The Hoyt Foundation September Newsletter

From the Office of the President

As August ends and September starts a big focus is back to school.  The one thing in Rick’s life that allowed him to have independence and success in school was the invention of the first Augmentative Communication devise – the TIC – or Tufts Interactive Communicator.  It was invented in 1972 by Rick Folds from the engineering department at TUFTS University.

Over the years Rick’s Computers became a little more sophisticated and luckily more portable so that he could use them in multiple locations and take his voice with him wherever he went.

Not only did the new technology help Rick in school but it also gave him the opportunity to communicate anywhere he wanted to.  Even in the van while I was driving and he would tell me to run red lights!

In Rick’s memory we have established the Rick Hoyt Augmentative Communications Endowment Fund which supports patient care and material purchases for augmentative communication and assistive technology at Boston Children’s Hospital. Through this fund, we will ensure children and adults who are non-speaking or whose speech is severely impaired receive the best possible communication outcomes while also providing support for families and caregivers.  To learn more please visit:

Rick Hoyt Augmentative Communications Endowment Fund

Rick always shared very well thought out messages when he spoke publicly with his Augmentative Communication Device.  It is still a very powerful memory when he spoke his last words at an Easterseals event, he ended that speech by saying, “I Love you all.”

Falmouth Road Race Recap

The 2024 Falmouth Road Race was an amazing success!  We spent three days at the Expo being visited by old friends…

...and making new friends

We truly enjoyed being the sponsor of the Duo Division.

And our charity team runners were amazing representatives of the YES YOU CAN spirit and the message of inclusion.

Thank you to all our Falmouth runners and Duo supporters:

• Alex Cuddy
• Shannon Hart
• Brenna Hoyt
• Troy Hoyt
• Ryan Hoyt
• Andrew Kara
• Lindsey Jasper
• Brian Riley
• Kara Smith
• Anna Swisher
• Hiram Cruz and Angel Robles
• Greg and Abby MacCurtain

And an extra big thank you to our Charity Team coordinator Susan Hurley who made sure everyone had the support they needed to fundraise and train.  The whole team met their goals because of Susan’s support! And she ran the race too!!

Big Day at the Becca Pizzi 5K

Team Hoyt was well represented at the Becca Pizzi 5K at Belmont High School.

We had family (Brenna, Troy, Cam, Ryan and Amber)…

We had friends (Dave, Peter, Shawn and Rick)...

We had Duos (Brendan & Jacob)…

But best of all we got to see Becca have another great event that raised money to provide scholarships for Belmont High School students!  Great job Becca!

Charity Partner Update

A special message from our charity partner the Thomas E. Smith Foundation

September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month

We hope you had a great summer, and that your September is off to a great start!

For many, September represents the end of summer, back to school, and the start of fall sports. For us, it represents an important opportunity to shine a light on our cause as September is Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) awareness month.

Every 29 minutes someone in the United States suffers a SCI. Throughout the month we will be spotlighting stories from our community, and some of the incredible innovations happening around our cause. Stay tuned - Thomas E. Smith Foundation

Golf with the Y

FRAMINGHAM – Friday August 23, 2024

Team Hoyt joined our friends Rick McPherson and Rick Muir from the MetroWest YMCA at the Herb Connolly Charity Golf Classic.  The group is pictured with Chris Connolly who runs the tournament to raise money to support Mt. Auburn Hospital’s Hoffman Breast Center.  We didn’t win but we had the most fun and helped a great cause.

Loaner Chair Makes Chelsea Smile! 

“The Hoyt Foundation came through with a last-minute request and supplied Chelsea a running chair to run the 2024 BAA 5K. Chelsea sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in 2016 when she was 18. She has made significant gains since then and one of her favorite things is to hear a crowd cheering her on during a race. For that we are grateful to The Hoyt Foundation to put another smile on her face and to raise her spirit. Thank you.”

Big Z and Team Hoyt

Check it out Zdeno Chara was the 3rd most tracked athlete in last year’s Boston Marathon.  Everyone loves those Tye Die singlets!  YES YOU CAN!!

Newest Team Hoyt Ambassador

Meet the newest Team Hoyt Ambassador: Andy Toorok

Andy is an 81 year old retired Marine and he loves Team Hoyt.

Andy’s quote about why he became a Team Hoyt Ambassador:

“Dick Hoyt changed the world for the better. He brought attention to people who had challenges and the world responded. Do to him many challenged people can live a useful life. I usually would say rest in peace, but for what you did, I know you are. Thank you, Dick Hoyt."

If you would like to become a Team Hoyt Ambassador and show your spirit like Andy, check us out here: Team Hoyt Ambassador Program

Team Hoyt Ambassador Update

"I hope all is well. My name is Adebola Owolewa and I’m a Team Hoyt Ambassador. I ran the Sackets Harbor marathon on September 1 and finished in 6 hours 20 minutes."

If you would like to become a Team Hoyt Ambassador and show your spirit like Adebola, check us out here: Team Hoyt Ambassador Program

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