Total Sportsman Package
Package brought $10,000. Three Gold Star Parents will share this package;John Prazynski, Roger Egnor, Shannon Abernathy will each enjoy this great git from Jack Cassidy
A Guided fishing trip with Kevin Izzi & Wendell Abney, Bass Pro Shops pro staff members & Hosts of Buckeye Outdoors TV. This trip will be filmed for a future show to be aired.
Guided turkey hunt with Carl Drake from Hunter Specialties & Real tree and Allan Wright, Redhead hunting pro staffer
With gear from Hunter Specialties
This hunt will be filmed, and the winner will receive a copy
Guided 3 day whitetail hunt Gene Price from Trophy Rock along with lodging and deer permits.
Bass Pro gift card for gear
Free mount of your choice, Deer or turkey or fish from Mike’s Taxidermy
of Hamilton, Ohio
This Package donated by Bass Pro Shops Cincinnati, Ohio
Yellow Ribbon Scholarships 2010
Keith Maupin, Teresa Dillinger, and Jim Missman honor their sons; KIA with scholarships at any local Clermont County School. Seniors write essays and then a committee choses the best essay. This year the following students Received $500.00 scholarships. Bethel Tate Louis /Schaljo; Milford/RandallJ.Bryant and Gwendolyn Storch; GlenEste/Austin Backus and Emily Large; Goshen/ Nathaniel Godby. Congradulations to all these students Good luck !!
Anyone wishing to receive these scholarship please contact Keith at Yellow Ribbon Support Center 513-752-4310
Items For Live Auction Brings in $21,000.00
Just a taste of what we auctioned of at April 9th,Let Us Never Forget Scholarship Fundraiser. We now had a beautiful Fender Bass Guitar made possible by Tom Sallee & Gary Donavan of the Guitar Center of Indiana ; brought in $1300. This was signed by Bootsy Collins .
We also had shop till you drop,” we collected gift cards from local stores, we put them all together for a shopping trip. $1300
We had “Dine at Texas Road House in Milford, OH” for fifty two weeks,$1600
thanks to David & Dawn Spencer the Gold Fiddle donated by Charlie Daniels brought in $5000.00
DHL Donated: Laptop, $800
Kevin Izzi.. Fishing with Iz & Denise Johnson…Enjoy Fishing withPro Bass Fisherman and Denise Johnson traffic reporter on Good Morning Tristate see her on WCPO Channel9 every weekday morning from 5am to 8:30am.$450.00
Anthony Munoz Package $5000.00
Dine out $1400.00
The date we have for you is SUNDAY, MAY 30, Reds vs. Astros. Your guests (silent auction winners) will be in the private Cincinnati Bell Suite overlooking 3rd base at Great American Ball Park. This Includes 12 tickets and 5 parking passes,food and beverages are also included. This is priceless . Ask any Gold Star Family member who went last year.$2100.
We have a baseball signed by Johnny Bench also up for grabs.More Balls added $2100.00
Channel 9 Tour..$350.00 Game Tickets $650.00
Anthony Munoz & RJ Vilardo did the auctioneering..What an awesome job, largest ever. Thank you guys. See you next year ????
Hepcats & Cincinnati Swing Dancer
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| Directions from Lexington, KY to: Oasis Conference Center, 902 Loveland-Miamiville Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140; Phone: (513) 583-8383; www.oasisconferencecenter.com From I-75 North: Take I-275 East to Wards Corner Road, Exit #54. Turn left onto Wards Corner. (Get into the right hand lane. You will see Aquarian Pools & Spas on your right.). Immediately turn right on Loveland-Miamiville Road. Go through the 4-way traffic light. At the following 4-way stop sign, turn left. (Loveland-Miamiville takes a hard left turn at Epiphany Church). The entrance to the Oasis is the second drive on the left. |
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Scholarship Fundraiser Another Success
Thanksgiving Message from Staff SGT Mark Anthony Wojciechowski
We lost( Tony Wojo) April 30th,2009. He leaves a very strong and loving message,in his memories to his mother Teresa Dillinger, she wants to share with the world.
Thanksgiving often passes to some as another holiday; a day of food, family, and football, with little more than just tradition and routine setting the tone. To some, it reminds them of the “American heritage”, the whole ; the pilgrims came- made peace with the Indians- shared a harvest together- and we still celebrate that today. Thanksgiving is also to most, a time to give thanks to the Lord, from which all things are made possible, and whom without, there would be nothing to be thankful or unthankful for.
Perhaps it is now that I am growing older and have a new found respect for simpler and less tangible things, or the fact that I am unable to be where I would like to be sometimes, but this is how I can describe what Thanksgiving means to me.
Obviously, Thanksgiving means being thankful for the things you have, but what does that include? I am thankful for being blessed with a wonderful family. A family that supports me in every way and is always there for me, even though I try not to need them as much as I probably should. I am thankful for health and well- being, not only my own, but the health and well- being of those around me which I love.
I am thankful for the society we live in and the comforts we take for granted each and every day. Although many will think our system is far from perfect, at least we can rest our heads each night without even so much as a remote worry of bombs being dropped, bullets being shot, or poverty in our future.
Of all of the things I am thankful for, none of them would be as rich as they are without giving proper thanks to all of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, in wars past and present, to give me the liberty and freedom in which I am thankful for today. Even though I am serving in the military and will be spending this holiday away from my home and my family; I am thankful for all of my brethren, the troops that are currently serving in harms way. Not only are they away from their families, but they won’t even have the pleasure of safety or rest this holiday weekend.
I hope you have a happy and safe holiday. After all, I think being together is one of the smaller things people overlook. It doesn’t mean as much until you can’t have it. As for me, my holiday will be just fine. I will be surrounded by a great group of guys which I have come to love as brothers. I will talk to you all soon. I love you,
Tony
What a wonderful young Marine, we can all be proud to learn a little more about what a great man he was. Happy Thanksgiving to all, Teresa hopes this will touch your heart; it did mine. Thank you Teresa for sharing your son .
Dawn & David Spencer On Today Show
After being on our local stations, the Spencers were invited to NY to be on the Today show: Julia Lockaby, Billy’s Mother, joined them; then before they left NY, Fox News asked David and Dawn to appear on their morning show. They were so luck to have followed a fantastic performer Wayne Newton, they got to meet Wayne and his wife. Wayne in now heading up the USO Foundation. Dawn & David ,we are so proud to know you and spend time volunteering with you.I know more good things will happen for you. Keep us posted.
WLWT Channel 5 Local Fallen Family Receives Gift From Son
November 17, 2009 by admin
Filed under Archives, Uncategorized
MIDDLETOWN — The parents of a Tri-State Marine killed in Iraq are sharing memories of their son, through a series of home movies that they didn’t know existed until after he died.
Billy Spencer joined the Marines when he was 19 years old. Within a year of joining the Marines, he was killed in action. But while he was deployed in Iraq, Billy documented his life for his parents.
The Marines had a pact that if anything ever happened to one of them, the others would download what was on their computer and give it to the Marine’s family before the government erased everything off the hard drive. Members of Billy’s squadron delivered the videos to his parents. The videos began with his departure to Iraq. “It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. We’ve loaded the buses. On our way to March Air Force Base,” Billy said. He is then heard on the video bidding farewell to California. “Peace California. See you in seven months.” The Spencers said Billy left America as a boy. Although he was at that point a Marine, they said he was still a teenager who depended on his family, as illustrated in some of his recordings. “You’ll be seeing this soon enough Mom. Getting ready to fly to Iraq. We’ll be alright. I’ll see you there. Love you,” Billy said. “It’s like he’s talking directly to us,” said Billy’s stepmother Dawn Spencer. “He wants us to know details.” Through his recordings, Billy gave his parents lots of details, including his tour of duty in Iraq. “We made it into Iraq last night. Soon enough we will be completely in harm’s way but uh, we’ll see you there, I’m out,” said Billy in one video. ”I’m also sitting up here with my .50 cal. I’ve been waiting for ages to get my hands on this. Now all I got to do is wait for somebody to shoot at me so I can employ it,” he said on another video while showing how the rounds were as long as his hand.
Billy also managed to capture a side to the war most people don’t normally see, like how he helped the Iraqi children. I just gave 50 dinars to some little kid because he was crying, because his house blew up. So I gave him some money,” he said. The Spencers said most of the moments make them proud of their son. Others make them laugh, like when Billy, clearly exhausted, recorded himself singing the song “I’ve seen better days.”seen in his face he needed to be babied and there was nobody going to baby him over there. He was eating peanuts and Mountain Dew,” said Dawn. One moment that really stands out is when Billy is sick with the flu and talking about coming home. ”I get to come home in like four and a half months, which is something to look forward to, always yes,” he said. About 48 hours later, Billy was hit by enemy fire while trying to save his squad leader. Back home in Middletown, the Spencers received that dreaded knock on the door on Dec. 28, 2006.The first thing I asked him, ‘Was he hurt or is he dead?’ He told me he was KIA,” said Billy’s father, David Spencer. “I couldn’t be there when he needed me. So that was the most hopeless moment of my life … It’s been almost three years in calendar time, but in Dad time, it’s been 24 hours.” Although the videos won’t bring their son home, and this father won’t get that fishing trip with his son, the Spencers said the video has allowed them to see the war through Billy’s eyes. And see how their baby grew into a man and an American hero. ”I could look at those videos, every one of them, and say ‘That’s my kid’ and be very proud,” said David. This past year, Lance Cpl. Billy Spencer was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions — the U.S. military’s third highest honor. The Spencers are now working with the family of fallen soldier, Matt Maupin, trying to get a heroes museum built in the Tri-State. They hope it will become a place to honor veterans, display military memorabilia and remember those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, like their son. If you’d like to contribute to the fund to build a memorial to Tri-State military heroes, visit www.letusneverforget.org.
Halloween Party October 24th
Halloween party hosted by Theresa Dillinger, family and friends was a great success, held at the American Legion Post in Mt Carmel. Encore band played music so the guest could dance the night away. Those who came in costumed showed off there outfits. The whole evening was a big success and was enjoyed by all. Thank you to all those who supported the event.
Proceeds will go to sending packages to the troops by Yellow Ribbon Support Center. The event rasied over $4500.00 Awesome job!!!
April 9th Information
Largest Gathering of Gold Star Families
“Let Us Never Forget” Annual Scholarship Fundraising
EventFriday, April 9, 2010, Doors open at 5:30 PM
Oasis Conference Center, Loveland, Ohio
Master of Ceremonies – Courtis Fuller, WLWT-TV
Program: Entertainment , Dinner,Silent & Live Auction ,Dancing
April 9, 2004 Pvt. Keith Matthew (Matt) Maupin was captured in Iraq when his fuel convoy was ambushed. On April 9, 2006 the Yellow Ribbon Support Center, founded by the Maupin family, organized the 1st “Let Us Never Forget” Event held at the Oasis Conference Center.
Families who have lost a member to war are called “Gold Star Families”. Since the “Let Us Never Forget” event recognizes not only the fallen heroes, but also their families, it has become the largest gathering of Gold Star families at any one event in this area, if not every area of the country.
The 1st “Let Us Never Forget” event raised enough money to provide 30 scholarships in honor of the 30 tri-state heroes who had given the ultimate sacrifice in Operation Enduring Freedom (Which began after the attacks on September 11, 2001) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (which began in March 2003). Each year the event draws large groups in attendance with the discovery of Matt Maupin’s remains just days before April 9, 2008, it was the largest ever.
The “Let Us Never Forget” scholarships are awarded annually after the event to graduating seniors who attend the schools where each fallen hero attended. Over the past 5 years, this annual event has raised almost $239,000 for scholarships to over 300 students. The scholarships are in the name of each hero and therefore it keeps our fallen on the minds of those attending the annual event and those attending the schools where the scholarships are awarded. Hearing the names of the fallen each year is the focus of the scholarship program, “Let Us Never Forget.”
Last year, the program was expanded to include a $250.00 scholarship to every state in the nation. A fallen hero was selected from each state and their family was notified. Several Gold Star families from out of state attended last year. Some of those families will be back again this year with more from as far away as Maryland, Nevada, Wisconson, Virginia,New Hampshire, Texas and Washington are just a few..
Gold Star Families share an understanding and compassion for one another. There are now 57 from the greater Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, and southern Indiana tri-state area alone. On Friday evening the Gold Star families will take turns standing while their son or daughter is given front stage, one at a time on huge video screens. It lets them know their sacrifice has not been forgotten.