| Lake Forest College Sports Information
October 8, 2009 Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID Lake Forest and Lawrence Will Both be Winners in Saturday's Coin Toss
The Lake Forest College football team recently made the decision to "adopt" a local child through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families. FOJ matches a child with a college or high school sports team based on geographic location. The newest member of the Foresters is Benny Watters, 4-year-old son of Lake Forest residents Brendan and Lisa and younger brother of Bella, 8, and Lily, 6. Benny was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma - DIPG) on January 18, 2008. For more information about Benny, including a journal that describes his interaction with the Forester football team, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/bennywatters or www.BennysWorld.org. The team contacted Friends of Jaclyn after head coach Jim Catanzaro showed his squad an HBO Real Sports segment about Jaclyn Murphy and the women's lacrosse team at Northwestern University. The players gave Catanzaro "an overwhelming and emotional yes" when asked if they'd like to get involved. Catanzaro contacted the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation and was put in touch with Benny, who has since made visits to campus, had lunch and played football with several of the players, and hung out with Boomer, the Foresters' mascot. "Getting to know Benny and his family has been very enjoyable," commented sophomore Casey Flynn. "We want to be part of one large, tight-knit family that Benny's parents can come to when he is down and needs a smile. Watching Benny and his sisters tackle the pop-up bag on their first visit here gave us a laugh and showed us that it's going to be a very fun and rewarding experience for us all now and in the years to come." While the Foresters are doing everything they can to help Benny, his influence on them has also been positive. "Meeting Benny and his family has taught me that, although something may not be perfect in life, you still have to make the best out of it," commented freshman Paul Daizovi. "His parents try to do everything they can just to keep him smiling. Although tough times often arise, Benny is a trooper and an inspiration to all of us." The team plans to carve pumpkins with Benny later in the month and have him join them for some Forester basketball games this winter. First, however, he will serve as an honorary captain at the Homecoming game this Saturday. Joining Benny and the rest of the Forester captains for the traditional pre-game coin toss will be the captains from Lawrence University, including 7-year-old Luke Peters, who the Vikings adopted through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Regardless of the outcome of the coin toss or the game, everyone is a winner this Saturday. CaringBridge.org: Benny Watters | Luke Peters
|
||||||||||
