Naperville teens plan dodgeball fundraiser for ALS
Instead of volunteering at a food pantry or other social service agency, two Naperville junior high students are fulfilling their service project requirement by organizing a dodgeball tournament to raise money for the Les Turner ALS Foundation.
Delaney Gibbons and Taylor Morrissey plan to donate all funds raised from the tournament, scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, in the field house at Naperville Central High School, to the foundation in honor of the wife of their elementary school physical education teacher.
Chris Benyo taught the girls from kindergarten to fifth grade at Meadow Glens Elementary School in Naperville. His wife, Denise DiMarzo, was diagnosed in December 2010 with ALS, a disease that causes neurons controlling motor skills to gradually stop working.
“He was probably one of my favorite teachers because he was always really fun,” Delaney said about Benyo. “We want this to be a success for him.”
Since the week before Thanksgiving, 13-year-old seventh-graders Delaney and Taylor have worked with their parents and other adult volunteers to plan the dodgeball tournament, featuring teams of junior high students and teachers in Naperville Unit District 203. Twenty teams and a total of 202 players are expected to compete in front of about 600 spectators.
“We never would have dreamed that it would have gotten this big,” said Lisa Gibbons, Delaney’s mother. “I’m just so thankful that it did because we’re raising a ton of money for Lou Gehrig’s disease.”
The money the tournament brings in will support Benyo and his wife indirectly by contributing to their goal of raising $26,200 for the Les Turner ALS Foundation by May 6 — the day Benyo plans to run the New Jersey marathon pushing DiMarzo in a jogging wheelchair.
When Benyo heard the girls wanted to support his goal with a fundraiser of their own, he at first asked them “Why?” He was impressed with their answer: “We wanted to do something for somebody that matters to us.”
“I think that was a fantastic, very grown-up response from them,” Benyo said.
He will be playing in the tournament with a team of teachers and his wife plans on attending if she feels up to it.
“We are just blown away by the response from the community as well as the effort and the organization of what these girls have put together. It’s just amazing,” she said. “It will make a huge difference in what we’re able to raise toward our goal, and we’re really grateful that the girls decided to help.”
The girls hoped to raise $5,000 from sponsorships, team registration fees and spectator admission, but even before the tournament started, they had brought in $8,000.
Learning how to approach business owners and secure sponsorships was part of the experience of organizing the tournament, Taylor said. So was learning about the disease that’s affecting their former gym teacher’s wife.
“I learned more about ALS through this because we had to research it; I learned how much it affects people,” Taylor said.
Spectators can attend the dodgeball tournament for $2. The girls say they plan to make it an annual event.
If You Go
What: Dodgin 4 Lou Gehrigs Disease dodgeball tournament
When: 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13
Where: Naperville Central High School field house, 440 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville
Who: Organized by Naperville seventh-graders Delaney Gibbons and Taylor Morrissey to benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation
Cost: $2
Info: Search <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003222285504">Dodgin-for Lou-Gehrigs Dodgeball-Tournament</a> on Facebook