| Street Kids Care Partner with Grape Road Meijer and Epic Church to Brighten the Holiday for a Mishawaka Family |
Mishawaka, IN 12/21/11
by TJ Jorgensen
With the holidays just around the
corner, its easy to get caught up in
the fast paced world of shopping,
cooking and spending time with
family. But its also easy to forget
that while some people are
enjoying a festive Christmas
season, there are many others
who are struggling.
On Sunday night, I sat with my wife
on the couch and told her I wanted
to see if we can figure out a way to
do something more for someone
this holiday season. She said we
needed to figure out a plan and
move quickly, as Christmas was a
week away. I called a few guys
from the team and told them of my
idea. "What if we could all donate
$10 each," I suggested. "Even if
we got 10 people to do it, thats
$100 we could donate to someone
for Christmas."
I decided we would call this our
first annual Street Kids Care
Season of Giving. I contacted guys
from the team as well as the many
friends and supporters we have of
SKS and before long, I had over
$150 donated by Monday night. I
couldnt believe how fast people
were giving! It was awesome.
Then a few more guys who saw my
post on Facebook decided to
help. By the time Wednesday
afternoon rolled around, along with
the donation from my wife and I,
we had $300 that we were ready
to give to a Michiana family.
To figure out who we would help
this season, I contacted Jeremy
LeVan of Epic Church in
Mishawaka. Jeremy is a neighbor
of SKS player Joe Horvath and a
friend to SKS. I asked Jeremy if he
knew someone that could benefit
from this and he immediately
thought of Manny and Sue, and the
six kids they were raising in their
small home in Village Green off of
12th Street.
I contacted the family, made a
personal visit to their home, and
told them what we wanted to do.
Sue was very thankful and told me
how tough times have been, with
all six kids in the small trailer. I told
her that it was an honor to be able
to help and that my teammates felt
the same. I asked her if it was
alright if we shot some video in
order to inspire others to do
something like this, and she said
"if you feel that it will motivate
people to be as kind as you,
please do it!"
On Wednesday afternoon, I went to
Grape Road Meijer to pick up the
$300 in gift cards. While I was
there, I began talking to the store
director, Michael, and told him
about what we were doing that
evening. After a few words back
and forth, Michael said to me
"What did you say you had there?
$300 in gift cards? Tell you what I
am going to do. Talk to my
assistant and get some paperwork
filled out. After you do that, come
back around 6pm and I will match
your donation."
My mouth dropped to the floor.
When I walked into that store, I had
no intention of coming out with
more money, but this just shows
how awesome karma is! Thanks to
the amazing support of Grape
Road Meijer, Street Kids Softball
was now going to be donating
$600 to this family for Christmas! I
sat in the car for a moment and just
smiled, thanking God for some
amazing people in Michiana.
My next stop was Hacienda on
Grape Road where Bill Turner is a
manager at. Bill is a personal
trainer at Pinnacle Athletic Club, a
sponsor of Street Kids Softball,
and said he would like to offer
some chips and salsa for the event
at Epic Church. Thanks so much to
Bill and Hacienda for feeding us all
on Wednesday!
We arrived at Epic Church and
several friends of SKS arrived.
Jeremy of Epic Church was on
hand as well as the family that we
were supporting. We all hung out
for a little bit and talked, all while
enjoying some chips and salsa
from Hacienda. Eventually we all
gathered for a group photo and
then we began the quick
presentation. I told Manny and his
family that we wanted to do
something special for a family this
year and according to Jeremy
LeVan, his family had fallen into
some rough times and could use
the support. We presented the
family with a Christmas card and
inside were the $600 in gift cards.
When I told the family what Grape
Road Meijer had done, Sue put
her hand on her mouth and uttered
"Oh my." We all gave a warm
applause for the family and Manny
thanked us all from the bottom of
his heart.
Tonight was different than most
Street Kids Care events we have
done over the past six or seven
years. We've taken part in Blood
Drives, helped to feed the
homeless, collected canned goods
for local food pantries.. but tonight
by TJ Jorgensen
With the holidays just around the
corner, its easy to get caught up in
the fast paced world of shopping,
cooking and spending time with
family. But its also easy to forget
that while some people are
enjoying a festive Christmas
season, there are many others
who are struggling.
On Sunday night, I sat with my wife
on the couch and told her I wanted
to see if we can figure out a way to
do something more for someone
this holiday season. She said we
needed to figure out a plan and
move quickly, as Christmas was a
week away. I called a few guys
from the team and told them of my
idea. "What if we could all donate
$10 each," I suggested. "Even if
we got 10 people to do it, thats
$100 we could donate to someone
for Christmas."
I decided we would call this our
first annual Street Kids Care
Season of Giving. I contacted guys
from the team as well as the many
friends and supporters we have of
SKS and before long, I had over
$150 donated by Monday night. I
couldnt believe how fast people
were giving! It was awesome.
Then a few more guys who saw my
post on Facebook decided to
help. By the time Wednesday
afternoon rolled around, along with
the donation from my wife and I,
we had $300 that we were ready
to give to a Michiana family.
To figure out who we would help
this season, I contacted Jeremy
LeVan of Epic Church in
Mishawaka. Jeremy is a neighbor
of SKS player Joe Horvath and a
friend to SKS. I asked Jeremy if he
knew someone that could benefit
from this and he immediately
thought of Manny and Sue, and the
six kids they were raising in their
small home in Village Green off of
12th Street.
I contacted the family, made a
personal visit to their home, and
told them what we wanted to do.
Sue was very thankful and told me
how tough times have been, with
all six kids in the small trailer. I told
her that it was an honor to be able
to help and that my teammates felt
the same. I asked her if it was
alright if we shot some video in
order to inspire others to do
something like this, and she said
"if you feel that it will motivate
people to be as kind as you,
please do it!"
On Wednesday afternoon, I went to
Grape Road Meijer to pick up the
$300 in gift cards. While I was
there, I began talking to the store
director, Michael, and told him
about what we were doing that
evening. After a few words back
and forth, Michael said to me
"What did you say you had there?
$300 in gift cards? Tell you what I
am going to do. Talk to my
assistant and get some paperwork
filled out. After you do that, come
back around 6pm and I will match
your donation."
My mouth dropped to the floor.
When I walked into that store, I had
no intention of coming out with
more money, but this just shows
how awesome karma is! Thanks to
the amazing support of Grape
Road Meijer, Street Kids Softball
was now going to be donating
$600 to this family for Christmas! I
sat in the car for a moment and just
smiled, thanking God for some
amazing people in Michiana.
My next stop was Hacienda on
Grape Road where Bill Turner is a
manager at. Bill is a personal
trainer at Pinnacle Athletic Club, a
sponsor of Street Kids Softball,
and said he would like to offer
some chips and salsa for the event
at Epic Church. Thanks so much to
Bill and Hacienda for feeding us all
on Wednesday!
We arrived at Epic Church and
several friends of SKS arrived.
Jeremy of Epic Church was on
hand as well as the family that we
were supporting. We all hung out
for a little bit and talked, all while
enjoying some chips and salsa
from Hacienda. Eventually we all
gathered for a group photo and
then we began the quick
presentation. I told Manny and his
family that we wanted to do
something special for a family this
year and according to Jeremy
LeVan, his family had fallen into
some rough times and could use
the support. We presented the
family with a Christmas card and
inside were the $600 in gift cards.
When I told the family what Grape
Road Meijer had done, Sue put
her hand on her mouth and uttered
"Oh my." We all gave a warm
applause for the family and Manny
thanked us all from the bottom of
his heart.
Tonight was different than most
Street Kids Care events we have
done over the past six or seven
years. We've taken part in Blood
Drives, helped to feed the
homeless, collected canned goods
for local food pantries.. but tonight
| See more pictures on the Street Kids Softball Fan Page on Facebook! |
| Important note: If the text is not properly viewable on this page, please click here to view the PDF version. If you are reading this on a mobile device, including an ipad, you will need to view the PDF version. |
| Special thanks to Grape Road Meijer and Epic Church of Mishawaka for their support in the 2011 Street Kids Care Season of Giving! |
when I spent some time with Manny and his family, I saw a family that had went through some struggles, but I also saw pride
in what they have. I saw a man that has been battling back from a bad case of pneumonia that has now left his legs in so
much pain its hard to work. I saw a woman that is clearly the glue that holds that family together even through rough times. I
met kids that looked happy, despite their family struggles. Before they knew what we were giving them tonight, Sue was
talking to one of our wives tonight and said that she was hoping she could get the kids new shoes, as theirs was really torn
and old. Afterwards, Manny said one of the first things they were doing was getting new shoes!
I am so proud of everyone tonight for helping out, especially in only three days. While it may not seem like a lot to some, that
$600 just might have saved Christmas for this family. As you are sitting down for Christmas dinner this weekend, remember
that there are others who will not have that luxury. Remember that the purpose of Street Kids Care is not to just help one
person or cause, but to inspire others to make a difference as well. My sisters fiance is a radio DJ in Michigan and he
mentioned the other night on the radio how the acts of people like myself and SKS have inspired him to do more. This is
what the holidays are truly about. :)
I want to make sure I thank all that showed up tonight:
Chris Havens, Joe Horvath, Fred Schmucker, Joe Richard, Shane and Amy Varga, Jason and Alyssa Fowler, JR Shapiro,
who also supplied the bottled water tonight, Tim Austin (and Emma), Tony and Kim Hardiman (and family), Courtney
Jorgensen (and family), Lisa Varga, Rebecca Varga, who took pictures for us tonight and my son Johnny Jorgensen, who
filmed everything tonight. Along with these people all making donations, I also want to thank the following people for their
kind donations:
Nick Bishop, Scott Martin, Mike Bailey, Jay Jeffery, Leland Schmucker, Jeremy Hochstetler, Ben Duell, Cathie Waggoner,
Teddy Panagakos, Ethan McKinney, Mike Ramza, Terry Sherrill, Mike Miller, Chad Meyers, Tony Macik and Todd Marvin. I
dont think I forgot anyone, but if I did, I apologize and thank you!
in what they have. I saw a man that has been battling back from a bad case of pneumonia that has now left his legs in so
much pain its hard to work. I saw a woman that is clearly the glue that holds that family together even through rough times. I
met kids that looked happy, despite their family struggles. Before they knew what we were giving them tonight, Sue was
talking to one of our wives tonight and said that she was hoping she could get the kids new shoes, as theirs was really torn
and old. Afterwards, Manny said one of the first things they were doing was getting new shoes!
I am so proud of everyone tonight for helping out, especially in only three days. While it may not seem like a lot to some, that
$600 just might have saved Christmas for this family. As you are sitting down for Christmas dinner this weekend, remember
that there are others who will not have that luxury. Remember that the purpose of Street Kids Care is not to just help one
person or cause, but to inspire others to make a difference as well. My sisters fiance is a radio DJ in Michigan and he
mentioned the other night on the radio how the acts of people like myself and SKS have inspired him to do more. This is
what the holidays are truly about. :)
I want to make sure I thank all that showed up tonight:
Chris Havens, Joe Horvath, Fred Schmucker, Joe Richard, Shane and Amy Varga, Jason and Alyssa Fowler, JR Shapiro,
who also supplied the bottled water tonight, Tim Austin (and Emma), Tony and Kim Hardiman (and family), Courtney
Jorgensen (and family), Lisa Varga, Rebecca Varga, who took pictures for us tonight and my son Johnny Jorgensen, who
filmed everything tonight. Along with these people all making donations, I also want to thank the following people for their
kind donations:
Nick Bishop, Scott Martin, Mike Bailey, Jay Jeffery, Leland Schmucker, Jeremy Hochstetler, Ben Duell, Cathie Waggoner,
Teddy Panagakos, Ethan McKinney, Mike Ramza, Terry Sherrill, Mike Miller, Chad Meyers, Tony Macik and Todd Marvin. I
dont think I forgot anyone, but if I did, I apologize and thank you!