Homers Backyard Ball 2009

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index...

our sponsors...LONE STAR SPONSORS

Dr. Avery RushDr. Troy Moore

SHERIFF SPONSORParty Stop

CATTLE BARON SPONSORWal-Mart/Sam’s

RANCH FOREMAN SPONSORHappy State Bank

British Petroleum (BP)

RANCH HAND SPONSORHartman Exteriors

Joe Soliz Masonry

Enerpipe

Dr. Bryan Bullard

TRAIL BOSS SPONSORAmarillo Gorillas

Autoworks Remarketing

TRAIL DUSTER SPONSORHastings Books & Records

Army

BRANDING IRON SPONSORKen’s Kar Kolors

Texas Roadhouse

Jimmie Fincher Body Shop

First United Bank

Amarillo Children’s Clinic

Big State Remodeling

Possibilities

Velrick Wilson/Merrill Lynch

OTHER SPONSORS:Homer Bits & Spurs, Budweiser,

Freedom Bail Bonds, Coy Harbin

Thank you for your support

andcontribution!

AmericanAmericanAmericanClassifiedsClassifiedsClassifiedsHomer’s Program Guide provided

by American Classifieds.1612 S. WASHINGTON • AMARILLO, TX 79102

806-376-8663 • FAX 806-376-5219

3 ................................................Golden Light Cantina

4 ........................................ Tim Pirtle Attorney At Law

5 ............... Ward Motor Company, Basden Bail Bond

6 ......................... Make-A-Wish Mission Statement,Mattress Express, Texas Liquors

7 ............................................................................ MRL

8 ........................... Assiter Auction, Scott’s Equipment

9 .......................................... Amarillo Outdoor Power

10 ............... Homer’s History, Half Azz Cook Team,

Altus Motorsports, Boscos Lounge

11 ......................................... Tripp’s Harley Davidson

12 ................................................. Bargain Bail Bonds

13 ............................................................... Custom RV

14 . Make-A-Wish’s First Wish, La Kiva, Beachamp

Motors, Panhandle Archery, Mooses’ Bar & Grill

15 ...........................................................Hobby House

16 ................................................................... Hastings

17 ................................................ A Wish Come True,Barneys Auto, Boyd’s Equipment

18 ................................. West Texas Peterbuilt, KGNC

19 ...................................... Smoke Shop, Bobby Duby

20-21 ...................... Homer’s Band Schedule & Map

22-23 ............ MECHANICAL BULL SPONSORS:B&J Welding, Rhett Stevens Autos, Splash

Waterpark, Integrity Motors, T Bar C Contruction,

Ingrams Carpet, Cheyenne & Arapaho Smoke Shop

24 ............... SW Body Shop, Tiernan, Jones • Cowan

25 ................................................................... Meineke

26 ......................................................... Cash For Gold

27 .Wish Granting Process, Erwin Pawn, Panhandle

Publishing, Randy’s Music Mart

28 ...................................................... Mission Possible

29 ............................................................... A-1 Homes

30 ........................ Harvey E. Blankenship Memorial,City Auto, VFM Sweepstakes,

Westgate Chevrolet

31 ............................. Products Unlimited, Dreamview

32 ................................................. Dales Paint & Body

33 .................................................................... Blu Dog

34 .............................................. Lubbock Powersports

35 ........... Golf Headquarters, ServPro, Ryan O’Neal

36 ............................................................... Iron Skillet

37 ..................... A Wish Come True, Tedco Buildings

38 ...................... Miller Radiator, Concrete Livestock,

Diamond Business Services

39 ....................................................... Today Style Too

40 ...... Lonestar Lawn & Land, Cosmetic Auto Repair

www.texasplains.wish.org PAGE 3

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PAGE 6 www.texasplains.wish.org

The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of theTexas Plains is to grant thewishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the humanexperience with hope, strength and joy.

Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America was foundedin the United States in 1980 with the fulfillment of thefirst wish in Phoenix, Arizona to a little boy namedChris Grecius who realized his heartfelt wish tobecome a police officer. Since its humble beginnings,the organization has blossomed into a worldwidephenomenon, reaching more than 144,000 childrenworldwide. Make-A-Wish Foundation is the world’slargest wish granting organization celebrating its 25th

anniversary in 2005. Although it has become one ofthe world’s most well-known charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has maintained the grassrootsfulfillment of its mission.

The Amarillo Chapter began on March 5, 1984 andgranted its first wish June 22, 1984. There arecurrently 55 counties in the Texas Plains chapter withthe chapter office in Amarillo and a field office inLubbock. We have volunteers from Amarillo, Borger,Canyon, Childress, Claude, Dumas, Hereford,Lubbock, McLean, Pampa, Perryton, and Plainview.Since our first wish, we have provided wishes to morethan 1000 children.

our mission...

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homer’s history...

In a quaint little town, in a quaint little neighbor-hood on a quaint little street just south of the city, ahistory-making event took place just 11 short yearsago. The folks in attendance were your regular Joe’s.They were hard working, clean living, fun loving guysand gals with a few extra five-gallon buckets of rockymountain oysters on their hands. So they just didwhat came naturally...they filled a couple of cool-ers full of beer, gathered up some lawn chairs, mixedup some trash can punch and threw the fries in thecooker.

By the next year, scads of folks from miles aroundwere buzzing about Homer’s Backyard Ball(s).Friends invited friends and those invited their friends.Imagine one person telling six of their closest friends,and those six telling six more and so on...six de-grees of separation at its best. It was rumored thatsix missing persons cases were solved and one at-tendee found their long lost siamese twin at Homer’sBackyard Ball last year. We won’t mention the thingsthat were lost.

Of course you can’t very well drink cold beer (oriced tea) and eat barbeque and calf fries in silenceand the little jam box that sufficed in the quaint littleneighborhood just didn’t cut it out in the great wide

A Cookout With Friends Turnsinto A Fun, Yearly Charitable Event!

open of the infamous Snake Ranch. So a flatbedtrailer, some electricity and lights were added andKAZAM...the perfect setting was created for a littleTexas Music concert. That was the Coup deGrace...or as they are known, Cooder Graw (tm).Stage crawlin’, undergarment flingin’, calf fryin’, coldbeverage guzzlin’, outta tune bellowin’ folk from allover the United States (and California) had the timeof their lives. Now they’re hungry for more.

So, like any good Texan believes...if big is good,bigger is better (except when it comes to bears andjail sentences). The Homer’s clan quickly decidedthat just throwin’ a party wasn’t good enough. In 2000,Homer’s broadened the horizons and turned HBBinto a benefit for Make-A-Wish. So, mark the eventon your calendar or in your palm pilot and join usfor the best party of the year.





the first wish...I t seems like onlyyesterday, but it hasbeen more than 20years ago. My son,Chris was only 7years old and all hislife he had dreamed of being a police officer. Chris’dream was the biggest thing in the world to him, buteven he couldn’t have known that this wish wouldserve as the inspiration for the largest wish-grantingorganization in the world.

Many children have plenty of time to realize theirdreams as they grow up. But Chris didn’t have theluxury of time – he had leukemia and his prognosiswasn’t good. But Chris had a special quality thatcaptivated those around him. And one of our dearestfriends was so taken by my son’s interest in policeofficers, that he wanted to ensure Chris received hiswish.

I’ll never forget that special day, April 29, 1980, whenChris’ wish was granted. A police helicopter flewus over the Phoenix area, landing at the Departmentof Public Safety (DPS), where three squad cars anda motorcycle awaited our arrival. Chris, with hisblue eyes dazzling, was sworn in as an honorarypatrolman. Later in the day, Chris and the directorof DPS took some time out of their hectic policeschedule to share a pack of bubble gum together.

From then on, Chris was known to his fellow officersas the “Bubble Gum Trooper.”

The company responsible for making the highwaypatrol uniforms was so moved by the media coverageof Chris’ wish that they decided to get involved inadding to the wish experience. The owner and twoseamstresses worked all night to custom-tailor a highpatrolman uniform for Chris. On May 1st, severalofficers who had met Chris a few days before,showed up at the house and presented him with hisofficial police uniform.

I bought a battery-operated motorcycle for Chris totake the place of his wheelchair. Chris really likedthe motorcycle wings worn by one of the officersand asked how he could get some. The officerssaid that Chris needed to pass a motorcycleproficiency test before the wings could be presentedto him. So the officers set up a motorcycle course inour driveway so Chris could take his test. He passedwith flying colors.

In May, 1980 Chris was the first-ever and onlyhonorary state trooper in Arizona history.

It brings tears to of joy to m y eyes to know that thiswonderful time in my son’s life was the inspirationfor the organization that has granted over 144,000wishes to courageous children like Chris around theworld.

Sincerely,Linda, Chris’ mom




a wish come true...The year before Braeden was diagnosed with a lifethreatening heart condition, she wrote a paper abouther hero, Dr. Phil. When she became ill and quali-fied for a wish from Make-A-Wish, she knew exactlywhat her wish would be, to meet Dr. Phil in person. InOctober 2006, her wish became a reality and Braedenand her family flew to California to attend a tapingof his show.

Braeden and her folkswere driven toParamount Studios in alimo, where they had theincredible opportunity toattend two differenttapings of the Dr. Philshow. They were treatedto lunch in the ParamountStudios commissary —the finest cuisine, ever! After lunch, they went back toDr. Phil’s office, and visited with him briefly again,and got a couple more pictures with him. They wereso impressed with everyone on the Dr. Phil team. Thelight in Braeden’s eyes shined bright as she visitedwith the man with whom she shared so many ideasand beliefs. She knew that this was a meeting shewould never forget.

Braeden is now a wish granter for other children thatneed the same type of hope and inspiration that sheneeded to get through her illness. She is attendingcollege and has been a past volunteer for Homer’s.It is amazing how one wish can transform lives.









There are four steps to granting a wish. Each step builds onthe next to help create the amazing experiences that delightwish kids and their families. A wish experience is frequently asource of inspiration for children undergoing difficult medicaltreatments and a positive force that helps them overcome theirobstacles. A wish experience is often more than a dream cometrue: It’s the catalyst that rekindles their belief in themselvesand the promise of their future.

Step 1: ReferralWe rely on medical professionals, parents and childrenthemselves for referrals. Children who have reached the ageof 2 Ω and are under the age of 18 at the time of referral whohave not received a wish from another wish-grantingorganization may be eligible for a wish.

Step 2: Medical eligibilityWe determine a child’s medical eligibility with the help of thetreating physician. To receive a wish, the child must bediagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition – i.e., aprogressive, degenerative or malignant condition that hasplaced the child’s life in jeopardy.

Step 3: Finding the true wishWe send one of our enthusiastic wish teams to learn the child’sone true wish. These passionate volunteers connect with wishchildren and help explore their imaginations for the experiencethat will delight and inspire them.

Step 4: Creating joyOur wish granters create an unforgettable experience drivenby the child’s creativity. It’s an incredible experience thatenriches not just the lives of the children and their families,but often an entire community.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® raises funds to treat the childrento a memory. The benefit of a wish gives them something happyand positive to look forward to, the power to give them hopeto conquer their illness, joy for the moment and strength tolove unconditionally all who come into their lives. A wish canlast an hour or a week, but the memories of a wish last alifetime.

wish granting...

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in memory of...

Harvey E. Blankinship,65, of Amarillo diedTuesday, Oct. 28,2008.

Mr. Blankinship wasborn May 13, 1943, inAmarillo to Earl andNelwyn Blankinship.He married J-EttaShaw on April 17,1982, in Amarillo.

He retired from the

city of Amarillo street

department on June 27, 2008, after 15 years. He

enjoyed volunteering for the Make-A-Wish Founda-

tion during Homer’s Backyard Ball.

Survivors include his wife, J-Etta Blankinship; four

sons, Dwayne Blankinship, Darrell Blankinship and

wife Mickie, Doug Blankinship and wife Stephanie

and Frank Shaw and wife Misty, all of Amarillo; a

daughter, Valarie Billington and husband Bob of

Harvey E. Blankenship

Amarillo; his mother, Nelwyn Blankinship of Ama-rillo; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchil-dren.

The family suggests memorials be to Make-A-WishFoundation, 411 S. Fillmore St., Amarillo, TX 79101;or American Cancer Society, 3915 S. Bell St., Ama-rillo, TX 79109.

The Homer’s Backyard Ball Committee would like to

express our appreciation for Harvey’s years as a

volunteer. He was always eager to help with

anything that needed to be done to make the Homer’s

event a success.

Harvey spent his days working for the City ofAmarillo. His off-work hours were spent helpingthe Homer’s Committee raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of the Texas Plains. J-Etta, hiswife, stated“Harvey wasalways veryp a s s i o n a t eabout the kidsand makingtheir wishescome true.”

Thank youHarvey for being such a remarkable volunteer forHomers!








a wish come true...Larissa, who isdiagnosed with EndStage RenalDisease, asked theM a k e - A - W i s hFoundation of theTexas Plains togrant her heartfeltwish. A bedroommake over. After sharing a room with her sister formany years, Larissa, wanted a comfortable area shecould design with her own taste and colors. Shebegan looking to find just the right paint colors,furniture, linens and accessories. “Just looking at theall the choices I have is awesome fun” said Larissa.

Larissa knew she wanted a room with black furnitureand full of deep bright colors of green and cream.Due to her dialysis equipment Larissa wanted tocreate an atmosphere that hid that part of her illnessduring the day. With the help of our very crafty WishGranters they were able to create a hidden closetusing a curved shower curtain rod and drapes.Creating a very special room for moments whenLarissa just wants to escape and be a healthy kid.She got her wish.

With the very special help of a few GREAT men fromStevens 5 Star Car and Truck Center in Herford TexasLarissa’s bedroom makeover was a magicalexperience. Three special helpers assisted our wishvolunteers Blanca and Ivonne by putting her new

bedroom together,installing curtainrods and assemblingthe final effects of atotal room make-over. On a verymagical Tuesday inDecember a onceordinary room wasturned into a bright green happy place filled withnew furniture and a new place to dream. Larissa’smom, Veronica, said many times throughout the day“this will be one of her happiest memories”.

Jerry Stevens, Gail Cash and Butch White withStevens 5 Star Car and Truck Center (The owner andemployee’s of our UAW-GM partner) made the drivefrom Herford to Dimmitt in a brand new 2009 shinyblack GMC Denali to pick up Larissa from school.

With her fellowc l a s s m a t e scheering herexit from theschool buildingshe got into theDenali to gosee the roomshe had beenwishing for.Lit t le didanyone know

the impact that one bedroom make-over would makeon a small group. There was not a dry eye as Larissawalked into the room, smiled and then theoverwhelming joy brought tears of her own. ’




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Homers Backyard Ball 2009

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