PAGE 2
www.amarillokidz.com
index... 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
AmericanClassifieds Homer’s Program Guide provided by American Classifieds.
1612 S. WASHINGTON • AMARILLO, TX 79102 806-376-8663 • FAX 806-376-5219
our sponsors... LONE STAR SPONSORS Dr. Avery Rush Dr. Troy Moore
SHERIFF SPONSOR Party Stop
CATTLE BARON SPONSOR Wal-Mart/Sam’s
RANCH FOREMAN SPONSOR Happy State Bank British Petroleum (BP)
RANCH HAND SPONSOR Hartman Exteriors Joe Soliz Masonry Enerpipe Dr. Bryan Bullard
TRAIL BOSS SPONSOR Amarillo Gorillas Autoworks Remarketing
TRAIL DUSTER SPONSOR Hastings Books & Records Army
BRANDING IRON SPONSOR Ken’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!
www.texasplains.wish.org
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
www.homersbackyardball.com
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 5
PAGE 6
our mission... The mission of the MakeA-Wish Foundation® of the Texas Plains is to grant the wishes of children with lifethreatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America was founded in the United States in 1980 with the fulfillment of the first wish in Phoenix, Arizona to a little boy named Chris Grecius who realized his heartfelt wish to become a police officer. Since its humble beginnings, the organization has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, reaching more than 144,000 children worldwide. Make-A-Wish Foundation is the world’s largest wish granting organization celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2005. Although it has become one of the world’s most well-known charities, the Make-AWish Foundation has maintained the grassroots fulfillment of its mission. The Amarillo Chapter began on March 5, 1984 and granted its first wish June 22, 1984. There are currently 55 counties in the Texas Plains chapter with the chapter office in Amarillo and a field office in Lubbock. 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 more than 1000 children.
www.texasplains.wish.org
www.homersbackyardball.com
PAGE 7
PAGE 8
www.americanclassifieds.com
www.texasplains.wish.org
PAGE 9
PAGE 10
homer’s history... A Cookout With Friends Turns into A Fun, Yearly Charitable Event! In a quaint little town, in a quaint little neighborhood on a quaint little street just south of the city, a history-making event took place just 11 short years ago. The folks in attendance were your regular Joe’s. They were hard working, clean living, fun loving guys and gals with a few extra five-gallon buckets of rocky mountain oysters on their hands. So they just did what came naturally...they filled a couple of coolers full of beer, gathered up some lawn chairs, mixed up some trash can punch and threw the fries in the cooker. By the next year, scads of folks from miles around were 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 degrees of separation at its best. It was rumored that six missing persons cases were solved and one attendee found their long lost siamese twin at Homer’s Backyard Ball last year. We won’t mention the things that were lost. Of course you can’t very well drink cold beer (or iced tea) and eat barbeque and calf fries in silence and the little jam box that sufficed in the quaint little neighborhood just didn’t cut it out in the great wide
www.homersbackyardball.cal open of the infamous Snake Ranch. So a flatbed trailer, some electricity and lights were added and KAZAM...the perfect setting was created for a little Texas Music concert. That was the Coup de Grace...or as they are known, Cooder Graw (tm). Stage crawlin’, undergarment flingin’, calf fryin’, cold beverage guzzlin’, outta tune bellowin’ folk from all over the United States (and California) had the time of 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 and jail sentences). The Homer’s clan quickly decided that just throwin’ a party wasn’t good enough. In 2000, Homer’s broadened the horizons and turned HBB into a benefit for Make-A-Wish. So, mark the event on your calendar or in your palm pilot and join us for the best party of the year.
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 11
PAGE 12
www.texasplains.wish.org
www.homersbackyardball.com
PAGE 13
PAGE 14
the first wish... It seems like only yesterday, but it has been more than 20 years ago. My son, Chris was only 7 years old and all his life he had dreamed of being a police officer. Chris’ dream was the biggest thing in the world to him, but even he couldn’t have known that this wish would serve as the inspiration for the largest wish-granting organization in the world. Many children have plenty of time to realize their dreams as they grow up. But Chris didn’t have the luxury of time – he had leukemia and his prognosis wasn’t good. But Chris had a special quality that captivated those around him. And one of our dearest friends was so taken by my son’s interest in police officers, that he wanted to ensure Chris received his wish. I’ll never forget that special day, April 29, 1980, when Chris’ wish was granted. A police helicopter flew us over the Phoenix area, landing at the Department of Public Safety (DPS), where three squad cars and a motorcycle awaited our arrival. Chris, with his blue eyes dazzling, was sworn in as an honorary patrolman. Later in the day, Chris and the director of DPS took some time out of their hectic police schedule to share a pack of bubble gum together.
www.americanclassifieds.com From then on, Chris was known to his fellow officers as the “Bubble Gum Trooper.” The company responsible for making the highway patrol uniforms was so moved by the media coverage of Chris’ wish that they decided to get involved in adding to the wish experience. The owner and two seamstresses worked all night to custom-tailor a high patrolman uniform for Chris. On May 1st, several officers who had met Chris a few days before, showed up at the house and presented him with his official police uniform. I bought a battery-operated motorcycle for Chris to take the place of his wheelchair. Chris really liked the motorcycle wings worn by one of the officers and asked how he could get some. The officers said that Chris needed to pass a motorcycle proficiency test before the wings could be presented to him. So the officers set up a motorcycle course in our driveway so Chris could take his test. He passed with flying colors. In May, 1980 Chris was the first-ever and only honorary state trooper in Arizona history. It brings tears to of joy to m y eyes to know that this wonderful time in my son’s life was the inspiration for the organization that has granted over 144,000 wishes to courageous children like Chris around the world. Sincerely, Linda, Chris’ mom
www.texasplains.wish.org
PAGE 15
PAGE 16
www.homersbackyardball.com
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 17
a wish come true... The year before Braeden was diagnosed with a life threatening heart condition, she wrote a paper about her hero, Dr. Phil. When she became ill and qualified for a wish from Make-A-Wish, she knew exactly what her wish would be, to meet Dr. Phil in person. In October 2006, her wish became a reality and Braeden and her family flew to California to attend a taping of his show. Braeden and her folks were driven to Paramount Studios in a limo, where they had the incredible opportunity to attend two different tapings of the Dr. Phil show. They were treated to lunch in the Paramount Studios commissary — the finest cuisine, ever! After lunch, they went back to Dr. Phil’s office, and visited with him briefly again, and got a couple more pictures with him. They were so impressed with everyone on the Dr. Phil team. The light in Braeden’s eyes shined bright as she visited with the man with whom she shared so many ideas and beliefs. She knew that this was a meeting she would never forget. Braeden is now a wish granter for other children that need the same type of hope and inspiration that she needed to get through her illness. She is attending college and has been a past volunteer for Homer’s. It is amazing how one wish can transform lives.
PAGE 18
www.texasplains.wish.org
www.homersbackyardball.com
PAGE 19
PAGE 22
www.americanclassifieds.com
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 23
PAGE 24
www.texasplains.wish.org
www.homersbackyardball.com
PAGE 25
PAGE 26
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 27
www.texasplains.wish.org
wish granting... There are four steps to granting a wish. Each step builds on the next to help create the amazing experiences that delight wish kids and their families. A wish experience is frequently a source of inspiration for children undergoing difficult medical treatments and a positive force that helps them overcome their obstacles. A wish experience is often more than a dream come true: It’s the catalyst that rekindles their belief in themselves and the promise of their future. Step 1: Referral We rely on medical professionals, parents and children themselves for referrals. Children who have reached the age of 2 Ωand are under the age of 18 at the time of referral who have not received a wish from another wish-granting organization may be eligible for a wish. Step 2: Medical eligibility We determine a child’s medical eligibility with the help of the treating physician. To receive a wish, the child must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition – i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed the child’s life in jeopardy. Step 3: Finding the true wish We send one of our enthusiastic wish teams to learn the child’s one true wish. These passionate volunteers connect with wish children and help explore their imaginations for the experience that will delight and inspire them. Step 4: Creating joy Our wish granters create an unforgettable experience driven by the child’s creativity. It’s an incredible experience that enriches 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 children to a memory. The benefit of a wish gives them something happy and positive to look forward to, the power to give them hope to conquer their illness, joy for the moment and strength to love unconditionally all who come into their lives. A wish can last an hour or a week, but the memories of a wish last a lifetime.
PAGE 28
www.homersbackyardbal.com
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 29
PAGE 30
www.texasplains.wish.org
in memory of... Harvey E. Blankenship Harvey E. Blankinship, 65, of Amarillo died Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. Mr. Blankinship was born May 13, 1943, in Amarillo to Earl and Nelwyn Blankinship. He married J-Etta Shaw 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 Foundation 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
Amarillo; his mother, Nelwyn Blankinship of Amarillo; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. The family suggests memorials be to Make-A-Wish Foundation, 411 S. Fillmore St., Amarillo, TX 79101; or American Cancer Society, 3915 S. Bell St., Amarillo, 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 of Amarillo. His off-work hours were spent helping the Homer’s Committee raise funds for the Make-AWish Foundation® of the Texas Plains. J-Etta, his wife, stated “Harvey was always very passionate about the kids and making their wishes come true.” Thank you Harvey for being such a remarkable volunteer for Homers!
www.homersbackyardball.com
PAGE 31
PAGE 32
www.americanclassifieds.com
www.texasplains.wish.org
PAGE 33
PAGE 34
www.homersbackyardball.com
www.americanclassifieds.com
PAGE 35
PAGE 36
www.texasplains.wish.org
www.homersbackyardball.com
a wish come true... Larissa, who is diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Plains to grant her heartfelt wish. A bedroom make over. After sharing a room with her sister for many years, Larissa, wanted a comfortable area she could design with her own taste and colors. She began looking to find just the right paint colors, furniture, linens and accessories. “Just looking at the all the choices I have is awesome fun” said Larissa. Larissa knew she wanted a room with black furniture and full of deep bright colors of green and cream. Due to her dialysis equipment Larissa wanted to create an atmosphere that hid that part of her illness during the day. With the help of our very crafty Wish Granters they were able to create a hidden closet using a curved shower curtain rod and drapes. Creating a very special room for moments when Larissa just wants to escape and be a healthy kid. She got her wish. With the very special help of a few GREAT men from Stevens 5 Star Car and Truck Center in Herford Texas Larissa’s bedroom makeover was a magical experience. Three special helpers assisted our wish volunteers Blanca and Ivonne by putting her new
PAGE 37 bedroom together, installing curtain rods and assembling the final effects of a total room makeover. On a very magical Tuesday in December a once ordinary room was turned into a bright green happy place filled with new furniture and a new place to dream. Larissa’s mom, Veronica, said many times throughout the day “this will be one of her happiest memories”. Jerry Stevens, Gail Cash and Butch White with Stevens 5 Star Car and Truck Center (The owner and employee’s of our UAW-GM partner) made the drive from Herford to Dimmitt in a brand new 2009 shiny black GMC Denali to pick up Larissa from school. With her fellow classmates cheering her exit from the school building she got into the Denali to go see the room she had been wishing for. Little did anyone know the impact that one bedroom make-over would make on a small group. There was not a dry eye as Larissa walked into the room, smiled and then the overwhelming joy brought tears of her own. ’
PAGE 38
www.americanclassifieds.com
www.texasplains.wish.org
PAGE 39
PAGE 40
www.americanclassifieds.com