20th Annual Dan McLaughlin Charity Golf Tournament and Auction

For twenty years, Cardinals Play-by-Play announcer Dan McLaughlin lent his name and encouraged friends and colleagues to support the Special Education Foundation's Dan McLaughlin Charity Golf Tournament and Auction. Over these two decades, the tournament has raised millions of dollars to help countless children receive hearing aids, attend college, participate in summer camps, purchase eyeglasses, obtain assistive devices, and experience arts and other innovative opportunities in and out of the classroom.

The 20th annual Dan McLaughlin Charity Golf Tournament and Auction will take place at Norwood Hills Country Club on Monday, October 10, 2022. 

More than 300 golfers will join with other friends of the Special Education Foundation to raise money for students with disabilities in St. Louis County.

The daylong event begins with a putting contest followed by the four-player scramble and ends with a Happy Hour Buffet and Live Auction at 3:30 p.m. This year's auction offers something for everyone, including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in a Folds of Honor Golf Event where guests will enjoy eight rounds of golf at one of the premier golf destinations in the US - the Patriot Golf Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Golfers will stay in a designer four-bedroom cabin overlooking the 9th fairway.

Other live auction items include:
• An autographed Paul Goldschmidt jersey that has been framed and matted
• A week-long stay in a gorgeous 7-bedroom, 5-bathroom home on St. Simon's Island in Georgia
• A Cardinals Party Suite at Busch Stadium
• A Blues Party Suite at Enterprise Center
• A Kansas City Chiefs Experience with a VIP experience for two with lower-level seats in GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, November 13th, as the Chiefs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The idea for a charity golf tournament to benefit the Special Education Foundation started a little more than twenty years ago when St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin learned about the many special needs of Caroline Kijowski from her father, Bob. Dan and Bob then worked together at Fox Sports Midwest and continue to work together today at Bally Sports.

Bob shared that his daughter Caroline had multiple disabilities that required much more than the Special School District could provide.

His moving story of how the Special Education Foundation helped Caroline inspired Dan to take the lead in creating the Dan McLaughlin Golf Tournament that would benefit the Special Education Foundation.

The first 4-man scramble was played at Norwood Hills Country Club in 2003, and this year will not be any different.

Major support for the 20th Annual Dan McLaughlin Charity Golf Tournament and Auction comes from Custom Coatings, the Premier Sponsor for the event. In addition, Pool Tron and GoMed Healthcare are Platinum Sponsors this year. Additional support for the Tournament comes from AETNA, Ascension, Axel Transportation, Bi-State Utilities Company, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Brinkmann Constructors, Gateway Fire Protection Systems, Inc., HM Risk and Benefits, the St. Louis Cardinals, and WorldWide Technology as Golden Apple Sponsors.

About Special Education Foundation

The Special Education Foundation helps children with disabilities succeed in school and beyond. Established in 1984 as the first public school foundation in Missouri, the Special Education Foundation provides support and assistance to students who receive services from the Special School District of Saint Louis County (SSD).

More than 16 percent of students in St. Louis County receive special education services, with the Foundation serving 20,000 students annually through its programs.