The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
In scoring position
'Field of Dreams' one step closer as community hosts fund-raiser
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 7, 2008
Photos by Mary Kumbier
Varsity Assistant Football Coach Mark Whitley announced the auction items. Shelbi Polidori, a Dexter High School junior, came up with the idea for the benefit. Parents volunteered their time to help make the event a hug success.
After a very successful fund-raiser at Bob's Big Boy in Scio Township, the Tyler Steffey memorial "Field of Dreams" is one step and more than $10,000 closer to completion.
Steffey, 16, was fatally injured in a crash on Parker Road Dec. 11 that claimed his life and injured two of his Dexter High School classmates, one of whom was driving.
The tally of funds raised does not include money from some of the auction items that are still pending and other ancillary fundraising efforts, according to Peace Lutheran Church Pastor Larry Courson.
Peace Lutheran Church's property is where the two ball fields will be built once all the funds and volunteer efforts are scheduled and in place.
Tyler Steffey was an avid participant in sports and had played baseball since third grade.
According to the Steffey family, the goal is to have the fields completed this year so the grass can establish itself and local children can play on them in 2009. "We're anticipating as much as $400 made off of the T-shirts and $500 from the wristbands," Courson said.
The money will be issued to the Steffeys in the form of a cashier's check when all the funds are in.
"We're over $17,000 right now, plus the benefit money," Courson said. "And we're starting to get donations of services or services at cost."
Bob's Big Boy's doors opened at 5 p.m. Jan. 30 "and there wasn't a break until 8 o'clock," Courson said.
"People were talking about how important it was to come and some people who couldn't come or couldn't get in sent donations afterwards and the community spirit afterwards was just incredible," Courson said. "Some kids were telling stories of Tyler over the microphone. It was very emotional, but very uplifting."
The auction that accompanied the dinner event was bursting with items for the block, many of which were unplanned and arrived at the last moment, according to Courson.
Bob's Big Boy owners sold three pies for $100 in that auction.
All of the money raised will be used exclusively for the construction of the ball field, a storage shed for league supplies and equipment, and maintenance of the field.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
