Timing perfect for another successful Wheaton dodgeball tournament
The eighth annual dodgeball tournament at Franklin Middle School in Wheaton couldn't have come at a better time.
Taking place over a four-day period in the middle of March, the charity event occurred just before the state's stay-at-home order went into effect on March 21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a primary benefactor of the funds raised along with Lurie Children's Hospital, the People's Resource Center received a desperately needed donation.
"With any of the causes we've done there's a sense that you're helping someone," said Franklin assistant principal Joe Kish, the event organizer. "In this case we were really able to help People's Resource Center."
The People's Resource Center in Wheaton offers food, clothes and financial assistance to those in need. When Kish dropped off an initial $10,000 check - money that can buy $40,000 worth of food - 70 percent of the charity's food supplies were depleted due to the increased need over the last few weeks.
And that's just a drop in the bucket. Between all the fundraising from all the different teams, about $50,000 will find a good home at any number of charities.
A $10,000 check for Lurie Children's Hospital was presented by Wheaton police and fire department staff members to Chase Ewoldt, a Wheaton fourth-grader and cancer patient at the hospital. A huge football fan and supporter of the dodgeball tournament, Ewoldt attended all four days of the event and accepted the check as a representative of Lurie's.
Hard to believe a few games of dodgeball can have that kind of impact.
"When we started it, it seemed like everyone was doing a race or jumping rope," Kish said. "We were looking for something outside the mainstream."
The event has grown so much that Kish and the other organizers had to expand it from one day to four days. There's a fifth-grade night, a middle school night, Hero Night for first responders and a high-school football night that featured 30 teams from 20 different schools.
If teams wished to raise money for a charity of their choice, the entry fee was reduced. West Aurora High School's football team, for example, raised money for the charity For the Kids, which benefits Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
"It's important to participate because it's bigger than football," said West Aurora football coach Nate Eimer. "We need more of these types of events in our game."
Blackhawks linebacker Matt Tarr is a sophomore who's already looking forward to participating in two more dodgeball tournaments.
"It's something different we can do with our guys and it's for a great cause," said Tarr, a varsity starter in the fall. "I'm definitely looking forward to it next year. Hopefully we can get more guys excited about it."
With first responders and health care workers more important than ever right now, Hero Night turned out to be pretty prophetic. Dodgeball teams of all shapes and sizes turned out that night, from Central DuPage Hospital to the Illinois State Police, which fielded five teams.
The Hoffman Estates Fire Department team may have boasted the best uniforms. Reminiscent of famed Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, team members wore a mustache and a sweater while raising money for REACT, a mental health support group for first responders.
"I'm a die-hard Packer fan so that was tough to wear," said Hoffman Estates firefighter-paramedic Kurt Lichtenberg, a Wheaton Warrenville South graduate. "It's amazing to see how it's continued to grow every year. I have no trouble filling out two teams.
"It's just natural for us to do something that'll have an effect in a good way on people," he said. "Most of the guys on our team live about 45 minutes away but they still come out and want to be a part of it."
Lively dodgeball games and thousands of dollars for charity.
What's better than that?
"It's really turned into a cool event," Kish said. "Every year it gets bigger and we raise more money. It really lifts a lot of spirits."
Twitter: @kevin_schmit