoring Ryan’s legacy and memory, Beth Israel has thus far donated $25,000 to charities in his name.
Ryan C. Gordon Memorial Kiddush Cup
Since its inception in 2000, the annual Kiddush Cup Golf Tournament has been the cornerstone of Beth Israel’s fundraising effort. In its inaugural year, the Kiddush Cup drew 36 participants and raised $1,000. It grew steadily through 2005, when it attracted 48 golfers, and raised $4,000. In 2006, the tournament was renamed, and dedicated to the memory of Ryan Gordon, a 19 year old, lifelong congregant who tragically passed away after a three month battle against a very aggressive form of cancer.
2008 Kiddush Cup Sponsors
To learn about our sponsors, click here.
Thank you to the generosity of our major sponsors!
Thank you to the generosity of our major sponsors!
2008 Kiddush Cup - A HUGE SUCCESS!
There were many winners of this year's Kiddush Cup, both on and off the course.
Click here for the full recap.
Check out our photos here.
To download Adobe Acrobat, click here.
Click here for the full recap.
Check out our photos here.
To download Adobe Acrobat, click here.
The Charities
In 2006, Beth Israel's Board resolved to donate a portion of the funds raised to the causes Ryan championed. Since then, the Kiddush Cup has enjoyed a quantum increase in both the number of golfers, and the amount of funds raised, enabling Beth Israel to make significant donations to Ryan’s charities:
1. The Ryan Gordon Memorial Fund at the Kingswood-Oxford School is a financial-need based scholarship that will enable a deserving student to attend the school's Team Tobati yearly trip to Paraguay. Team-Tobati is a K-O, all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to working with and assisting the poor of Tobati, Paraguay. Contributing to this fund is an excellent way to provide a child (who might not have the financial resources) the opportunity to make a contribution to the world.
2. The Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation Scholars Fund at Trinity College. This fund was established to provide deserving Hartford youths (based on scholastic achievement and financial need) with the opportunity to learn to play hockey. In addition to receiving training from members of the Trinity College men's and women 's hockey teams, each scholarship recipient will become a mentor to a younger skater from a local elemenatary school.
3. The Frank Detterbeck Research Fund in Memory of Ryan Gordon at The Yale Cancer Center's thoracic oncology research department. Dr. Detterbeck's research focuses on early detection of esophageal and thoracic cancers.
4. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the primary sponsor of critical research that is making tremendous advances toward a cure and control of cystic fibrosis.
1. The Ryan Gordon Memorial Fund at the Kingswood-Oxford School is a financial-need based scholarship that will enable a deserving student to attend the school's Team Tobati yearly trip to Paraguay. Team-Tobati is a K-O, all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to working with and assisting the poor of Tobati, Paraguay. Contributing to this fund is an excellent way to provide a child (who might not have the financial resources) the opportunity to make a contribution to the world.
2. The Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation Scholars Fund at Trinity College. This fund was established to provide deserving Hartford youths (based on scholastic achievement and financial need) with the opportunity to learn to play hockey. In addition to receiving training from members of the Trinity College men's and women 's hockey teams, each scholarship recipient will become a mentor to a younger skater from a local elemenatary school.
3. The Frank Detterbeck Research Fund in Memory of Ryan Gordon at The Yale Cancer Center's thoracic oncology research department. Dr. Detterbeck's research focuses on early detection of esophageal and thoracic cancers.
4. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the primary sponsor of critical research that is making tremendous advances toward a cure and control of cystic fibrosis.