Frogs

01/06/2026

Dear Fellow Fr.O.G.S. and Others,

The end of the year was a little chaotic with weather, travel, timing of donations received, and the holidays. So, we, Greg's nephew J.T. and myself, met a little later than usual with the Kent City School District Treasurer.

Several items to note about this year's donation. First of all, we held our annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing at a new venue, Lyons Den in Canal Fulton. Our numbers were down a little from prior years due to travel, prior commitments, and other things by those who normally attend. Even so, due to reduced expenses and the continued extraordinary generous support of many of you, we were able to still raise a lot of money. This year funds raised were earmarked for the Inclusive Playground at Davey Elementary School. The committee raising funds for that are nearing their total goal and should be able to break ground for that this year.

Secondly, after meeting with Debbie Krutz and her staff for the past many, many years at the Kent Board of Education building, Debbie has retired. So, this year, we met with Erin VanMeter, the new treasurer of the district and one of her staff members, Jessica Chech. We wish Debbie the best of luck with all of her plans for retirement, and we look forward to working with Erin and her staff going forward.

Thirdly, rather than meeting with just the treasurer and her staff at the Board of Education, this year we also met with the Principal of Davey Elementary School, Abbey Bolton, and the Inclusive Playground Committee Members, Samantha Loeffler and Kara MacDowell.

Lastly, we met at Davey Elementary School, the former Davey Middle School, where Greg spent the bulk of his teaching career in Special Education. For me, having thought that his former school had been torn down, it was quite the emotional moment for me walking the same halls that my brother had walked for so many years during his career. Seeing the gym again, where we had played basketball together over his winter break, and where he had guided his 8th Grade Basketball Team one year to a perfect 15-0 record and league championship, was special.

This year, J.T. and I, on behalf of the Fr.O.G.S., were able to present a check of $11,500 to help the Inclusive Playground Committee draw closer to their goal.

All of this was made possible by your continued generous support either as players or sponsors of this years Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing. On behalf of the entire Fr.O.G.S. Board of Trustees, we sincerely thank each and every one of you for all that you have done to support Greg's Legacy of "Paying It Forward"!!!

Pictures include those present and the future site of the Inclusive Playground.

May each of you have a wonderful 2026.

Stay Safe! Stay Healthy!! Keep the Faith!!!

Joe Starc
For the Fr.O.G.S. Trustees

06/10/2025

14th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing September 20, 2025!!!

06/13/2024

Fr.O.G.S. 13th Annual Golf Outing - The signifigance of 100 ...

The number 100 is a powerful symbol that has been used throughout history to represent many different concepts in various cultures. It is seen as a number of completion, a sign of the divine, and an indicator of success or abundance.

Further:

- There are 100 years in a century.
- On the Celsius scale, 100 degrees is the boiling temperature of water.
- The United States Senate has 100 Senators.
- There are 100 yards in an American football field.
- 100 is a perfect square number and its square root is 10.
- 100 is the basis of percentages (“per cent” meaning “per hundred” in Latin), with 100 percent being a full amount.
- There are 100 pennies in one dollar.
- A perfect test score is 100%.
- It is a score a lot of golfers would like beat!!! (Okay, maybe just some of us!!!)
- And on the list could go …

But for Fr.O.G.S., the number 100 is significant for two special reasons this year:

1) It is the number of days to the 13th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing, 100 days!!!

2) It is the raised to date level of monies that the Fr.O.G.S. hope to achieve at this year’s golf outing, $100,000!!!

So, we hope to encourage each and every one of you to help us celebrate the number 100 at this year’s 13th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing (see attached flyer). Help us break through the $100,000 to date level by:

- Registering as a player in this year’s outing for $100 per person. This includes:

Green Fees
Cart
Two Mulligans
Swag Bag
Donuts
Lunch
Soft Drinks

- Sponsoring a hole for $100.

- Donating $100 for a sponsorship of your choice.

-Or helping us achieve our goal in any way you would like!!!

The Fr.O.G.S. Annual Golf Outing started as a simple way to honor the memory of Greg and to raise a few dollars to continue his legacy of paying it forward on a cold, rainy, sleeting, windy, and snowy October day in 2011. This year, we find ourselves on the threshold of having raised $100,000 to date. The Fr.O.G.S Trustees would like to express their deepest thanks to everyone who has made this possible.

See you September 21st!!!

Fr.O.G.S. Trustees

04/14/2024

Save the date!!!

The Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing is scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024, at The Fairways at Twin Lakes in Kent, Ohio.

Help us break through the $100,000 raised to date mark at this year’s outing!!!

01/30/2024

Happy New Year Fellow Fr.O.G.S.,

Everything is wrapped up from our 12th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing held this past September 9th at The Fairways at Twin Lakes. Kudos to Bryan Harvey, Larry Picicco, and Shawn Bates for hosting the event as well as the entire staff at Twin Lakes. The food, service, and weather were all first class. Over 50 players were in attendance.

We had two foursomes that were tied for first place. So, after walking through a few tie-breakers we declared both foursomes as co-winners. So, congratulations to our two foursomes:

Team Goodyear: Team Smith:
Grant Goodyear Derrick Smith
Dave Tracy Matthew Smith
Steve Podnar Dylan Myers
John Podnar Brandon Bates

On Wednesday, November 29, a check from this year’s Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing was presented to Deb Krutz, Treasurer of Kent City School District, and her staff. This year’s check was for:

$12,974.00

To date, Fr.O.G.S. has donated:

$93,917.78

Who would have dreamed at that first Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing in 2011, on that cold, blustery, snowy, sleety, and rainy day with a mere 28 players, that we would be on the threshold of breaking the $100,000 to date mark. Monies donated have been allocated to college scholarships, technologies for Special Needs Students, a transport van, a sensory classroom, and for adaptive physical education equipment for Special Needs Students.

This has all been made possible by your collective participation as players, sponsors,you’re your general support. The Fr.O.G.S. Trustees (Jim Durkin, Grant Goodyear, Amanda Starc, J.T. Starc, and Joe Starc) sincerely thank you.

So, please plan on joining us on Saturday, September 21, 2024, once again at our host course, The Fairways at Twin Lakes, for our Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing. Help us to “shatter” that $100,000 to date mark.

Sincerely,

The Fr.O.G.S. Trustees

06/03/2023

Hello Fellow Fr.O.G.S.,

Once again, time has just sped by since the last outing, and it is time to start planning our 12th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing. But first …

11th Annual Golf Outing Summary:

We met on September 17th at The Fairways at Twin Lakes in Kent, Ohio. The course, managed by one of Greg’s former students and a teaching colleague, Bryan Harvey, proved to be an excellent host course. A fabulous fabulous lunch was provided by Twin Lakes with Larry Picicco, another colleague of Greg’s, manning the grille!!! Plus, they provided us a very generous price per person for our outing. And after the morning outing left, we had the course and the clubhouse entirely available to just our Fr.O.G.S. participants. In addition, they had arranged to have parked in the parking lot the “Big Red Van” adorned with the Fr.O.G.S. logo. Fr.O.G.S. had made a substantial donation towards its purchase. To top things off, we had almost perfect late summer weather that made for a great day.

After golf and prior to the awards ceremony, three former students, who are also brothers, took turns addressing the Fr.O.G.S. assembled, speaking to how helpful, and appreciative “The Big Red Van” had been to providing them transportation to their Special Education work program, especially during the pandemic.

(Note: The brothers’ grandmother, who was their primary guardian, passed away this past spring adding additional burdens to their situation.)

This year’s winners, Team Picicco, comprised of Larry Picicco, Nate Marshall, Brent Pfeiffer, and Shawn Bates, walked away with the Traveling Trophy and their individual “Toasting Frog” trophies. Due to a Supply Chain issue, haven’t heard that before, their coveted “Green Sweater Vests” are on back order.


Not to bury the lead, but thanks to all who supported our 11th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing, the Fr.O.G.S. Trustees approved and a check for $11,000 was presented to Deb Krutz, Kent City Schools Treasurer, and her staff on behalf of Fr.O.G.S.


No amount of words can express how much each of you are appreciated for all that you do to help Fr.O.G.S. to continue “Paying It Forward”!!! To that end …

12th Annual Golf Outing Summary:

The Trustees are now planning this year’s golf outing. Who would have thought on that initial blustery day in October 2011 where it literally rained, sleeted, and I think even snowed at the First Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing with only about 28 participants, that we would grow to an outing of over 60 golfers and would have raised almost $81,000 to date. The $100,000 to date goal is now within reach. Fr.O.G.S. may not get there this year, but it is certainly a mark to strive for thanks to all of those who have been so supportive and generous in the past.

This year, the Trustees have decided, since The Fairways at Twin Lakes were such excellent hosts last year, to return there again this year. We are deviating slightly from what had become our traditional 3rd Saturday in September, to holding our outing this year on the second Saturday, September 9th. We have changed the traditional timing this year to accommodate another outing that asked if we could switch with them due to a conflict with Kent’s Homecoming.

So, “Save the Date” for Saturday, September 9th. We hope to have another great crowd. Attached is this year’s flyer. Feel free to share it with any and all that you think might be interested!!!

Hope to see you there!!!

The Fr.O.G.S. Trustees

NOTE: It is never too soon to be planning ahead. To keep the outing fresh, the Trustees are looking at a variety of options going forward in 2024. We are looking for feedback and suggestions. For example:

- Would a weekday outing work for those who would like to participate? This would give us a variety of options that we currently do not have. Many courses only do shotgun starts for groups of 100 or more on Saturdays. Some only do shotguns during the week. Plus many courses have traditional groups that they reserve the same Saturday year in and year out.

- We are also looking for suggestions on courses you would like to try.

- Should the pricing schedule be changed?

- What types of items would you like to see in the SWAG Bags? Are SWAG Bags even wanted?

- What kind of contests would you like to see added?

- Etc.

06/15/2022

It's almost summer and that time of the year to be planning your calendars for the annual end of summer, Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing!!!

This year, The Fairways at Twin Lakes in Kent, Ohio, will be hosting our event, the 11th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing, on Saturday, September 17th.

Attached is this year's flyer. We hope to make this year's event the biggest and best one to date. So, plan now to attend. We already have several foursomes that have committed. Come and join them!!!

If you have any questions, ideas, suggestions, or whatever, please do not hesitate to contact Fr.O.G.S. using this email address or:

- email: [email protected]

- website: friendsofgregstarc.org

- Facebook Group Page: FrOGS@friendsofGregStarc

As in past years, several organizations in Northeast Ohio are helping our cause with sponsorships, door prizes, and auction items. In this regard, if you are interested in attending a Lake County Captains game this summer, please reply to this email. First request will gets the tickets!!! Details follow:

Item Name: 2022 Lake County Captains Ticket Voucher ($48 value)

Details: Present this voucher at the Lake County Captains Box Office to receive 4 complimentary tickets to any Sunday - Thursday game during the 2022 regular season. This voucher is not valid on firework nights.

Hope to see you in September.

Stay Safe! Stay Healthy!! Keep the Faith!!!

Fr.O.G.S. Trustees

Note:

We appreciate all support we receive in the form of: golfers; sponsorships; volunteers; and door prizes!!!

Secondly, we encourage you to feel free to share this posting with any and all you think may be interested.

03/27/2022

Hello Fellow Fr.O.G.S., Friends of Fr.O.G.S., and others who have found their way to our email list:

Daylight Saving Time has arrived! Spring has sprung! March Madness Brackets are in shambles! The Masters Tournament is just a few weeks away! And thoughts then quickly turn to an even more important golf event, the 11th annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing scheduled for September 17, 2022. But first, let’s recap the Fr.O.G.S. activities in 2021.

Fr.O.G.S. 10th Annual Golf Outing:

The outing was held on September 18 at Loyal Oak Golf Course in Norton with over 50 golfers. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, which has not always been the case. The winning foursome was comprised of Brian McCombs, Dan McCombs, Marty Gruhler, and Wes Fair shown below wearing their coveted “Green Vest” and holding their “Toasting Frog” trophies.

(Pictures of all of our foursomes are posted on the Fr.O.G.S. website, friendsofgregstarc.org and can be viewed there.)

The trustees had set an ambitious goal for our tenth anniversary outing of raising $10,000 to donate to the Kent City School District for their Special Education Program. Fr.O.G.S. and their supporters rose to the challenge and didn’t disappoint.

As a result of the Golf Outing, it is with great pleasure that the Fr.O.G.S. Trustees are be able to announce a total donation from all sources from The Fr.O.G.S. 10th Annual Golf Outing of $12,000. These funds will support the Sensory Classroom Project for Special Needs students. The funds were formally presented by the Fr.O.G.S. Trustees to the Kent City School District Treasurer, Debbie Krutz, via a ZOOM meeting on March 8.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - Fr.O.G.S. 11th Annual Golf Outing:

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, September 17, 2022. The 11th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing will be hosted by The Fairways at Twin Lakes located in Kent, Ohio. The course is located just a short distance from the former Davey Middle School where Greg spent most of his career as a Special Education teacher and from Kent Roosevelt High School where he taught at risk students.

The Fairways at Twin Lakes will close its course for the Fr.O.G.S. outing in mid-afternoon and allow us to have the exclusive use of the course and clubhouse. Additional details will be sent out in early June. Please feel free to forward this email, as well as subsequent emails on the upcoming outing to any and all of those you know who may be interested in joining us. Also, feel free to forward any thoughts you might have to make our next outing the biggest, best, and most enjoyable to date. Your suggestions are always welcomed!!!

Closing:

FR.O.G.S. (FRiends Of Greg Starc), a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is pleased to be able to continue to be able to partner with the Kent City School District to support Special Education in the district. As you are aware, FR.O.G.S. was formed in memory of Gregory A. Starc who passed away suddenly in July 2010. Greg was a Special Education teacher in the Kent City Schools for almost 25 years. We continue to keep his memory and his spirit of “Paying It Forward” alive by annually raising funds to continue his life’s work. To date, since 2010, close to $70,000 has been raised to this end.

We encourage one and all to keep in touch with FR.O.G.S. using any of the following:

- [email protected] (email)
- Friendsofgregstarc.org (website)
- www.facebook.com/FriendsofGregStarc/ (page)
- 330-644-9732 (Phone)

Note:

As always, if you would like your name removed from the Fr.O.G.S. email list, simply let us know.

FR.O.G.S. Trustees

10th Annual Fr.O.G.S. Golf Outing Champs pictured left to right: Dan McCombs, Brian McCombs, and Marty Gruhler. (Not pictured Wes Fair.)

06/23/2021

Updated Shotgun Start Time is 11:00 AM - Fr.O.G.S. 10th Annual Golf Outing, September 18th, Loyal Oak Golf Course

01/14/2021

Welcome to our Fr.O.G.S. page. We are now an official tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Visit our website at www.friendsofgregstarc.org.

01/14/2021

Welcome to our Fr.O.G.S. page. Please visit our website at

Happy Vestivus Season Fellow Fr.O.G.S.: The current public health situation has certainly made 2020 an “interesting year”. The Fr.O.G.S. Annual Golf Outing Committee chose to deal with it by exercising an overabundance of caution and canceling this year’s golf outing. Instead, our efforts...