WOW!!!! What a day!
Yesterday 8/14, was the Aaron’s Journey Golf Benefit @ ParLine Golf Course. It was an incredible day. We could not have asked for a better day weather wise. A perfect fall day that was sandwiched between several rain soaked days. Turn out was amazing.
I don’t think any of us who golfed can even begin to understand the amount of work that goes into pulling an event of this size off. The fact that it all came off without a hitch is a testimony to the effort & organization of everyone involved. A big thank you to Pete & Diane and their gang of committed friends for providing the rest of us with such an enjoyable afternoon. Also, thank you to ParLine, everyone who donated auction items, sponsored a hole or golfed.
Several of our dedicated A.J. fundraiser photographers were on hand to document the day so keep checking back on this blog site for pictures that will be posted as soon as they are available.
One funny story from the day. I am teed up about 6 holes into the round. I have taken my back swing and am ready to hit my tee shot when my cell phone, which I forgot to turn off, goes off in my pocket. Needless to say, I hit a line drive about 30 yards into the weeds. Turns out that it was Aaron calling to see how my day was going. We finish the hole and as we are driving to the next tee my cell phone rings again, this time it is a member of the foursome that is behind us calling to compliment me on my form & distance. I return Aaron’s call and share the whole story with him which he shares with Gina who says……”It’s no big deal. I’ve golfed with Woody and it would have ended up in the weeds anyway.”
Finally, one of the highlights of the day for me was the opportunity to meet a young man & his family from Tyrone, PA. His name is Caleb Snyder and he and his family (grandparents & parents) drove all the way from the State College (WE ARE) area just for the meal and to meet Aaron and his family. Unfortunately Aaron did not attend but Diane (Aaron’s mother) & I got to visit with them for an hour or so. Caleb, who is now 16, was paralyzed during a wrestling match in January of 2009 when he was 14. He shattered his C5 vertebra and dislocated his C6 & C7 pinching/bruising his spinal cord in much the same way that Aaron did, only a level or two lower. He was diagnosed as a C5 quadriplegic. He also rehabed at Magee in Philadelphia, discharging from there in April of 2009. Did I mention that he walked into the pavilion at ParLine? You could not have picked him out from the crowd except for his Tyrone t-shirt. He is going out for the school baseball team this year. He and his family shared their story and of how HOPE & FAITH played such a huge part in his recovery. He is truely an inspiration and we felt so uplifted talking with he and his family. We hope that Caleb & Aaron will get to meet in the near future and we are told that we will be invited to one of Caleb’s baseball games.
Thanks to everyone for all that you do and for walking stride for stride with us as we continue on Aaron’s Journey.
Keep praying!
We love you all!