Corporate sponsorship, community involvement and educational excellence are all important charitable concerns at Southern Wine & Spirits of New England, according to Joe LaRocca, Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of New England, whose operations encompass Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, and which is a division of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., the country’s leading wine and spirits distributor with a tradition of service since 1968.  

I.  Southern Wine & Spirits of New England – Maine and The Wentworth Charities

According to Joe LaRocca, Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of New England, the Company has been a strong supporter of the Wentworth Charities, which donates money to fund medical research dedicated to finding cures to Tuberous Sclerosis and Cystic Fibrosis.

According to Wentworth’s website, the first of their non-profit organizations research Tuberous Sclerosis (TS), which is a genetic condition characterized by seizures and tumor growth in vital organs such as the brain, heart, kidney, lungs, and skin. TS affects the mental development of some people more severely, while others are so mildly affected that it often goes undiagnosed. TS is estimated to affect nearly 50,000 people in the U.S. and more than 1 million worldwide. TS is as common as Lou Gehrig’s disease, but still virtually unknown by the general population. 

The second group, according to the Wentworth website, researches Cystic Fibrosis (CF), which is a chronic, debilitating genetic disease that affects about 30,000 Americans.  A major characteristic of CF is production of abnormally thick, sticky mucus in the lungs, trapping bacteria and predisposing patients to lung infections, which continually damage their lungs.  The median life span for kids born today is 35 years.  There is no cure.

The Company supports Wentworth Charities via its participation in the group’s yearly golf tournaments and other wine fundraising events during the year, said Mr. LaRocca.

According to Mr. LaRocca, “We are proud to be a donor and participant in the Wentworth Charities’s annual golf outing and we gladly support its other fundraising events, whose proceeds go to supporting research to find cures to these two diseases.”

II.   Southern Wine & Spirits of New England – Maine and Other Charitable Activities

According to Joe LaRocca, Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of New England, the Company also lends its support to the following New Hampshire -based non-profit organizations, including:

• Hannaford of Maine Charities via major sponsorships of yearly golf tournaments and various other fundraising events.
• Woodford’s Family Services, fundraisers and golf tournaments.
• United Way of Maine, through donations, fundraisers and wine tasting events as well as participating in the group’s annual golf tournament.
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters Organization of Maine, wine tasting fundraisers, and the group/s annual golf tournament.