Wrestlers have big hearts -

[RMC]

Our wrestlers are doing something new this year and I though it was such a good idea that I should pass it on.

 

The varsity and JV1 wrestlers got together and divided up into to 5 teams and each team is given a parent supervisor. Then the parents called a local church and asked for 5 needy families. Each group of boys was assigned one of the needy families and then met with the families to determine their needs. The needs were varied some needed food, some toys, some a computer, some asked books and some just wanted clothes for their children.

 

Well you know what??¦..the boys took the challenge like they were getting ready for a big match. After meeting the families and seeing the kids they didn??™t care what it was going to take, they were going to make it happen. They were going to bring Christmas to these families.

 

My son is in a group that is sponsoring a family that has 8 children ages 2 ??“ 17 and lives in a small 2 bedroom town home. I knew it made a difference in the boy??™s lives when my son sat down with me after meeting his family. He said Dad I have too much, please take whatever you were going to spend on me for Christmas and give it for my family.

 

With all the lessons in life wrestling teaches it was nice to see that he had picked up another one off the mat??¦..Giving.

 

Maybe your team is looking for something to do this holiday season. It was nice to see these rough boys have very big hearts too.

[rasslinlite]

Congrats to your kids. It is the time for giving. But I believe your kids went above the call of duty. Hats off to you kids, staff and there familys. I can promise you that later on in life this gift that they gave will come back ten fold.

[Dragon Fly]

RMC what a wonderful story. I will tell my son and maybe their team can do something like this. Pay it forward.

[mjgIII]

RMC what a wonderful story. I will tell my son and maybe their team can do something like this. Pay it forward.

 

I'm thinking maybe a few teams do this, which is great. I know Father Ryan, for the last six years at least, has adopted 5 or 6 families during Christmas. The wrestlers and cheerleaders purchase the gifts and, I think this is the best part, personally deliver the gifts to the families. This year the middle school team, Nashville Catholic, is joining them. It is a super way to help those less fortunate and connect with the true meaning of Christmas.

[RMC]

I'm thinking maybe a few teams do this, which is great. I know Father Ryan, for the last six years at least, has adopted 5 or 6 families during Christmas. The wrestlers and cheerleaders purchase the gifts and, I think this is the best part, personally deliver the gifts to the families. This year the middle school team, Nashville Catholic, is joining them. It is a super way to help those less fortunate and connect with the true meaning of Christmas.

 

Our boys met with the families to determine their needs and then went out and got the presents and donations.

 

I'll have to say I was very impressed with my son's group. Like I said they had a family with 8 kids that ranged from 2 - 17. It was amazing what they were able to get donated. His group met with the family on Wednesday night and gave them 8 large Santa bags filled with clothes for the whole family, new bedding, a Dell PC with a 19 inch flat panel monitor and printer, an XBOX 360, lots of toys and a $500 gift card to Wal-Mart.

 

We may even have a wrestler in the making. The family's youngest son wants to come see the boys wrestle. So, they're going to pick him on the way to the county tournament this weekend to let him watch and learn about wrestling. One of our team Mom's has volunteered to sponsor the little guy up and bring him to our youth wrestling practices if he's still interested.

 

The neatest part to me is that the wrestlers asked if they could sponsor 10 families next year!

[cbg]

I'm thinking maybe a few teams do this, which is great. I know Father Ryan, for the last six years at least, has adopted 5 or 6 families during Christmas. The wrestlers and cheerleaders purchase the gifts and, I think this is the best part, personally deliver the gifts to the families. This year the middle school team, Nashville Catholic, is joining them. It is a super way to help those less fortunate and connect with the true meaning of Christmas.

 

 

I was speaking with someone last evening and they told me that Father Ryan started doing this in 1979 when Pat Simpson became the head coach.

[RMC]

Article from paper.....

 

Collins Hill wrestling program helps families in need

 

By Brandon Brigman

Staff Writer

 

One family nearly lost everything when the father was hurt and put out of work. Another family lives in a two-room home with eight kids. While one mother of three battles pancreatic cancer.

 

At Christmas time the struggle to buy groceries and pay rent are hard enough for these families. Even tougher is celebrating Christmas. A week ago a decorated Christmas tree with presents under it seemed like a far-fetched idea.

 

The Collins Hill wrestling program made it a reality.

 

Five needy families from Lawrenceville will celebrate Christmas this year thanks to the Collins Hill Wrestling Christmas Wish Program.

 

"It's really neat and we got plans to make it bigger next year," Collins Hill wrestling coach Cliff Ramos said.

 

The inaugural event was a spur of the moment idea from one of the parents in the Collins Hill program.

 

Tom Mitchell, father of T.J., thought of the idea after the St. Vincent de Paul Society visited his church. Mitchell approached the group and told him he wanted to help and asked for five families.

 

Mitchell got $3,500 in donations from local businesses such as Autorama, Autos 2000 in Kennesaw and Willard Wrecker Service and the money went to the wrestlers to spend on the families.

 

"The kids really did it all. I just had the idea and they took it from there," Mitchell said.

 

Members of the Eagles' varsity and JV1 teams along with seniors were split into five groups - one for each family. Seven wrestlers and two parent advisers met with the family they were assigned to on Monday. Each group developed a list of needs and wants for Christmas.

 

The wrestlers then went out and secured donations like computers, Xboxes and Xbox 360s. They got clothes, shoes and decorated a Christmas tree provided by the Collins Hill baseball team.

 

"It really opened our eyes to what is going on around us," Collins Hill wrestler Taylor Knapp said. "We live in a good area and we don't see too much of what is going on around us. We think that everyone is just like us and has the same benefits, but not everyone is. Like I said, it opened our eyes. It felt great to help people like that."

 

With the $700 each group was given, they were also able to pay some bills for families in addition to buying food and toys.

 

"It was actually a really great experience," T.J. Mitchell said. "It helped us understand what we have and not to take what we have for granted."

 

The Eagles did this in a two-day span all while studying for exams and practicing for this weekend's county wrestling tournament.

 

"That's what they've been talking about a lot this week, probably more than they have been about the county tournament," Ramos said.

 

The wrestlers delivered the gifts to families on Wednesday. One family was a single mom with 10 kids, another mom is recovering from spousal abuse and has eight kids and one mother of three has pancreatic cancer. Another single mom has five kids, including two sets of twins.

 

"It's great to see them put their heart and soul into this," Mitchell said. "They're so tough on the mat and are champions, but they are really champions off the mat.

 

"This has been just a blessing to our team. These kids have just been touched by these families. I think it really made them thankful for what they have."

 

This year's event was so successful that Collins Hill has plans to expand the program next year. The Eagles hope to help 10 to 15 families next year and will involve the entire wrestling program. The idea of expanding the program to other teams and schools is also a possibility.

 

"I loved doing it. I've always had wonderful Christmases," Collins Hill senior Nick Smith said. "I love Christmas and have never had a bad Christmas, so just to give kids gifts it made me feel wholesome. I was real happy to see the expressions on their face when we went to their house. It was a great experience that I loved and I think every team should do it."

 

All this was done the week of finals and the county meet.