Source: KXAN / John Dabkovich
Larry Tabbit-Humphrey and his husband Bill are huge Disney fans. The walls of their Cedar Park home are covered with pictures from family trips to Disney World, but you won’t find anything related to golf.
“Miniature golf, does that count?,” joked Larry when asked if he had ever played golf.
The couple might not know anything about golf, but they are an example of the kind of family who stands to benefit from the WGC-Dell Match Play taking place in Austin.Bill and Larry adopted their sons from Helping Hand Home in Austin, a non-profit that handles the most troubled kids in the foster care system, one of five local charities that will split the charitable proceeds from the tournament.
Many kids at Helping Hand have experienced extreme abuse and neglect, most will never go back to their birth families. The kids are also prone to tantrums and often find trouble at school.
“People can be scared off because they see these behaviors and they say, ‘not in my home,’” said Helping Hand executive director, Ted Keyser.
Bill and Larry Tabbit-Humphrey adopted their first son, 10-year-old Anthony, a few years ago. He says he now feels “trusted and safe” with his new family.
A little more than a year ago, the Tabbit-Humphrey’s adopted Johnny, age seven.
“It’s like they care about me and the other family didn’t let me have that much freedom,” said Johnny. “This family is showing me that they respect me and we have family time and we go out for dinner.”
He added, “When I first came here I was a little bit scared, but as we’ve moved on, I felt happy and loved. And I felt that they cared about me.”
Bill and Larry say they were drawn to the Helping Hand Home because they wanted to help kids in their own community and now they are considering adopting a third child from the home.
“I was a foster kiddo so I had somebody who provided an impact and changed my life. Now, it’s a chance for us to give back to kiddos like Anthony and Johnny and organizations like Helping Hand Home to help shape the next generation of people,” said Bill.