By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(May 10, 2018) Registration is full, but hole sponsors are still needed for the seventh annual Mary Mac Foundation Memorial Golf Tournament, Aug. 3 at the Ocean Pines Golf and Country Club.

Tim McMullen started the nonprofit foundation seven years ago to honor his late wife, Mary McMullen, a special education instructor at Severna Park High School and Ruth Eason School in Millersville, Maryland.

He said the foundation was started shortly after she passed away, in August 2012. Several family members came to visit and pay their respects, “and we sat around afterwards and said, ‘Let’s form this next year and start doing some things.’”

“Our mission this year is to send as many low-income kids as possible to summer camp,” McMullen said. “We think that every child deserves a good summer.”

The foundation in part supports Camp St. Vincent de Paul in Baltimore, an organization offering eight-week summer camps for homeless children.

“They get three meals a day, swim lessons, and lessons in English and math that we think are crucial,” McMullen said.

Mary Mac also supports Camp Barnes, a residential camp in Frankford, Delaware for low-income children.

“We’re also involved in the Ocean Pines youth program,” McMullen said. “We’re really committed to helping kids enjoy their summers and have the summer that they deserve.”

He said programs of the nonprofit affect several hundred children in the region. Additionally, the Mary Mac Foundation established a scholarship at Severna Park High School in Mary’s name, and the nonprofit helps fund the education of an adopted child from Haiti.

“The more money we raise, the more we can do for these types of programs,” McMullen said. “I know the St. Vincent de Paul program is underfunded, I’m sure Camp Barnes needs as much assistance as possible, and I think our youth programs in Ocean Pines are not as fully funded as they should be.

“When we take a look at cutbacks, too many times we talk about the recreational budget, which is a small percentage of your annual assessment [in Ocean Pines] and that’s some of the best dollars that we spend,” he continued. “But we’re excited about this upcoming year and we appreciate the support that we get from this community.”

Fundraising activities for the foundation this year include the second annual Mary Mac Night at Camden Yards, this Saturday, and the golf tournament on Aug. 3.

Hole sponsorships for the tournament are $100. For more information, visit www.MaryMac.org or call McMullen at 443-827-2091.

Donations to the Mary Mac Foundation can be made online, or by check payable to Mary Mac Foundation, 174 Nottingham Lane, Berlin, Maryland, 21811.