By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
High school sports, when done right, are about much more than wins and losses. They’re about teaching life lessons that the athletes can carry with them into adulthood.
Such was the case for the volleyball programs from Allegan and Gobles.
A joint effort between the two teams raised $4,054.45 for Wings Home in Allegan.
Wings Home executive director Diane Barton said the impact of the players’ and coaches’ efforts cannot be overstated.
“I was so moved that the coaches are teaching the girls to give and care for others while they are young,” she said. “I hope they continue giving throughout their whole lives, because we are at our best when we share our time and our gifts.
“I was also moved by these young women’s curiosity, kindness and sweet hearts as they learned that life before death can be very special. These ladies’ efforts will allow us to continue giving this gift of precious days at the end of their lives to more people because of what they did. I truly love them so much, even though they made me cry, because they were really good tears.”
This year’s Cancer Awareness Game was scheduled to be played in Allegan. But flooding in the gym made that impossible.
No problem. The Gobles program simply stepped up to take on the hosting duties and everything that entails.
“Their entire program, from the seventh-grade team through the varsity team, was instrumental in making this event a success,” said event coordinator Jake Kaylor, who used to coach Allegan. “Every girl in their program lent a helping hand, from decorating the gym to working the desks to sell cancer awareness items.”
The event featured 50/50 raffles, more than 25 raffle baskets, and a silent auction. And girls from both programs walked door-to-door with Kaylor to local businesses to solicit support for this event.
“Both communities were overwhelmingly supportive, resulting in 20 sponsors from Allegan and Gobles businesses,” Kaylor said.
Those sponsors included: Allegan Family Dentistry, Allegan Pizza Hut, Allegan True Value, Allegan Tubular Products, Allen’s Farm Market, Andy’s Ace Hardware, FSE Connect, Gobles Art Studio, GreenStone Farm Credit, The Grill House, Fauna & Pine, Healy’s True Value, Lickety Split, Lizels Liquidations & Thrift Store, Malia’s Mexican Restaurant, Nanny’s Restaurant, Rapa Electric, Wolverine Hardwoods and Vera Bradley.
“While the girls played a great volleyball match, I believe the true importance of this event was giving back to the community,” Kaylor said. “The girls had a firsthand experience of what it means to give back and support people in their final days, even spending time with a current resident of the home.”
Players from the teams delivered the check to Barton on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and were able to interact with Barton and some of Wings Home’s residents.
“Interacting with these teams was something I will never forget,” Barton said. “Instead of being afraid because people will die in the home, they wanted a tour and they wondered if they would be able to meet one of the guests.
“One of our guests thought that it would be okay for the girls to meet her and they all gathered around her bed. I later thanked her for letting the girls do this, explaining that they had featured the Wings Home at one of their games as a fundraiser and they gave the home over $4,000.
“She was so impressed that the girls did this and she said, ‘I’m so glad I let them visit me. They were so sweet. They touched my arm and made me feel so special. It was wonderful for me.’ I told her someone asked if they would be allowed to volunteer here visiting patients and she said, ‘Well, I hope they do, because it would be so nice to see them.’”
