Mid-Missouri native and major league baseball pitcher Tom Henke had never seen the children at the Special Learning Center sit so still than when his friend and country music legend Charley Pride sang "Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" to them last year during a visit.
"The kids sang back to him and right after that Charley said to me, 'Tom, whatever you need,'" said Henke, who asked Pride to perform at a banquet preceding the 23rd annual Tom Henke Charity Golf Classic that raises thousands of dollars for SLC and event sponsor Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club's many charitable diabetes education and awareness programs and projects.
Pride's interaction with SLC students and staff during the annual donation from the event encouraged him to come back for an even bigger performance this year. An even bigger success it was with 850 in attendance for the Oct. 7 concert at the Miller Performing Arts Center.
With 150 golfers at the tournament held on Columbus Day, the 24th annual Tom Henke Charity Golf Classic and An Evening with Charley Pride benefit concert raised more than $100,000 $86,000 for SLC and about $20,000 for the club's fight against diabetes.
"That is by far the best year we have ever had. (Pride) did it out of the goodness of his heart. He had made enough money that he can do that kind of thing. When he comes out here for The Special Learning Center, the cause, for the committee and myself," Henke said. "We are trying to bring something new and something fresh to Jefferson City. We have had lots of banquets and this year was our first concert. It brings people in, hotel rooms, some money generated for the community - not just for the charities but all the way around. I think it has been a great thing for Jefferson City and this whole surrounding area."
This new tradition to the annual Tom Henke Charity Golf Classic benefit has helped give even more awareness to the annual fundraiser, the Cosmopolitan Club and the causes it supports. However, overall the Tom Henke Charity Golf Classic has raised roughly $1.3 million, with $1 million going toward SLC and more than $350,000 toward the civic club's diabetes projects. The tournament started because Henke wanted to do something to help raise funds toward a facility that helped his family.
Henke's daughter, Amanda, who was born with Down's Syndrome, was one of the very first students of the center, which serves more than 600 families per year by providing early intervention and therapy services to children with developmental delays and disabilities.
"You are new parents and you have a handicap or special needs child, you don't know what to do; your world is just goofy for awhile," Henke said. "I went back and tried to pitch for two or three weeks and I wasn't very good. The Special Learning Center helped me understand the needs of Amanda and what we are going to have to face. They are still here to help us even though Amanda is now 32 years old."
"You think, why did God give me a handicap child, what did I do? But it is a gift. It really is a gift," he continued. "It took me awhile to understand that, and the Special Learning Center helped me do that. God gave me the talent to throw 100 miles an hour, and I believe in service; God puts us on this earth for a purpose and he put me here to help any way I can and even though it is small in the scheme of things. One day standing before him, I hope he'll tell me well done."
Special Learning Center Director Debbie Hamler said the center has been able to grow from 25 children after two local schools merged in 1985 to now serving 600 children and needing a $2.5 million budget to continue that excellent service to its students.
In the early days of the event, the funds were combined with another source to build an additional classroom, Snoezelyn therapy room and a sensory motor room for therapy, with the latter wing also secured with additional funds from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. Hamler said the majority of the money was also used to help start SLC's foundation, which acts as a security blanket for its funds.
"In the last several years, we have needed the money in our general operating budget. It is not as exciting but it is critical. We are only as good as our staff, which include many registered and licensed therapists. This is how come we can do such a great job because we have a wonderful staff," she said, noting they were excited to receive $30,000-plus over the $50,000 they normally budget from the event's proceeds. "The general budget also helps us provide specialized equipment. There is always a new child coming with a new diagnosis that needs something we don't have yet."
Knowing how much this organization had helped his family, Henke talked with friends and family about how he could start a benefit golf tournament to help SLC.
He partnered with the Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club to host the charity golf classic and raise funds for their causes as well. The club formed a committee, with current Cosmopolitan Club president Eric Burkett and former club treasurer Mark Mueller there since the beginning.
"You can't do something like this without a lot of help and a lot of boots on the ground. This unbelievable committee and the club members that have been with us since the beginning work hard. Nobody works harder than these folks," Henke said. "I'm blessed to have friends like this."
Burkett and Mueller consider Henke their friend, as they do their fellow Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club members. The local club is a chapter of Cosmopolitan International, a civic organization dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes. They have established diabetes research and treatment centers in the U.S., including one at University of Missouri in Columbia.
Established more than 54 years ago, the Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club helps fight that same cause locally through hosting multiple diabetes education and awareness programs at SSM Health/St. Mary's Hospital and Capital Regional Medical Center, YMCA summer day camps at its 34-wooded acre property called Camp Timber Acres and most recently building a diabetes training kitchen at the new Cole County Health Department building in Jefferson City.
"We are a small club but we work super, super hard. Mark and I have been members for more than 25 years, but I can't imagine my life without my Cosmo friends," Burkett said. "It is an incredibly rewarding club and program, and working with Tom has been a blast.
"We love walking into the Special Learning Center and walking down the hallway, seeing all those special devices that help these amazing kids walk. We know we were a part of that," he said.
Another big fundraiser for the Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club its annual Pancake Day, held 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Selinger Centre, 212 Broadway. Guests can enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage and beverages. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 years old and younger. Carryout is available.
The Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club meets at noon every Friday at Hy-Vee. For more information about the Jefferson City Cosmopolitan Club and their upcoming events, visit their Facebook page (CosmosJC), or visit cosmopolitan.org. For more information about SLC, call 573-634-3070 or visit speciallearningcenter.com.