Seldom So Moved

A couple of weeks ago, my partner Sue Wilson and I were asked to emcee the Akron Wine Opener at the beautiful Rosemont Country Club. We attended the event last year, and I was completely impressed by how nice it was. Great food, and wine, a really elegant adult time all for a really great cause. Benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

CF is a really tough thing. It got me thinking back to my first time really learning about this disease. I was doing the morning show at KLIK in Jefferson City, Missouri at the time. It was about 1989. There was this really good guy named Bobby from a rural town outside of the capital who had a child with CF. He put together this fund raiser called the Hoof-A-Thon. It was a bunch of horse enthusiasts that got sponsors to support them with money for every mile they rode their horses on trail. They asked me to ride, and I did. The radio station got involved and it was a real success.

The ride ended at a farm, there was a BBQ, and band, dancing and the general congratulating all that made it happen. The normal stuff. I can't remember the band, or the food, or even all the nice people. But I remember the kids that were there to thank us for helping them. They were all young, 10 to say 15 or so. Beautiful children, with huge smiles on their faces and goodness, and thanks in their hearts. All struggling to breathe and many times choking to talk and voice their thanks for all that we did for them. They all had CF.

I remember knowing that some of them would not be there for the next Hoof-A-Thon. And 2 of them weren't. I fear they are all gone now, and I will never forget them. I was a younger broadcaster then, and it was a growing experience for me. Till then I was raising money for other worthwhile charities, and felt good about it. But that day, put it all front and center. When you support local chapters of local charities, you're doing the best work of all.

Wonderful advances have been made in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis, and life expectancy is much better now. And that's directly attributed to those who give, and support those who are in the fight. These kids and young adults are worth fighting for. Struggling to simply breathe every day. It shouldn't be that way.

So Friday you can do a great thing in every regard. You can go to a fabulous event and eat fantastic food and wine, and do something even more fantastic at the same time. Go to the Akron Wine Opener, treat yourself to a wonderful night, and treat yourself even further knowing that you have done right, and joined the fight.

Hope to see you there. Here's how you can get tickets

Go to wynnandwilson.com, and click on Akron Wine Opener on the right. That will take you to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Website.

Thank you!