From my column: wanderings of an aimless mind www.countytimes.net
“A great “wrap up””
Thank you to all who came out for the Clement’s Cuties softball fundraiser last Saturday at Back Road Inn. It was so much fun – great bunch of men and women involved. So many volunteers helped Ricky and Elise Ryce during set-up. There were long tables lined up with at least 80 silent auction items, and volunteers manning those tables, plus T-shirt, food, and drink stations. I don’t know how the grill masters made it through the hot humid day standing over that huge grill, but the barbecue and hot dogs were delicious. Volunteers manned the entrance, and others were selling raffle tickets. Harry Pool and Veronica Johnson were the funniest MC’s from their high perch atop the scaffolding.
I hope that this year’s recipients; Noah and Colton, and their families, will benefit financially and spiritually from the event. WebMD describes Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) what Noah and Colton are fighting as, “What Is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia? ALL is a type of leukemia that starts from white blood cells in the bone marrow, the soft inner part of bones. It develops from cells called lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell central to the immune system, or from lymphoblasts, an immature type of lymphocyte. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia invades the blood and can spread throughout the body to other organs, such as the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. But it does not normally produce tumors as do many types of cancer. It is an acute type of leukemia, which means it can progress quickly. Without treatment, it can be fatal within a few months.”
But the boys looked on top of the world on Saturday. I was trying to hold my phone to take video of them while each boy came in on separate firetrucks, but I could barely see from the tears coming down my face. The rest of the impressive parade of motorcycles and the farm truck which held all those “beautiful” Clement’s Cuties just brought the tears on harder.
When the Cuties arrived at the visitor’s side to start the game, they were greeted with an ingenious and devious shrink wrap of their dugout by the clever Over 30 Women’s Allstars team. Besides the shrink wrap, the dugout was filled with every conceivable inflatable for them to wade through. It was great. And then the antics began. If you haven’t been, it is such a treat to see the Cuties play with props from crab nets to lawn chairs in the field. Silly string is abundant as are items thrown out to the spectators by slingshot. The women played to win and showed those cuties a thing or two.
The fun day continued across the street at the Back Road Inn Pavilion, otherwise known as The Compton Civic Center with the band It’s All Good. All money taken at the door also went for Noah and Colton’s medical expenses and wish list. People really come together in this county to help those with terrible illnesses or tragedies. I love seeing that. Back Road Inn was jam-packed. And in reference to the band, It’s All Good, please make a point of seeing them very soon. I felt like I was getting a fantastic floor show plus an excellent concert. That lead singer definitely has the moves like Jagger, and a great voice. One dance for me and I was worn out – I better start building up.
Thank you again for all your support for this charity and ones that are dear to your hearts. We now have a website besides a Facebook page for the foundation: www.clementscutiesfoundation.org , so people can keep updated with events plus donate each year at any time at their convenience. This was my first foray into creating a website and it was a fun learning experience – let me know what you think of it.