Amgen Foundation recognizes Clapp, donates $5,000 to Bobby Holloway Memorial
The Amgen Foundation recently honored Pine Island resident Thomas Clapp with the Amgen Excellence in Volunteer Award. The award also included a check for $5,000 to the Bobby Holloway Memorial Fund.
The Bobby Holloway Memorial was established to honor Bobby Holloway, Jr. who lost his life in a hunting accident in 1997. Bobby was 11 years old. The annual Bobby Holloway Memorial Fishing Tournament was started shortly after Bobby’s death and the fishing tournament raises funds for the memorial. Hundreds of island businesses have sponsored the Bobby Holloway Memorial Fishing Tournament over the years and there have been dozens and dozens of beneficiaries.
Largely through the efforts of Bobby’s mother, Ernestine Holloway Squires, and family friend Joe Marzella, the first Bobby Holloway Jr. Memorial Tournament was held in March 1997 at Pineland Marina. The response from local businesses, fishermen and benefactors in the community was overwhelming. The thousands raised then inspired continuing efforts to help the children of Pine Island in the future.
Clapp works for Amgen, the world’s largest biotech company, and is a director, board member of the Bobby Holloway Memorial Fund.
“One day at work we were in a district meeting and a manager asked everyone in the meeting to relate some personal information,” Clapp said. “Various people said things like they went to the beach, went skiing and things like that. I had just come back from fishing in the Bahamas and I guess everybody expected me to talk about that but instead I talked about the Bobby Holloway Foundation.
“I told the whole story about Bobby Holloway,” he continued. “That he was an 11 year old boy that was killed in a hunting accident in 1997 and after his death people got together to create the fund and raise money. Well they raised a lot of money and decided that the money should go towards the kids because that’s what Bobby would have done. Ernestine, Bobby’s mother, told me that Bobby would always come home and say so-and-so needed cleats or a glove to play baseball can we get it for him? Ernestine always said ‘sure, no problem’ even though they didn’t have a ton of money.”
As a result of this story, Amgen honored Clapp with an award and the Bobby Holloway Memorial Fund with a check for $5,000.
“I got involved with the Bobby Holloway Foundation because of my son playing Little League baseball. I coached Little League from a few years before Bobby’s death and then after he died when the fund was set up,” Clapp said. “With Little League we would always need something, gloves or cleats or whatever and the Holloway fund would always provide anything we needed – that’s what they’ve done for the last 14 years. They’ve helped kids with a swim day at the pool and helped people with a special needs kid. But the bulk is given out right before graduation to kids going to college. It can’t pay for college but it might help a kid stay in school.”
Some of the beneficiaries of the Bobby Holloway Fund are Pine Island Elementary School, Pine Island Little League, Matlacha Summer Parks Program, Continuing Education Scholarships, Families in Need Assistance, Pine Island Fire Explorers, Youth Swim Lessons, Dave Root Fishing Tournament, Lee County Parks and Recreation, Cape Youth Football Association, Pine Island Ambassadors, Pine Island Children’s Activities, Pine Island Christmas Basket Brigade, Pine Island Elementary Fishing Tournament and People to People Sponsorship.
The Bobby Holloway Fund is able to provide enrichment for virtually every local youth activity in education, sports, the arts, and more – from learning to swim to earning a college degree.
“What I want everyone to come away with from this article is your donations to the Holloway Fund helps the kids of Pine Island,” Clapp said. “I want to invite everyone to come out and see what the Holloway Memorial Fund is all about. We need your help to add to that fund and perpetuate it into the future.”