Dear Friends of the Purple Playas,
We’re back and excited to announce our second Purple Playas Golf Tournament is finally happening! It is
scheduled for Monday, October 3, 2022 at TPC Tampa Bay, a proud host of the PGA TOUR Champions event for
21 consecutive years. Participants will enjoy a newly reseeded golf course and brand new carts.
We are volunteer-driven and 100% of our proceeds support children and families. Families continually express their gratitude for the overwhelming support and generosity invested in improving the lives of their children with
chronic illness, especially while we all battled a huge pandemic. We thank you! Despite the absence of live events for
two years, donors continued fueling our 3 goals:
1. We provided social-emotional resources on coping with medical trauma through our:
• Resource rich website(free printable stories, visual supports, and tools)–www.purpleplayasfoundation.org
• Purple Playas Coping Kits (children’s book, medical play kit, hands on coping tools) • Coping Book Bundles (pilot study teaching self regulation of emotions)
• Tucker Turtle Puppets (our beloved story book character)
2. We provided funding and resources, resulting in SMILES:
• Gas/food gift cards to ease the burden of medical expenses
• Snacks/coffee for families during infusions
• Funding camp for children with chronic illness
• Holiday SMILES Gift Giving (toys, gas cards, and food cards to 4 children’s hospitals)
• Funding for families to attend the JA Conference
• Funding research through the Arthritis Foundation (AF), AiA, and the SJIA Foundation
• Bravery prizes for clinic/infusion treasure chests • Sock-It to Chronic Illness Campaign (get a pair/give a pair of “hope heels” socks)
3. We provided three years of funding for a pediatric rheumatology fellowship in partnership with the AF and UF
Health Shands Hospital, due to critical shortage in this specialty.
Our exciting plans for next year include: expanding siblings resources, funding a child life specialist scholarship,
providing educational/training/trade grants for young adults with chronic illnesses, and expanding our resources
and outreach. This year’s tournament includes a helicopter ball drop (chance to win $1,000), breakfast, super ticket
contests, an awards lunch and auction/raffle. Please consider investing in children by sponsoring, donating, volunteering, providing raffle/auction items, golfing, advertising, or purchasing helicopter ball numbers.
Parker, our vice president, is the reason the Purple Playas Foundation was established. He has battled complex
medical issues since 2008. His favorite quote is, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” We invite you to gift
SMILES by supporting our 2022 tournament.
Much Appreciation,
Rochelle Lentini
CEO/Board President, Purple Playas Foundation
EIN 61-1896617
