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As the Executive Director and
founder of Kick for a Cure, Helena Jayasuriya became aware of Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy (DMD) when her own nephew was diagnosed with the disease in 1998.
As the reality of that diagnosis moved through her family, Helena assisted in
organizing several fundraisers to support DMD research. This later lead Helena to
develop what was initially going to be an annual charity soccer tournament, but
quickly evolved into Kick for a Cure becoming a year-round organization dedicated
to fundraising for DMD. |
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Professionally, Helena is a Licensed Clinical
Social Worker with her own child and adolescent psychotherapy practice.
Helena is also an Associate Professor at Alliant International University
where she teaches in the graduate program for school psychologists.
Although she is a native of Malaysia, she feels most at home living in San Diego
with her husband Jason.
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While Australian Darren Bennett
certainly made his mark in the United States as a punter with the San Diego
Chargers, including two Pro Bowl births and an impressive record of only having
3 out of 771 punts blocked during his NFL career, Darren is even better known as
a tireless supporter of charities in the San Diego Region.
Not just satisfied to lend his name to events and causes, Darren rolls up his
sleeves by working with groups such as Project Mercy where he and Southern
California contractors build 50 houses in one day for the neediest neighborhoods
in Tijuana, Mexico. |
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After Darren's own son was diagnosed with Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in 2002, Darren founded the Pro Player Foundation
along with fellow NFL players John Carney and Steve Christie. Their mission
is to seek out and assist cutting edge research that will not only lead to a
cure for DMD but many other genetic diseases as well.
Darren and his wife Rosemary reside in Carlsbad with their sons Will and
Thomas.
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Paul Buckley has been a
part of Kick for a Cure since its inception and is committed to help finding
a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Paul has been involved with soccer
for most of his life and was captain for the Tufts University soccer team in
1984. Paul now coaches for Manchester Carmel Valley, and has been involved
in numerous soccer tournaments throughout southern California.
Paul is an attorney with the law firm of Dummit, Buchholz & Trapp in San
Diego. He is currently a partner at this firm and has been working there for
the last 18 years. |
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Paul is married and lives in San Diego with his
wife Randy, where they raise their four children, three of which are past
participants in Kick for a Cure tournaments.
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While Jason Gordon has been
a life-long soccer fan and player, he never expected the sport to take on such
a personal meaning as it does with Kick for a Cure. Just a year after he
married Helena Jayasuriya in 1997, her young nephew was diagnosed with Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
Jason has watched first hand both the progress of this disease, and the
remarkable courage displayed by both the children who have DMD, and the parents
and family members who lead a daily fight to lessen the physical and emotional
impact this disease carries. Watching a typical child kick a soccer ball or run
across a field is something Jason has learned not to take for granted. |
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Originally from Los Angeles, Jason attended college
and graduate school in San Diego. He is currently a Sales Manager at Union
Fidelity Mortgage (UFM) where he assists families across the country with
their residential lending needs, and supervises a team of Mortgage Consultants.
UFM played a generous role in the development of Kick for a Cure as the inaugural
title sponsor for the first tournament in 2005.
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Dave Miller has been making
a mark on the San Diego region in the area of sports and event marketing as the
President and CEO of Integrated Sports Marketing (ISM) which he founded in 1999.
While Dave's company has produced events such as the Toyota Celebrity Classic
hosted by Stan Humphries, the Pechanga Celebrity Poker Challenge, and Yachtfest
San Diego, he is equally pleased to lend his skills to several philanthropic
organizations as a board member. These include The Ronald McDonald House
Charities of San Diego, the American Diabetes Association - San Diego Chapter,
the Aztecs Athletic Foundation, and now Kick for a Cure. |
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Dave is a graduate of San Diego State University
and lives in San Diego where he and his wife Teresa raise their three children;
Nicholas, Matthew, and Elizabeth.
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Dan Petro became involved
with Kick for a Cure first as a volunteer consultant where he provided
assistance in developing the soccer tournament, and later in developing the
Kick for a Cure organization itself. As a Behavior Analyst who's work
includes supporting children with special needs, Dan has been motivated by
seeing individuals take the time to make a difference.
Dan is also an Associate Professor at Alliant International University where
he teaches in the graduate program for school psychologists. He additionally
volunteers his time as a Reserve Police Officer with the San Diego Police
Department. In this capacity, Dan has |
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spent the last 20 years as the Operations
and Training Administrator for the Department's Crisis Intervention Program.
This program sends trained volunteers to incident scenes to assist community
members who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events.
Dan lives in San Diego with his very patient wife, Jane and their two
children.
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Before becoming a Kick
for a Cure Board Member, Mike Tarantino became a believer in the value of
the organization's mission. As the Director of Maintenance and Operations
for the Poway Unified School District, Mike opened the door to providing a
wonderful venue to host the annual soccer tournament.
Additionally, Mike's expertise in the world of youth and competitive soccer
has provided Kick for a Cure with critical insights as the organization strives
to fulfill its mission of working with individuals and organizations in the San
Diego Region and beyond to positively impact the lives of children and young
adults with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. |
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Mike serves on the Board of Directors for the Nomads Soccer
Club and is the past president of the SoCal Sports Turf Managers Association.
Mike and his wife Carole reside in San Diego where they are the proud parents
of three children and two grandchildren.
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Zoë Chapin has been part of Kick
for a Cure since the very beginning and has dedicated herself to help raise funds
to support developing a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Zoë is also
motivated by the organization's mandate to provide assistance to families in the
San Diego region who are affected by DMD.
Zoë also does charity work for The Thursday Club, and works as a Personal
Assistant and Office Manager for a La Jolla based Psychologist.
Zoë and her husband Eddie reside in San Diego, and are expecting their
first child. |
To get in contact with any of our board
members, please click here.
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