Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

$24,365

It appears that is what we were able to do thanks to the wonderful kindness and generosity of all involved. We still have a couple of bills to play but we should be able to get the Norwells a number close to that.

Thanks to everyone that helped make it happen. Thanks to everyone that came and supported a team or played. I was nervous for all different kinds of reasons, but it really did work out in a flawless way. Thanks to everyone that donated their time or their possessions in order to make things happen. It really had a lot of moving parts and we wouldn't have been anywhere without the help of dozens and dozens of people.

The publicity prior to the event was great and really helped raise awareness. There should be a follow-up article in Tuesday's Chicago Tribune. Fox19 ran a story Sunday night on Sports Wrap.

Thanks again.

Rock-N-Roll Benefit

Anderson Township Bar & Grille
March 7th, 2009
5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Live music provided by:
The Three Kings - Acoustic Rock
The Shades - Blues Rock
Axxiom - New and Classic Hard Rock
Short Bus Mafia - New Rock

$10 cover. All proceeds to be donated to the Norwell Family

Door Prizes and Split the Pot.

Thanks to Fox19 and Sports of All Sorts!

Great stories from both channels tonight. Very appreciative of the publicity.

If you are here because of the story, we appreciate you stopping by. Hope to see you next weekend at Anderson.

Silent Auction Items

Here is a partial list of some of the items that will be available for bidding at the event on the 22nd:

• 3 game used Chris Norwell Illini football jerseys (The real deal).
• A #96 Illini Football helmet. It's a throwback to the 1963 team with Dick Butkus.
• 2 tickets to the Notre Dame-USC game this fall.
• 2 tickets to the Ohio State opener vs. Navy this fall.
• NFL items autographed by Mario Williams, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Dave Diehl, Brian Uhrlacher, and Devin Hester
• One Week's use of a Condo in Hilton Head, SC.

Additionally, there are all kinds of t-shirts and other apparel from West Virginia, Illinois, the Houston Texans and others.

Hopefully I can post more soon. We are still working on some very nice items.

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Link to the registration form

Below is a link to a website where you can print the two page registration form for our event.

Early response has been amazing, so we are very excited to start registering teams. That being said, please understand that this is a charity event and the charity will be the focus of the day. Unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated in any way. The organizers of the event reserve the right to remove participants at any time at their own discretion. Rowdy or unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated.

Print the form from the link below and send it in with your payment. The captain will receive a confirmation email.

Payment is required with registration. Teams are $25 each.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9779174/Once-a-Redskin-Always-a-Redskin-Registration-Form

Once you are there, to actually print the document, "Print" can be found under the "iPaper" tab. It took me a while to find it, personally.

Registration

The Registration form has been finalized.

Since we want to avoid the confusion of receiving entries over the break, it will be converted to a PDF and put on this site immediately following the holiday break. This should still give people plenty of time to get their teams organized and get the registration in.

Anderson Alumni, Students and Faculty:

In the history of athletics at Anderson High School, Chris Norwell sits on a short list of elite athletes. During his career as a Redskin, he finished as the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball. On the football field, his outstanding play was impressive enough to earn him a scholarship to the University of Illinois, where he started for four years. In the last several years, Chris has provided those of us that were fortunate to follow him with many wonderful memories.

The time has come for us to return the favor.

Chris has been diagnosed with Burkitt's Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a very aggressive form of cancer. He is currently in the process of treatment but this is a serious disease with a serious prognosis. Since being diagnosed in the middle of October, Chris has already spent more than 30 nights in the hospital receiving chemotherapy and numerous procedures. He will have no income for the foreseeable future and bills are starting to mount up. We are asking the Anderson Redskin Family to help out in any way we can.

On Sunday February 22nd, 2009, Anderson will be hosting the "Once a Redskin......Always a Redskin" event.

This event is a 3 on 3 charity basketball tournament with all proceeds going to directly benefit the Norwell family. You can participate in a number of ways:

1) Organize a team and play. Teams can have 3 or 4 people on them. At least one person must be a current or former Anderson High School student or faculty member, but other than that, it's wide open. Put together a team with your family or your friends and sign up. Teams are $25 and will be split into three divisions (Male, Female, and Co-Ed). The exact format of the tournament, in terms of length of game play, etc. will be determined once we get an idea of how many teams will register. After it is approved, a registration form and instructions will be posted on this site. For now, start getting organized and save the date.

2) Attend. We are planning an event filled day. These events will include a silent auction of Anderson/Illinois related merchandise, split the pot, free throw and 3 point contests, games for younger kids, etc. You are welcome to come back and simply be a part of the day with us.

3) Donate. If you can not attend, but would like to help, you can donate in one of two ways; A couple people have contacted me willing to donate something from their business for the silent auction. That would be great. Additionally, Chris' sister has established a fund at 5/3 bank. If you would like to make a contribution immediately and not wait for the event, you can mail in a check or stop in any 5/3 bank location. Please make your check payable to Christopher R. Norwell. Again, any 5/3 location nationwide should be able to take a payment if you stop in. If you choose to mail it, the primary address is:

5/3 Bank Anderson Towne Center
7580 Beechmont Ave.
MD 106911
Cincinnati OH 45255

Any questions, feel free to email me at justin.servis@foresthills.edu