By Raymond Janis
A new local tradition was launched Monday, July 31, when family and friends of the late Ward Melville High School alum Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa hosted the inaugural 18 for 18 golf event in his honor.
JoJo was diagnosed in 2018 with the cancer, desmoplastic small round cell tumor sarcoma, which had him in and out of the hospital for the remaining years of his life. He died in August 2021.
Amid beautiful summer weather on Monday morning, dozens attended the event at the St. George’s Golf and Country Club in East Setauket for 18 holes of golf in JoJo’s honor.
“My son was one of the kindest, most amazing human beings,” Gina Mastrantoni, his mother, said. “He had the strongest will.”
JoJo was a multisport athlete who “played every sport imaginable,” Mastrantoni said. “Lacrosse, football, swimming, wrestling, soccer — you name it, he did it. He lived for sports.”
The Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation, with Mastrantoni as executive director, was created in 2021 to honor his memory by assisting children fighting for their lives. Rose Mastrantoni, Gina’s sister and the foundation’s marketing/public relations officer, described the impact of the prolonged hospital stays.
“They spent almost four years living in the hospital,” Rose Mastrantoni said. “You don’t realize they don’t leave the hospital, don’t leave their child’s bedside,” adding that the foundation seeks to do “anything we can do to help” those families.
“He was always rooting for the underdog,” Gina Mastrantoni said. “He always cared about the person in the bed next to him at the hospital.”
Foundation secretary Maria Murrow, JoJo’s aunt, referred to her nephew as a lover of sports and a golf advocate. She also noted the prominent role his favorite number, 18, played throughout the day.
“We’re dedicating the event and the day to him,” Murrow said. “It’s an ‘18 for 18’ — 18 holes for number 18 to give back to JoJo.” She added, “We endeavor to do more repeat events … like the toy drive and anything else that will help families who don’t know what obstacles are coming up.”
Following JoJo’s diagnosis, Gina Mastrantoni noted that he began to hone his golf skills. “We’re having this golf outing in his honor,” the mother said. “This was his favorite course, where he played and perfected his golf game whenever he could.”
JoJo’s sister, foundation vice president Emily LaRosa, referred to the event as “a way that we keep him in our minds and at the forefront of what we do every day.”
“We’re not forgetting about him,” she said. “This is our way of keeping him with us and trying to do good in his name.”
Foundation treasurer Dawn Gibbons, a longtime friend of Mastrantoni, characterized the immense work that took place behind the scenes to make the inaugural outing a success.
“It’s a tribute to JoJo, but I have to say that this event is also a tribute to his mom and his sister, Emmy,” Gibbons said. “As Gina said, he was always very concerned about the kid in the next bed. They want to now help that kid and their families.”
She added, “They know what they went through, and they want to ease the burden on other families with this foundation.”
Gina Mastrantoni responded to the immense show of support during this golf outing as “beautiful,” noting the sense of pride she derives from her son’s example.
“Everyone’s here in support of JoJo,” she said. “It’s overwhelming, as his mom. It makes me proud.”
To donate to The Joseph “JoJo” LaRosa Foundation, please visit jojostrong.org.
