2008 DADS Golf Outing

Nash and Brad hanging out. Another success! And this year the DADS special guest was B-Rad! More about Brad Hennefer here. and his three point shots in basketball here. Here is the link to Golf for Life program.

more news on B-Rad

More on Brad Henfefer, aka B-Rad! Amazing Man Gets TV Gig Brad Hennefer, 19, of Cherry Hill, has many mementos that document his basketball and golf abilities. Thursday, January 31, 2008 By CELESTE E. WHITTAKER Courier-Post Staff CHERRY HILL The Hennefer family gathered in their cozy "golf" room Wednesday evening, downstairs in their Cherry Hill home. In one corner are prominently displayed newspaper clippings, a jersey encased in glass, trophies, medals and other items belonging to their son Brad. They could not have imagined 19 years ago when Brad was born that today he would be a four-year member of the golf and basketball programs at Cherry Hill High School East, and a media darling to boot. Brad, who was born with Down syndrome, and his parents, Nancy and Bob, and older brother Bobby are scheduled to appear on an upcoming segment of Good Morning America in New York, possibly as soon as Friday morning. He is an example of a young man who has not let a disability get in his way of accomplishing great things. "From a very young age, we made the decision that we were going to provide him with whatever opportunity that we could and assume that he could do things," said Nancy Hennefer, whose son started kindergarten in a regular class in the Cherry Hill school district. "We never went into anything with the attitude that he couldn't do it. We wanted to expose him to things and see what he could do. "This is the thing: You have to let them try it. You have to give them the opportunity. Once you open up that door, he will walk through it. Cherry Hill East opened up that door for him." Brad can't wait for his TV appearance. "It's going to be great," said Brad, who had 15 points on five 3-pointers in a scrimmage against Rancocas Valley earlier this season and has made baskets in regular season games as well, including his team's final points in Tuesday's game against Washington Township and a 3-pointer against state powerhouse St. Patrick's. "My basketball team was great, my teammates, and coach (John) Valore, he's a good coach. He taught me well." Bob Hennefer couldn't be more proud of his son, and also gives praise to the Cherry Hill East principal, teachers and coaches, namely Valore. "John Valore has been remarkable, the way he teaches," Hennefer said. "We attribute everything to his teammates, his school staff, coaching staff. They've just been phenomenal. Thinking outside the box to create an opportunity for Brad. His teammates, they all treat him like he's family. It's just inspiring. "We didn't think a lot of stuff was going to happen, but it's just about creating opportunities. Brad does well. He's a visual learner. He learns a lot from his teammates and he just keeps going. It's a tribute to the school and his teammates, what he's doing. His teammates also have learned a lot from Brad. They see it's a lot of hard work. We learn about stuff every day from Brad." The family even started a foundation in Brad's name -- The Brad Hennefer Golf for Life Foundation. The brochure says while many "junior" golf programs end at age 18, "we are committed to providing a lifetime of golf opportunities for individuals of all ages with Down syndrome." Brad's older brother Bobby came downstairs to chat about his brother on Wednesday evening. Bobby played collegiate golf at Franklin & Marshall and recently earned his PGA Tour card. Not only did he let his little brother tag along with him at the golf course, but he's been his Special Olympics partner as well. "I played sports all my life," Bobby Hennefer, 23, said. "Golf was one of the things I liked to do most. At a young age, I took him out to the golf course. He mirrored my swing, got to know it. I helped him out and he ended up being pretty good. We had a lot of fun. I'm extremely proud. This is awesome." Said Brad Hennefer about making his national television debut: "I feel like I won't be nervous, but I'll be happy." Reach Celeste E. Whittaker at cwhittaker@courierpostonline.com

The Shot of a Life Time

Go B'Rad! The Shot of a Life Time Source: http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/sports&id=5901234 WPVI Philadelphia, PAHOME The shot of a lifetime Tuesday, January 29, 2008 | 12:20 AM An Action News Special Report By Jamie Apody CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- A remarkable young athlete has developed a big following. At first glance, it was just your run of the mill three-pointer in a high school hoops game. "He comes down with three seconds to go and makes the final shot. It was an amazing shot," said his dad, Bob Hennefer. And then you notice, the coach on the opposing team came over to shake the Brad Hennefer's hand. "It was unbelievable. He got a standing ovation," said John Valore, Cherry Hill East coach. This shot was different. This shot was Brad Hennefer's first-ever Varsity basket. This shot was something that was never supposed to be in the cards. "I'm a very good shooter, good behind the black lines," said Brad. Life has been tough from the beginning for Brad. Born with Down Syndrome, nothing comes easy or guaranteed. "We had no idea about Down Syndrome. We had mixed emotions," said his dad. What he did, since the tender age of three, was turn to sports. Now a senior at Cherry Hill East, he has played four years of high school basketball. "Being part of a team is always a kids dream. It has been great for him," said Bob Hennefer. "His reaction to the excitement of it all just adds a catalyst to the rest of the players and makes them go harder, work harder," said Valore. "All the kids in basketball, they look at me and are proud of me," said Brad. Basketball is not even Brad's best sport. He is thought to be the only kid with Down Syndrome in the country to earn a varsity letter in two sports -- basketball and golf. Brad is set to graduate this year. He has big plans. "After high school, I'll go to Camden County College work on business and computers," said Brad. And wherever life takes him, he'll always have that shot. It's proof that sometimes the biggest triumphs come in the smallest of victories. His teammates call him B-Rad. The Hennefer family has started a foundation, Golf for Life, in which they travel the country and put on golf clinics for kids with Down Syndrome. For more information on the foundation, visit www.golfforlife.org. (Copyright ©2008 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

This Athlete Never Fails to Amaze His Teammates, Fans

This athlete never fails to amaze his teammates, fans Posted by South Jersey News Online January 10, 2008 8:00PM Brad Hennefer plays basketball for Cherry Hill East High School. He may be the only high school athlete in the country with Down syndrome who plays two varsity sports--golf and basketball. By Bob Shryockbshryock@sjnewsco.com Brad Hennefer launched a three-pointer from the right side, a few feet behind the arc, with three seconds to play in Cherry Hill East's pre-holiday game at Washington Township. Swish. Nothing but net. And fans and players from both schools erupted in a thunderous cheer. Which is something you almost never see, especially since Hennefer's trey merely cut CHE's final deficit to 26 points (68-42). But Brad (known by many as "B-Rad") Hennefer is not a typical scholastic basketball player. He may be the only high school athlete in the country with Down syndrome who plays two varsity sports -- golf and basketball. He has lettered in golf since a freshman and has won letters in basketball (frosh hoops, sophomore and junior JV) three years as well. Nothing Brad does surprises us," says Bob Hennefer, his dad. "It's hard to believe what he's accomplished. It's hard for many to believe he has Down's." Bob taped the CHE-Township game, as he almost always does. "That shot ranks up there with our thrills," Bob says. "But you have to look beyond the shot. When he made it, every kid on the team was standing and cheering with their arms in the air. Brad's teammates are incredible kids." The three-pointer at Washington Township is Brad's only official basket of the season although he was 5-for-11, all threes, in a pre-season scrim with Rancocas Valley, South Jersey's top-rated team. He's been used sparingly in games, but Bob Hennefer credits East coach John Valore and the school administration with their unwavering support of his son. According to Bob, Brad is able to take part in "98 percent" of the team's drills. Former Gloucester Catholic athletes Barry Coniglio and Steve Mondile played in an Ocean City, Md. golf tournament with Brad and his dad last fall -- "Scouting for a Cure," an event run by major league scout Will George to fund a foundation in his wife's memory -- and were amazed by Brad's ability. With the foursome using Brad's 280-yard tee shots on half the holes, Team Hennefer finished second in the scramble at nine-under-par. But the 10-under winning team "borrowed" one of Brad's boomers. Coniglio, a Mantua chiropractor, went to the basketball game after meeting Brad and had high praise for the sportsmanship displayed by Washington Township after Brad scored. Brad, 19, is defending New Jersey Special Olympics gold medalist in golf and has won countless medals in three events (basketball and powerlifting). He's 5-10, 155 pounds, and, according to his dad, works out regularly and "is in very good shape." The Hennefers have showed their support for Downs children by founding a Down's basketball league and starting and co-directing "Golf for Life" which six of the country's 41 PGA sections, including Philadelphia, already are embracing. Brad works part-time at Wegman's mega-market in Cherry Hill and part-time at Woodcrest Country Club, where his only sibling, Bob Jr., is an assistant golf professional. Woodcrest is CHE's home course. Brad is also an accomplished public speaker who has made appearances around the country including a Golf For Life clinic at Princeton. When he ripped a 280-yard drive at an event in Ohio, former Bengals' all-NFL lineman Anthony Munoz said it was "the most amazing thing" he'd ever seen. But amazing is the norm for Brad. Bob Hennefer said his son plans to go on to college (Camden C.C. or Mercer) "because he doesn't want to stop his education." Bob said he isn't sure if he and his wife could have written a better script for their son's full life. "It's due to the school, faculty, staff ... and the kids," Bob says.