Only Winners

Sometimes after the holidays you need a little pick me up.  We have found that the last few years in my stepson's annual Coaches vs Cancer game.   This last weekend we traveled to Tekamah, Nebraska, for Tyler's Friday night game and event.  

If you've ever attended a Coaches vs Cancer game you know how much fun and excitement there is.  Sure, there are two teams playing a basketball game and of course both want to win, but really, on the Coaches vs Cancer night there are no losers.  

In a small town of about 1700 people, players don pink socks, coaches and fans wear pink shirts, and a community and surrounding area pull together for one cause.  


It sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?

Let me tell you,  this night was anything BUT simple.  There was a lot of hard work and many hours spent working on this.  Tyler started working on this event last September.  He spent numerous hours gathering donations big and small for this night.  He contacted approximately 600 businesses and individuals for donations.

For the raffle he obtained numerous items related to Kansas City (events and lodging) and made a Kansas City Vacation Package.  In Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers rule, he gathered things for a Man Cave Cornhuskers Package.  He had a Grocery Package - which included a slow cooker, cookbook, roasts, and groceries.  For the younger generation - he put together a video chair and video games package.  And of course there was the always popular 50/50 Raffle.  

In addition to the raffles he had a silent auction.  Some of the items auctioned off included autographed items from:

Mario Lemieux 

Johnny Unitas

Rod Carew

Vince Carter

Alan Jackson

Cal Ripken

Kurt Warner

Greg Norman

Isaac Bruce

Matt Slauson

and 


Dick Vitale

... and that was just a smidgen of what was there.   There were 7-8 tables of silent auction items.  

Other items came from:


Paula Deen


Tony Dungy


Clive Cussler


the Henry Doorly Zoo


...and the list goes on.

Fans also played basketball bingo. The bingo cards had basketball terms instead of numbers, such as "3-pointer", "intentional foul", and "turnover."  Fans bought a bingo card (or several) for $1 each and each time a fan got a bingo they had 6 tables of items to choose from.. yes 6!  And those 6 tables were jam packed - including 6-packs of pop, gift certificates to various businesses, handmade items, t-shirts, and a blender!  There were hundreds of bingo prizes.  

At the end of the night the Bingo prize table was pretty empty, the silent auction and raffle items had been picked up, and $3810.34 had been raised for the American Cancer Society.  

Tekamah-Herman lost a close game, but on this night there were only winners. 


We have all been touched by cancer in some way.  Michael has had skin cancer.  His mother had breast cancer.  I have 5 family members who have had cancer and too many friends to count who have had cancer.  

As a mom and stepmom, I am always proud of "our" children and feel very blessed.

And on this night I couldn't have been more proud.

From our family and friends who have or have had cancer, 

and from us....

Thank you Tyler.