UConn head football Coach Randy Edsall announced on Nov. 4 that he is creating a charitable event to benefit at-risk children in the Hartford Public School System.

The event, The Randy Edsall Golf Classic presented by Farmington Bank, is being established in memory of former UConn football player Jasper Howard. Howard, a starting cornerback and member of the Huskies from 2007 to 2009, was fatally stabbed on campus in 2009.

The event will raise money for Early Start for Success – a collaborative project targeting at-risk children, organized by the UConn School of Social Work and the Hartford Public School System.

The program works to improve school attendance, reduce suspensions, increase academic engagement and achievement, and increase parental involvement in youngsters’ lives. Sponsorship funds from the event will go to the UConn Foundation Inc. and be used by the program.

“The fact that Coach Edsall has endorsed the program and designated it as one of the things he wants to commit to gives it a lot of visibility, and gives us a chance to generate more funding,” says Catherine Havens, an assistant professor and associate dean at the School of Social Work. “The funding generated will help the program move forward and, perhaps, allow us to add new components.”

The program is federally funded, and faces annual renewal. Havens hopes that in the long term, donations like Edsall’s will help make the program self-sustaining.

The Randy Edsall Golf Classic presented by Farmington Bank will bring together some of the greatest names in sports and entertainment on July 18, 2011, for a round of golf at the Golf Club of Avon. All playing positions will be sold as part of sponsorship packages.