Fall 2025 Highlights: Celebrating Community & Support!

This fall, Cushing Centers has celebrated incredible milestones—an Inclusive Fun Run surpassing goals, recognition among the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses, and record-setting support through our Annual Golf Tournaments. Together, they highlight the generosity and community that define Cushing.

Inclusive 1-Mile Cushing Fun Run Brought in over $80,000, Surpassing Goal

On Saturday October 25, 2025, Cardinal Cushing Centers had its 3^rd annual Cushing Fun Run – an inclusive 1-mile walk/run/wheelchair event that helps raise money for programs that support individuals with intellectual disabilities – and raised just over $80,000 thanks in part to its Title Sponsor, Boston Bruins Foundation.  People from around the South Shore, many in costume, came to walk, run, or simply cheer on the Cushing participants, who enjoyed the flat course at their own pace, and at their own ability. 

“This is one of my favorite Cushing days of the year,” said CEO & President Michelle Markowitz.  “I dress up, the students and adults we support dress up, and the community comes to cheer us on and help us raise funds through crowd funding – it’s really a special day.”

This year a Hingham resident brought home the prize, a $500 gift certificate to Jordan’s Furniture, for raising the most money for her Cushing Fun Run walk/run team, which has a very special place in her heart.  “My son just started at Cardinal Cushing Centers,” said Whitney Lloyd, a local realtor and advocate for folks like her son who have an intellectual disability.  “It’s been the best decision we could ever have hoped for, and so it was my honor to raise as much money as I could for the Cushing Fun Run.  “I was so touched and surprised by the generosity of so many who contributed to my walk, and felt good that the over $3000 we raised directly helps my son, and all of the other students and adults like him.”

The event itself was vibrant and fun – with music playing, creative costumes, raffle prizes, and bartaco Hingham serving up freshly mashed guacamole and freshly squeezed mocktails to keep the crowd going.  The event was followed by a free Cushing Harvest Festival, with Clydesdale carriage rides, bouncy houses, pumpkin painting, boutique shopping, and more – a yearly Cushing tradition.

Cushing Named Top 100 Women-Led Business

Cushing is proud to announce that the organization was once-again named one of the ”Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts,” by The Boston Globe and The Women’s Edge.  Congratulations to President & CEO Michelle Markowitz, the company’s Leadership team, staff, and its board – for this recognition – reaching #66 on the list this year!

Guest speakers included Governor Healey and Mayor Wu, along with Former White House Senior Social Secretary Deesha Dyer.

Golfers Step Up for Cushing Centers, Despite Rain Cancellation

Every year, Cardinal Cushing Centers hosts two golf tournaments on the South Shore to raise money for programs that support individuals with intellectual disabilities.  This year the two tournaments raised over $272,000 for the organization.

The Coletta Classic, held on September 15th, was played on a beautiful Fall day and brought in over $142,000 thanks in part to partner Rockland Trust, and sponsors like Bob’s Discount Furniture, CBRE, Leonard Mulherin & Greene, Federated Hermes, Adrenaline, Everon, and Dennis DiGiando Corporation, among others.  120 golfers turned out to enjoy the Marshfield Country Club’s meticulous greens, along with fun tournament additions including an air cannon.

The Cushing Classic, scheduled to be played on October 14th at the Black Rock Country Club, was not as lucky.  A Nor’easter was scheduled to arrive in Hingham, Ma., and the call needed to be made.  Collectively Black Rock, the Cushing team, and Ted English, an avid Cushing supporter and host of the tournament, had to make the difficult call to cancel.

“We were disappointed to have to cancel on this group of loyal Cushing donors who play year after year,” said Michelle Markowitz, CEO and President of Cushing. “And we were concerned about how the cancellation would affect our nonprofit’s overall fundraising budget for the year.”

Concern turned to an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, when Cushing reached out to all of the tournament sponsors to offer refunds, and one hundred percent of them opted to donate the round cost to Cardinal Cushing Centers despite the cancellation, raising $130,000 for the organization.

“We’ve raised nearly $2.8 million dollars for Cushing since the inception of this event, thanks to the consistent and continual support of all of our sponsors,” notes Ted English, who has supported Cushing for decades both on and off the golf course.  ”I can’t tell you how blown away I am from the immediate and unbridled response from all players to move their sponsorship to a straight donation. Cushing is a special place and clearly, they all recognize that!”