ForMatt Foundation is born out of a family's grief

In November of last year, Vint and Julie Choiniere got the news that every parent fears: their child had been in a serious accident. Matt, 22 years old, had been struck by a trolley in Boston. The accident occurred on Nov. 16, and Matt succumbed to his injuries four days later.

While that memory is all too fresh in the minds of his survivors, they are hard at work to place a positive memory next to their grief. Less than a year after his death, the ForMatt Foundation will hold its first major fundraiser, a golf tournament on October 9 at the Derryfield Country Club in Manchester.

"The ForMatt Foundation is a non-profit advocate organization working for children age 5 through 18 and will financially assist them to pursue their dreams," said Vint, director of the organization and parks and recreation director for the town of Meredith. About the loss of Matt, he said, "It was very sudden, very tragic . . . We're trying as a family to hold together, we're trying to remember him in a way he'd be very proud of."

Matt, a 2004 graduate of Concord High School, enjoyed sports and was eager to help others. His father said, "Knowing Matthew so well, how he lived his life, there are many examples of how he tried to help others, especially those who had less than he did . . . that memory of him sparked us to do something on a permanent basis to honor that memory."

Matt did many things to make his father proud, such as coaching basketball in the Camp of Champions during his high school summers. One poignant memory for Vint — himself the baseball coach at Inter-Lakes High School — is when Matt met a boy who was an ardent Red Sox fan who hadn't seen a game in Fenway. The next time Matt got his hands on a pair of tickets, he knew just who to take to the game.

With that generous spirit in mind, the ForMatt foundation was created to raise funds that could be used to "do something fun, something they'd enjoy." The organization will provide scholarships to local children who would like to participate in a given activity or sport, just need a little financial help to do so.

The first event to raise money for this goal will be the ForMatt Foundation Golf Tournament. Organizers hope it will be a yearly event. The registration fee of $100 per player includes 18 holes of golf, use of a golf cart and lunch at the end of the round. The shotgun start will be held at 8:30 a.m. and a raffle will also be held during the tournament.

In addition to the activity scholarships, the organization plans to build a ball field in Matt's memory. "We're really adamant about that — Matt grew up playing his youth baseball in White Park," said Vint. Last year, Matt helped reconstruct the Concord athletic facility, but while the new field is nice, Matt commiserated with his father about the fact that one of the fields was replaced with a parking lot. "He was so sad for the younger kids who lost one of their parks."

The ForMatt Foundation hopes to build a park, in the Concord area if feasible or elsewhere if not.

Vint said the creation of the ForMatt Foundation has been difficult at times, compounded by the intense emotions that accompany it. Yet, he said, "I have to believe in my heart that it's going to be a good experience."

For more information about the golf tournament or the foundation, visit www.formattfoundation.org, call Vint at 603-707-4736 or email vchoiniere@metrocast.net. The deadline for hole sponsorship or player registration is Oct. 2.