The Lady on the right is Summer and the Gentleman on her left is her husband. I was able to spend 5 hours around them tonight at the Night to Shine event and the experience was every bit as moving as I had hoped it would be.
Summer’s story is one that belongs under a spotlight and I hope that I can share it with folks one day soon. Besides being Amazing 👏, Summer also shares a similar sense of humor that I have.
When I asked her what was the breakdown of the credit for this enormous undertaking between her and her husband she responded with ” I get full credit and he gets all the credit for putting up with me throughout the process.”
If you see either of them around our County led them know that they are appreciated by many!!
Greetings From Laurel Fork – in a just a few hours I will be assisting in an event that is near and dear to my Heart ❤ and I want to share it now because its a direct connection to our efforts here in Carroll County with the Sports Report.
The Sports Report is funded by our Non-profit organization – Oneofus.care. Our organization is simply a scaled down version of Tim Tebows Foundation and even though I am 25 years older than Timmy it is my Goal to grow up and be like him.
Most people are aware of Tebow the Athlete and Tebow the television personality but my admiration comes from Tebow the Missionary.
Since back when it first started my Wife and I have been a sponsor of his work in general and fans of his annual Night to Shine event in particular. We have helped with the event from the outside with a donation but thanks to a local Church here in Carroll County I will get to be one of the Volunteers.
Tonight’s event here is one of over 600 around the globe 🌎 with over 40 Countries hosting the Gala.
The event is a Prom designed for any Youngster with Special Needs. The goal is the gift of inclusion for all of young people that are born with challenges that I’m not sure how well I could have dealt with all that well.
Summer is leading the way and doing it with a great deal of Grace. The idea behind this format of volunteering is what we are currently using up at Page County High School, where we are building a Pavillion to cover their Softball batting cages.
Back to tonight’s event – when a person shows up to volunteer they are given a one page form with a series of Skills. You are asked to check any box that applies to your skill set – I checked public speaking and writing.
Tebow’s belief is that you watch out for Widows, Orphans and others in need. This Night is called Night to Shine and its purpose is Amazing 👏.
The Guests of Honor will have their Hair and Makeup done by folks with that skill set. They will have Prom Dresses and Suits that have been donated. Crowns 👑👑👑 for everyone so that for a night each can be the Prom King and Prom Queen.
A Limo service will take them, once they are dressed and ready to go, will take them on a ride through town so they can be let out at the front door and exit the car onto the Red Carpet.
Dinner and festivities that are designed to provide a positive Light on someone that doesn’t get that feeling very often. Proud to say that Tim Tebow is my Hero and I am trying hard to emulate him everyday.
How does this circle back to the Student Athletes at Carroll County High School ? Easy one to answer, logistics prevent our teams from getting top shelf coverage with the exception being when one player or one team reaches a high enough stage that the Roanoke Times can cover them.
Most every Dollar I’ve earned in life has come from one end of the Newspaper building or the other so I am a HUGE fan of both weekly papers here in our County and have offered to share my work with their readers. I am not sure if that will play out or not but I feel good for trying.
I am also a BIG fan of the folks at the newspaper in Roanoke and John Galle up there has helped me along the way. We are NOT trying to replace anyones coverage, just provide more of it!
If you enjoy the Carroll County Sports Report the credit goes to Oneofus.care. Where its our Mission to make the World a Better Place, one person at a time.
If you like Oneofus.care then that Thanks goes to Timmy Tebow for setting a tremendous example for Lin and I.
I have to stop typing now because I have to get dressed for Prom – fortunate for me I don’t have to spend time working on my Hair.
Once a day for the next 10 Days there will be a post dedicated to one of the Varsity Boys Basketball 🏀 players. One at a time so that each player will have their own stand alone moment.
Each player was given four questions designed to allow them to share a look at who they are besides a jersey number. Light hearted questions without going to deep. All 10 players were great participants and the conversation was great much like a Pop Quiz to them.
ELIJAH COX – 6’4 Senior #13
Question #1 – What current or former basketball player would you use as a comparison to your style of game ?
Elijah – Dirk Novinski – retired NBA Legend
Dirk’s game was very much inside /out like Elijah and is credited with being the first true Big to develop such a touch from 3-point range.
Question #2 – Is there some person in life that you think is a fair comparison to your Coach, Anthony Barnes ?
Elijah – Coach Carter
It was filmed back in 2005 and aptly named Coach Carter. Samuel L. Jackson played the lead role of Coach Ken Carter. Carter was a High School Coach that made a huge difference in many a player’s lives.
QUESTION #3 – Please give a thought of yours in regards to playing Basketball 🏀 for Carroll County
Elijah – It takes a lot of dedication and I Love playing for this program. Coach Barnes is a Great Coach that I Love playing for. Coach will stick by you if you stick by him and the program.
QUESTION #4 – You are on a podium accepting an Award and its time for you to say Thank You. Who’s making the top of the list ?
Elijah – My Mother. Kayla Cooper and Coach Barnes.
The start of the Finish was not going well for Coach Jason and his young Cavaliers Thursday night in Galax but fortunately the team made one much needed adjustment before it was too late.
“We started playing defense the way we are capable of playing it”, Coach noted. “When we play defense that way, defense creates offense.”
Carroll County trailed 19-14 early in the second quarter and in a blink of an eye 👁 they were leading and the Maroon Tide were left to wonder what the license plate was on the truck 🚚 that hit them.
This group of Cavaliers don’t have a great deal of size but they more than make up for it with an abundance of speed and athleticism.
Once the team all got on the same page it produced a defensive charged 17-0 which included a third quarter shut out (8-0). The stops ✋ on the one end lead quickly to fast breaks on the other end.
Paul Marshall led a very balanced attack with 11 points after sinking a trio of 3-pointers. Joining Marshall in double figures were Dane Leonard and Isiah Easter, both with 10 points. Five more Cavs scored – Blake Reed (4 points), Colton Gravely (3), Landon Puckett (2), Trace Reavis (2) and Hayden Jackson (2).
There were 14 players on the roster this season with five 8th graders, 5 Freshman and 4 Sophomores. Now with the season behind them the new focus will be off-season workouts in hopes of taking the next step up the ladder – getting to play for Coach Anthony Barnes on the Varsity team.
We will be adding more to the end of the season wrapup as the opportunity presents itself.
Congratulations 👏 on your season and Thank You for your effort 👏.
One photo opportunity developed inside of both of the Gym’s tonight. It wasn’t until I made it back to Laurel Fork that I realized that both had a connection to Paul. Further proof that this is Paul’s World 🌎 and we are all just Living in It with him!
A.S.P.N on The Hill 