Helping those in need is a labor
of love for these local residents

  I may not know a lot about many things, but I know a good cause when I see one and I know good people when I meet them.

  One of the priceless perks of this job is getting to meet individuals who go the extra mile to make life better for others, even when their lives are already jam-packed with 50-plus-hours-a-week jobs or enough school-related responsibilities

to bust a Franklin Planner at its seams.

  I'd like to take a few moments to recognize some of these people, all of whom do their good deeds to get results, not recognition.

  Let's start with the two ladies who were stationed behind the counter of the PCEP stadium's concession stand on a recent sweltering Sunday afternoon.

  I'm not sure how many hours PCEP co-athletic director Sue Heinzman and Canton High School athletic department secretary Cathy Bogdanski had already logged the previous week at their respective jobs, but I'm sure it was on the high side of 40.

  Yet there they were on this steamy Sunday afternoon - a day noted for rest - selling Gatorade, hot dogs, chips and candy at a flag football league game - not to make an extra buck for themselves, but to help raise funds for No Athlete Left Behind, a non-profit program that helps financially strapped families afford the pay-to-play fees that confront all high school athletes.

  Another key player in No Athlete Left Behind is noted local physician Dr. Robert Gordon, who donates money he makes from athletic physicals to this noble cause.

  Great work, Sue, Cathy and Dr. Gordon.

  Next, I'd like to deliver some much-deserved recognition to teen-agers Natalie Zazula, a senior-to-be at Salem; Chris Kordick, a recently graduated Salem student; and Plymouth residents Ted and Tonya Barker, all of whom combined their talent and sweat equity to make the inaugural PCEP Home Run Derby a success.

  As the father of a 17-year-old son with severe cognitive impairments, the benefactor of the derby didn't just hit home for me - it crossed the plate like a 99-miles-per-hour fastball.

  Funds raised from last Sunday's event - anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 - will be donated to the Miracle League of Plymouth, whose volunteers are working tirelessly to build a $1.1 million baseball complex in Plymouth that will allow kids with special needs to play the great sport of baseball.

  Cheers to Natalie, Chris, Ted and Tonya - and all those other Plymouth Rotarians who are making sure the field gets built - for taking time out of their incredibly busy schedules to make the project happen.

  Their efforts are truly inspirational.

  Much like those of Madi Lewis, Anna Turnbull, Kara Booms and Carolyn Booms, local residents who have spearheaded projects that will assist people they will never meet.

  Lewis and Turnbull, PCEP student-athletes and longtime friends, organized a local chapter of Soccer Dreams For Honduras, a fund-raiser that is collecting soccer-related equipment (and funds to purchase equipment) for girls their age who live in Honduras, a poverty-stricken Central American country where girls are discouraged from playing sports.

  In April, Kara, a stellar long-distance runner at Salem, and her mom, Carolyn, who is also a distance runner, organized a 6-kilometer run/walk to benefit the nationwide Live Earth Run for Water, a non-profit cause that raises money for efforts to provide fresh drinking water for people in Third World countries.

  I know a good cause when I see one and good people when I meet them, and these causes and people are all extraordinary. 

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.

In April, Kara and Carolyn Booms organized an event that raised money for an organization that helps Third World countries harvest fresh drinking water.

 
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