Holiday Generosity Bounces In

December 12, 2020 by Woody

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: @woodywoodburn

Holiday Generosity

Bounces And Rolls In

The coronavirus pandemic has wrecked havoc in 2020 and, due to stay-and-sheltering, I feared “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive” would in turn fall victim with a serious deflation in donated gifts for disadvantaged youths this year.

Never before have I have been so happily wrong. You, dear readers, have slam dunked in COVID-19’s face! Below are some of the MVPs – Most Valuable Philanthropists – who have scored on behalf of the kids to date…

Glen Sittel donated two basketballs and one football and said: “Knowing each ball represents a huge smile and a healthier child is a blessing.”

A mountain of gifts from “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive.”

Sally and Tom Reeder donated 10 huge smiles and Kathy and Joe Vaughan added two blessings while noting to us all: “We will get through this challenging time.”

Judy and Dan Dugan passed out six basketball assists while Irma M. Paramo and her neighbor Kay Handlin teamed up to contribute five basketballs.

Two balls were anonymously donated “In memory of Austin Gambill, the young Ventura High School track and cross-country runner who was tragically taken from us far too early.”

Walt Oliver and his grandsons Elijah Ontiveros and Michael, Brandon and Tommy Kendlinger donated 26 assorted balls.

Mike Spahr and his grandsons Caden, Liam and Leo dropped off one each basketball, soccer ball and football.

Linda and Jerry Mendelsohn, and their five grandchildren, donated 20 balls; Maureen Durkin gave 13 assorted balls; and Jim and Linda Peddie gave 10 balls.

Albert Rodriguez, noting that he grew up as a “huge John Wooden fan,” epitomized Coach’s quote that “It takes ten hands to put the ball in the basket” by recruiting more than 100 hands of family members, friends and former coworkers in donating 127 assorted basketballs, soccer balls and footballs.

Bobbie and Dave Williams gave one football and one basketball while Ethel Yim gave one soccer ball, noting: “I hope it will make a child happy.”

Juan Sanchez made 38 children happy while Sherrie Basham donated 10 smiles “In memory of my mom, Janice Manjoras.”

Carol Ann Roth gave five basketballs; Katherine and Frank Anderson gave three basketballs; Vince O’Neill gave two basketballs; and Anna and Tom McBreen spiraled in one football.

Tom Calvin and the rest of the Mt. View Men’s Golf Club hit a 350-yard drive, so to speak, by donating 30 basketballs, 30 soccer balls and 10 footballs.

The Friday Morning Coaches Breakfast Club gave basketballs in honor of Bob Swanson and Jim Cowan; Ann Cowan, as her late husband always did, donated ten basketballs; and Jim Parker continued his tradition of battling Jim/Ann Cowan in being the first to donate – and won this year with two basketballs.

Charis Werner passed in seven assorted balls; Chuck and Ann Elliott gave four balls; and Lynne and Don Steensma gave three balls.

Alan, Kathy and Tyler Hammerand kicked in three each footballs, soccer balls and basketballs; and Mary and Rick Whiting gave one each of the same.

Allison Johnson gave a basketball and football “in honor of my brother, Michael Demeter, who has all he needs and is generous to others.”

Sheila Raives kicked in four soccer balls; Jeff Barks gave a basketball and soccer ball; and Judy Windle passed in two basketballs.

Howard Reich contributed four assorted balls while Randi and Scott Harris donated three.

Dena Mercer gave two basketballs; Derry and Peggi Clayton gave one basketball and one soccer ball; and Joan Donley gave six softballs.

The Lewis family – Tom and Jan, and daughters Cory, Emily and Maddy – donated a baker’s dozen basketballs while Maya McAuley gave ten basketballs in honor of everyone battling cancer or COVID-19.

There is still time to drop off a new sports ball at a local Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, church, youth group – or to Jensen Design & Survey (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 18) at 1672 Donlon St. in Ventura and I’ll take it from there. Online orders can be shipped to the same address.

Also, please email me about your gift at woodywriter@gmail.com so I can add your generosity to this year’s growing tally.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @woodywoodburn. His books are available at www.WoodyWoodburn.com.

Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Personalized signed copies are at WoodyWoodburn.com

2020 Newsletter: What A Year!

December 5, 2020 by Woody

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: @woodywoodburn

Holiday Newsletter:

2020 Was Unbelievable!

Dear readers and friends,

Welcome to my annual Holiday Newsletter. What an unbelievably amazing year 2020 has been for our family! I’m sure it has been likewise for you and yours.

To begin, my wife and I did not take a long-awaited trip to her homeland of Italy. We did not enjoy a romantic gondola ride through the canals of Venice. We were not left breathless by Michelangelo’s masterpiece ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. And we did not taste amazing wines in the hills of Tuscany.

I wish you could have seen the stunning red-lava views when we did not take a white-knuckle helicopter ride over the volcanoes on Hawaii’s Big Island.

In April, my son, a former college distance runner, did not return to the Boston Marathon and win it this time.

My son’s fiancé, meanwhile, did not become a Le Cordon Bleu chef and start her own catering company – her oxtail joloff for Thanksgiving was amazing, by the way – as a fun little side hustle.

In May, the party celebrating my 60th trip around the sun did not have a hundred friends and family members traveling from microbrewery to microbrewery throughout Ventura County tasting special limited edition beers created in my honor.

Also in May, I did not travel to Columbia University to accept the Pulitzer Prize.

Speaking of Pulitzer Prize winners, not seeing “Hamilton” on Broadway in front-row seats was everything you can imagine.

Our precocious granddaughter, Maya, did not receive an early acceptance to Yale; or to Harvard; or even to pre-school.

Our son-in-law, aka Mr. Environment, who cycles to his Green Job every day, did not win the Tour de France. It was almost as exciting as the time he did not make all 14 traffic lights without getting a single red on his ride home from the office.

“What is, Win seven episodes and $219,000?” That’s right, my wife did not appear on “Jeopardy!”

In a discovery almost as amazing as James Marshall discovering gold at Sutter’s Mill, while visiting an estate sale looking for a typewriter I did not find – and buy for just $2 – a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner baseball card worth $3 million.

Speaking of big money, Paramount Pictures did not buy the option for an undisclosed amount (between you and me, it was a lot!) for my new novel “The Mystic Table: A Journey of Seven Generations” which was not published by HarperCollins in 2020.

Not traveling to Wimbledon to watch the Bryan Brothers not play on Centre Court for the final time in their storied doubles career is a memory my entire family will never forget.

All of us, including 2-year-old Maya in child-carrier backpack, did not climb to the peak of Mount Rainer, or Mount Whitney, or Two Trees.

Not to brag, but unlike the rest of my family – and every teacher in America – I did not master using Zoom.

My wife and I will forever remember the time we did not renew our wedding vows to celebrate our golden anniversary (it was actually only our 38th, but stay-and-sheltering during the coronavirus pandemic has made this year seem like 12) under the Eiffel Tower on a warm evening with the moon rising and the gentlest of spring rains falling. It truly was not magical.

Lastly, my daughter did not travel to The Swedish Academy in Stockholm to accept the Nobel Prize in Literature for her debut YA novel “The Best Week That Never Happened.”

Yes, indeed, 2020 was The Best Year That Never Happened!

Happy 2021 to you and yours,

The Woodys

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Kindness Makes Ball Drive Beautiful

January 4, 2020 by Woody

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: @woodywoodburn

Kindness Makes Holiday

Ball Drive a Beautiful Success

“Beauty lives with kindness,” wrote Shakespeare, perfectly describing kind Star readers who made the holidays more beautiful for local disadvantaged kids by donating to my annual ball drive.

Tim Hansen, dressed as Santa Claus but with a more impressive real beard, gave 10 assorted balls.

Draza Mrvichin donated 10 basketballs, three footballs and three soccer balls; Kay Giles and Michael Mariani donated five assorted balls; and Pat McGovern donated three basketballs in honor of his “darling grandsons.”

Jerry and Linda Mendelsohn involved their grandchildren – Garrick, Dannika, Parker, Asher and Joy – in a field trip to donate 10 basketballs and 10 soccer balls.

Shelly and Steve Brown donated four basketballs; Corey, Danielle and Paige Clayton gave three basketballs; and Sheila and Tom McCollum dished in two basketballs.

Karen and Dave Brooks donated two footballs, three basketballs and three soccer balls. Additionally, Karen noted: “My husband and his golf buddies donated dozens of Titleists to the depths of the water hazards at River Ridge Golf Course.”

Tennis legends and legendary role models Mike and Bob Bryan served up 25 assorted balls.

Ian Eaton gave two soccer balls and one football while his dad, Lance, added two basketballs “in honor of Jim Cowan who was my football coach in 1958 at Ventura High and in 1962 at Ventura College as my counselor. We continued to be lifelong friends.”

Steve and Bobbin Yarbrough gave one basketball; Steve Richardson donated one soccer ball and one basketball; and Audrey Rubin kicked in two soccer balls “in honor of my two incredible grandkids.”

Brad and Mia Ditto donated 10 assorted balls, plus a bat, in honor of Brad’s late father who was a high school coach.

Brent Muth, with an assist from The Mob Bike Shop in Ojai, held his third-annual “Ballapalooza” and collected 31 various balls “in memory of Mike Sandoval and Gerry Carrauthers.”

Jan and Tom Lewis donated 21 basketballs, the figure bearing significance because their three “point guard” daughters – Cory, Emily and Maddy – all wore jersey No. 21. Noted their proud dad: “We would like to recognize VYBA, Ventura Stars and Buena Girls Basketball of years gone by. A special thank you to coaches Mike Giordano, Joe Vaughan, Ann Larson and David Guenther.”

Glen Sittel donated one basketball and two soccer balls and Sandy Tubis and Don Rodrigues donated five basketballs from “on behalf of Jim Cowan.”

An anonymous donor gave four basketballs “in memory of longtime youth coach, YMCA leader and Channel Coast referee Jerry Nelson” and Steve Askay donated two basketballs “memory of Cal Houston a longtime teacher, coach and official.”

Jim and Sandie Arthur donated three balls and Linda Peddie gave two basketballs, noting: “I’m especially motivated to participate in getting kids off their screens and out to play.”

Wendy Spasiano donated 30 baseballs in memory of her father, Tom Pitkin, who for many years coached Little League and Pop Warner teams in Ventura.

Kelly Lanier gave four basketballs; Lynn and Jim Kenton donated one each basketball, football, soccer ball; and Chris Werner donated two footballs, two soccer, and two basketballs.

“In memory of Mr. & Mrs. Fred Zielsdorf” an anonymous donor gave two each basketballs, footballs and soccer balls, plus a dozen baseballs.

Kate Larsen donated three soccer balls; Sally and Tom Reeder donated eight various balls, plus a baseball glove; and Maya McAuley donated three basketballs as did Jess Ahoni.

The finally tally . . . drumroll, please . . . is a whopping 551 new sports balls – nearly 100 more than a year ago!

Thank you, dear readers, your kindness is as beautiful as our coastal sunsets.

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Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com

Junky Skiing Santa Proves Priceless

December 14, 2019 by Woody

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: @woodywoodburn

Junky Skiing Santa

Proves Priceless

Some Christmas stories are as sweet as hot cocoa topped with melting marshmallows. This one is not. All the same, I wouldn’t trade it for the world – or even for a toy Matchbox car.

The year was 1966, wintertime in Ohio, and I bit my quivering lip trying with all the strength a 6-year-old can muster not to cry. I felt like I had just found lump of coal in my stocking.

I was in first grade, in Mrs. Bauer’s class, in a time when “holiday” parties were still called “Christmas” parties and elementary schools held student gift exchanges. I was to swap toys with Paul, a boy I knew little about because he was not in my circle of recess friends.

I knew one thing, however: I would buy Paul a Matchbox car. After all, all boys loved the tiny metal cars. I seem to recall that Matchboxes cost about a dollar, which was probably the price limit for our gifts.

Mom took me to the five-and-dime where my two brothers and I spent our allowance money – we got a nickel for each year in our age, hence I received 30 cents weekly while my older siblings got 45 and 55 cents – on trading cards, comic books and Matchboxes.

I don’t remember which specific car I picked out for Paul, but my best guess is a Mustang since that’s what I would have wanted for myself. Paul did not reciprocate with a Mustang or any other Matchbox. Nor did he give me a baseball or a few packs of football cards.

No, the gift I opened at our class party was a red-and-white hollow plastic Santa Claus, slightly larger than a coffee mug, on green snow skis. A toy bag on Santa’s back was empty although it probably held candy when originally purchased. Even filled with candy canes or Hershey’s Kisses, skiing Santa surely cost less than my weekly allowance.

In other words, I had swapped a shiny-and-cool Mustang for a lump of plastic coal.

As Paul and my best pals Dan, Bob and Bill – boys did not go by Daniel and Robert and William in the ’60s – raced their new Matchbox cars around the classroom and across desktops, I blinked back tears.

Not for the right reason, I suddenly did the right thing. Despite selfishly feeling sorry for myself, I started racing my stupid skiing Santa alongside the Matchbox cars. I truthfully was not trying to erase any embarrassment Paul might have felt for giving such a crummy gift, but simply didn’t want to feel left out.

When the recess bell rang, Mrs. Bauer asked me to remain behind for a moment. I sat nervously at my desk having no idea what I had done wrong. When we were alone, my teacher sat beside me and said, as I remember it: “I’m proud of you for not showing your disappointment – that would have hurt Paul’s feelings. You gave him a very nice toy and you should be happy about that.”

Mrs. Bauer’s message, which I naturally didn’t understand at the time, was that it truly is better to give than receive.

Later, I became friends with Paul and a few times spent the night at his house. I remember his socks always had holes in them; he shared a tiny bedroom with two sisters; and he had no dad – not because of divorce, rather death.

Skiing Santa wasn’t stupid, I came to realize many years later; it might have been all Paul had to give. That perspective is a far better gift than a Matchbox Mustang.

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Holiday Ball Drive Heroes

December 7, 2019 by Woody

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: @woodywoodburn

Holiday Generosity

Bounces And Rolls In

Jim Parker, my former longtime colleague in the Star sports department, lived up to his nickname “Swami” by peering deeply into his crystal ball and donating a basketball two days before my column ran kicking off Woody’s Annual Holiday Sports Drive.

Another past colleague, Derry Eads – whose nickname “Deuce” is itself a nickname for “Swami II” given to him because he followed Parker as our high school football prognosticator – shortly thereafter also donated a basketball.

In the spirit of the Star’s Bellringer campaign, I’d like to publicly thank some more kind givers who have helped get the ball rolling to give smiles to some local disadvantaged youth.

Rebecca Fox, like numerous others this year, made her donation in honor of the late Jim Cowan, a longtime Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, who annually gave ten basketballs to the cause. Wrote Fox: “Jim Cowan was my first boss when I started working for the Ventura County Office of Education in 1979. He was a great boss – kind, supportive and well-respected. In honor of him I have donated a soccer ball. So glad you started this great tradition of giving back to our youth.”

Dan and Judy Dugan dished out a big assist of five basketballs.

Leslie Seifert-De Los Santos also gave five basketballs in honor of her late father, Arthur Seifert, sharing: “He was literally a lifelong basketball player. Even in his late seventies, he could be found on basketball courts throughout the county, playing pick-up games with people much younger than himself, laughing and encouraging others. He loved watching the Lakers play throughout the years and, even when wheelchair bound, he would be cheering and ‘coaching’ from his seat.”

Alan and Kathy Hammerand donated two each basketballs, soccer balls and footballs; Jean Warnke added one football and basketball; and Bobbie and Dave Williams kicked in one soccer ball and football.

Allison Johnson dished out one basketball “in honor of my brother, Michael Demeter, who played four years of college ball at Cal Lutheran University.”

John Manion donated one basketball and one football, and recalled watching Jim Cowan play on two state championship teams at Ventura College: “When I was 11-12, I would go to all the Ventura JC basketball games. I went both years they had those great teams. The first year they were great, but the second year with the addition of Ernie Hall, they were so much fun to watch.”

Linda Calderon donated five basketballs while Irma Paramo and her husband donated four more basketballs.

Don Rodrigues donated six basketballs in Cowan’s memory: “He was a great guy, friend and highly respected in our community.”

Susan Adamich donated half a dozen basketballs, sharing: “Jim Cowan was a very dear man and always welcomed me into their home – his daughter Janice and I have been friends for over 40 years! I am happy to honor him by giving something special to kids.”

Ann Cowan, Jim’s widow, carried on her husband’s tradition of donating 10 basketballs, sharing: “It was such a big part of ‘getting ready for the holidays’ for Jim and the family is very proud of that legacy.”

There is still time to drop off a new sports ball at a local Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, church, youth group – or to Jensen Design & Survey (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 20) at 1672 Donlon St. in Ventura and I’ll take it from there. Online orders can be shipped to the same address.

Also, dear readers, please email me about your gift at woodywriter@gmail.com so I can add your generosity to this year’s growing tally.

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Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com

Life Wonderfully Imitating Art

December 22, 2018 by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

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For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” use the PayPal link on my home page or mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

It’s a Wonderful Life-Imitating-Art

Oscar Wilde, in an 1889 essay, opined: “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.”

In 2018, I observed life imitating art from 1947. Specifically, this month a friend of mine has become a female version of George Bailey in the iconic feel-good film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Her tale did not start out wonderfully.

My friend, who for privacy’s purpose I’ll call Georgia, two years ago battled breast cancer. Medical bills not covered by health insurance, combined with being a single mother who put three children through college, left her walking a financial tightrope.

A self-employed independent contractor, Georgia is superb at her craft and busy. No matter, her tightrope started to sway. Then it began to fray. The problem was not a lack of work, but rather clients slow to pay. And, worse, not paying.

When falling off the high wire seemed imminent, Georgia did for herself what Mary Bailey did for her husband when all seemed lost. Mary went into town spreading word that George was in dire straits; Georgia, reluctantly, asked for help on Facebook.

The results were the same. In the film, Uncle Billy says, “Mary did it, George! Mary did it! She told a few people you were in trouble and they scattered all over town collecting money. They didn’t ask any questions, just said: ‘If George is in trouble, count on me.’ You never saw anything like it.”

Georgia’s friends responded in kind. However, instead of dropping money – bills from wallets and purses, coins raided from a glass saving jar or a jukebox – into a large wicker laundry basket, Georgia’s townspeople made donations electronically through PayPal.

From near and far and farther still, nearly 40 individuals filled Georgia’s wicker basket with more than $2,500 – enough to keep her safe and dry from the thunderstorm until some work payments due are expected to come in. Indeed, and by deed, Georgia’s friends exemplified famed poet Maya Angelou’s advice to “Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.”

In addition to filling the wicker basket, Georgia’s friends importantly filled her heart with words of encouragement and love.

One friend shared, “Others have helped me in various ways, and in the future there will be someone you can help – in one way or another.”

Another: “If we can’t rally around our fellows when they need it, then what’s the point of our ‘community’?”

And: “Remember always to take care of yourself (heart).”

Georgia replied quickly, “Dear friends: I’m absolutely speechless. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. More soon.”

“More soon” include these heartfelt words: “I’m still in the process of thanking everyone personally, but one side benefit to all of this is that I’ve had personal conversations with so many people that I have thoroughly enjoyed. The reconnecting has been amazing.”

And later: “I am overwhelmed and beyond touched at my friends who were there to support me in any way, shape or form. … I am okay now all thanks to you and my shoulders feel lighter. … I don’t think I’ll ever not be embarrassed about this, but I’m feeling tremendously blessed right now.”

That beatified feeling goes both ways. By bravely sharing her plight and allowing others to help her, Georgia gave her friends the joy of being a rainbow in her cloud.

“Come on in here now,” Mary tells George in the closing scene. “Now, you stand right over here, by the tree. Right there, and don’t move, don’t move. I hear ’em now, George, it’s a miracle! It’s a miracle!”

It’s a wonderful story, Georgia’s, of life imitating art.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front Photo Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com

Generosity Rolls in Despite the Fire

December 23, 2017December 23, 2017 by Woody

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Balls Roll and Bounce in Despite the Fire

The various collateral damages of the Thomas Fire, I anticipated, would include my annual “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive.”

After all, donating a “toy” becomes a small thing when people have lost their homes and desperately need clothes and blankets, food and shelter, and other necessities.

And yet . . .

“With all the major tragedies relating to the fires, this small thing seems inconsequential,” noted Alan and Kathy Hammerand, who donated three balls. “However, all these little things add up in fostering positive community spirit.”

Natalie Swan was similarly inspired to give: “My heart aches for so many who have suffered from the fires.”

Members of the generous Ventura Downtown Lions Club with a truck filled with 50 gift basketballs!

Ventura Downtown Lions Club with a truckload of 50 gift basketballs!

Brent Muth’s “Ballapalooza” party with boyhood friends Mark Franke, Adan Valenica and Craig Rasmussen collected 22 balls in honor of their late friend, Mike Sandoval.

Additionally, Franke inspired his fellow Ventura Downtown Lions Club members to donate 50 top-flight basketballs.

Lennie and Bill Weinerth made a donation “in memory of Mike Sandoval and also in honor of Joe Vaughan, who coached our daughter Joannie at Buena High for four years in basketball.”

Brad and Mia Ditto dished out five balls, with Brad sharing his dedication: “My ‘Mike Sandoval’ was my dad, who was never too tired to play ball with us.”

Sherrie Basham donated two each soccer, football and basketballs “in memory of my mom, Janice Manjoras.”

Bill Grewe donated two basketballs “in memory of a Little League teammate who did something decades ago which I have never forgotten.

“In the midst of a very important game, our coach comes running out of the dugout waving his arms above his head to signal time out. Chris, our centerfielder, had disappeared. We couldn’t find him.

“Turns out, he had climbed the centerfield wall and then down the bank of the Los Angeles river and was creekside trying to catch pollywogs. Sometimes a ball is a gateway to imagination and whatever else might follow.

“Sitting here, I can no longer remember who won the important game!”

A mountain of gifts from “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive.”

Glen Sittel donated one each basketball, football and a soccer ball, noting: “It’s always a great feeling knowing a child may receive their first new ball and the amazing joy such a simple, yet valuable gift brings.”

A handful of multi-ball donations came from Vicky Ammons; Tom and Karyne Roweton; Ethan Lubin; Bobbie and Dave Williams; Patricia Herman; Anna and Tom McBreen; and my old sports department colleague, Jim Parker, and his wife Dela.

Jerry and Linda Mendelsohn donated 10 soccer balls and 10 basketballs, with some assistance: “While this has been a challenging week here in Ventura with the fires and winds, I (Jerry) took three of our grandkids – Garrick, 7; Dannika, 4; and Parker, 3 – with me to help with the purchase.”

Richard Dietz Sr. dropped off two balls in honor of his “Mike Sandoval-type pal, Vic DeBrouwer, who is dealing with a very serious form of brain cancer. I think of him almost constantly.”

Howard Reich, as he does annually, donated a mixture of eight balls.

Gary Clevenger, my classmate in middle school and high school, wished me a Merry Christmas ten times over with ten top-of-the-line basketballs.

Sally and Tom Reeder donated five balls to the Sparks of Love Toy Drive, and shared: “The firefighters in our area have been so busy dealing with the Thomas Fire, we felt a little sheepish about possibly disrupting the few minutes they had to catch up on much-needed rest.

“But a fireman at Oxnard Station No. 1 was very gracious when we showed up and gladly received the balls we delivered.”

Thanks to all those mentioned above, and many more who were not, this year’s total proved not to be a victim of the Thomas Fire. In fact, instead of falling far short of last year’s 318 balls, we edged past it with 322.

That is no small reason to smile. In fact, it’s 322 big smiles.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

Friendships & Holiday Ball Drive

November 26, 2017 by Woody

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Friendships kick off Holiday Ball Drive

Brent Muth has a favorite quote from the old “Our Gang” TV show, spoken by Stymie: “You only meet your once-in-a-lifetime friends . . . once in a lifetime.”

Brent was a lucky Little Rascal for he met his first once-in-a-lifetime friend early on, while in kindergarten. It was not long before he and Mike Sandoval were, as Brent puts it, “thick as thieves.”

Recess, club soccer, chess club, basketball; Brent and Mike were inseparable from Poinsettia Elementary through Balboa Junior High through Buena High.

As seniors, in 1988, their Bulldogs varsity basketball team lost only three games. Brent credits his best friend for the season to remember: “Mike was the greatest athlete/game player I’ve ever known. When Sandoval was on your team, you always felt that somehow, some way, you were going to win.” 1friendshipWooden

Oftentimes, friendships wane after high school. Not theirs. Even with Mike off to Stanford and Brent taking a winding educational road to Fresno State, they remained brotherly close. Mike was the best man at Brent’s wedding; Brent is a godparent to Mike’s daughter, Megan.

One of the many special things about Mike, Brent shares, was this: “He was not just my best friend – he was that special best friend to a lot of people.”

Specifically, Mike was also the best friend to the other three members of their “Our Gang”-like group of five guys who grew up together: Mark Franke, Adan Valencia, and Craig Rasmussen.

Tragically, the gang lost its leader in 2009 when Mike passed away from a blood clot after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery. He was 39.

Last year, Brent donated a basketball in tribute to his fallen comrade to my annual Holiday Ball Drive. This year, he had a grander idea. He recently invited the ol’ gang of Mark and Adan and Craig, plus a bunch of other friends, to his home for a backyard party of sports competitions. He called it “Ballapalooza.”

“Bring a ball,” Brent told his guests and they did, collectively donating more than 20 new basketballs, soccer balls, and footballs in Mike’s honor to “Woody’s Annual Holiday Ball Drive” to bring joy to disadvantaged youth.

Brent is a Phys Ed teacher and knows about kids without. Early in his career, he worked in a low-income school district and would routinely go to a big-box sporting goods store to buy athletic shoes for his most disadvantaged students.

Brent’s stories echo the inspiration behind the Holiday Ball Drive. About 20 years ago, I was at a local youth basketball clinic when NBA All-Star Cedric Ceballos presented autographed basketballs to a handful of lucky attendees.

A few of the hundreds of balls generous readers donated to “Woody’s Annual Holiday Ball Drive” last year.

Leaving the gym afterward, I happened upon a 10-year-old boy who won one of the prized keepsakes – which he was dribbling on the rough blacktop outdoor court, and shooting baskets with, while perhaps imagining he was Ceballos.

Meanwhile, the real Ceballos’ Sharpie signature was wearing off.

Curious why the boy had not carefully carried the trophy basketball home and put it safely on a bookshelf, I interrupted his playing to ask.

“I’ve never had my own basketball,” he answered matter-of-factly between shots.

That Christmastime, thinking of that boy – and other boys and girls who do not have their own basketball to shoot, soccer ball to kick, football to throw – my Holiday Ball Drive was born.

Once again, I am encouraging you to drop off a new sports ball – or balls – at any local Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, youth club, or church and they will find a worthy young recipient.

Or drop balls off (weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 20) – or have mailed-shipped to by Amazon.com and the likes – at Jensen Design & Survey at 1672 Donlon St. (near Target on Telephone Road in Ventura) and I will take it from there.

Also, please email me about your gift at woodywriter@gmail.com so I can add your generosity to this year’s tally.

Who is your own Mike Sandoval, the once-in-a-lifetime friend – or special teacher, coach, mentor, role model – you can honor with a “Ballapalooza” donation to a kid in need? Together, Our Gang can spread a lot of holiday cheer.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

Last-Minute Gift List for Santa

December 24, 2016December 24, 2016 by Woody

Woody’s highly anticipated new book “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” is NOW available! Order your signed copy HERE!

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Last-Minute Gift List for Santa

Dear Santa, you old curmudgeon, put down that spiked eggnog and listen up. Before you finish checking your list twice to see who’s Trump-y and who’s nice, here are a few last-minute gifts to pack in your sleigh tonight.

Give Vin Scully second thoughts about retirement.

Give Dodgers fans the same as above.

1santa Give the world another John Glenn, Prince, David Bowie, Arnold Palmer and Muhammad Ali – well, as near facsimiles as possible – to fill the voids they left behind this year.

Give every school bully a lump of coal.

Give a bagful of rocks to Juan Manuel Cisneros, the local artist whose breathtaking nativity scene built with balanced stones that seem to defy gravity at the beach near the Ventura Pier is such a masterpiece it has been viewed more than 13 million times on social media.

Give teachers some heartfelt notes from former students who are now successful adults, offering thanks for having made a difference in their lives.

Give college students a break in tuition!

Give America a school year without a mass shooting.

Give every person spending the holidays in the hospital a complete cure.

Give my friend Alvin Matthews a miracle that allows him to complete his next marathon on foot instead of in a racing wheelchair.

Instead of a “Fruit of the Month” gift subscription for the year, give California farmers a monthly delivery of a long, soaking rain.

Give every child a rainy day, a book, and no Internet for an entire day.

Give Mike and Bob Bryan one more Wimbledon title in 2017. Heck, since there’s two of them, add the U.S. Open title, too.

Give cyber bullies a ransom computer virus.

Give Russian hackers the same as above.

Give small local businesses a lot more of our business.

Give my author friends one week each on the best-seller’s list in 2017.

Give Ventura’s downtown parking meters the heave-ho-ho-ho.

Give all CEOs the heart and mindset of Yvon Chouinard, who had his company Patagonia donate all of its Black Friday profits – a whopping $10 million! – to environmental groups.

Give the hundreds of thousands of animal species currently on the way to extinction – scientists claim that literally dozens of species are disappearing daily! – a second chance.

Give anyone who is upset about the new law requiring grocery stores to charge 10 cents for a paper bag, a roll of dimes for when they forget their reusable bags.

Give Hillary a dose of serenity she’s surely lacking.

Give Trump a dose of wisdom he’s surely lacking.

Give Ventura County’s homeless year-round access to nightly shelter.

Forgive me, Santa, but give Heather Bresch – the CEO that quadrupled the price of the life-saving EpiPen from $56 per pen to $317 – a severe peanut allergy.

If the Los Angeles Rams are going to keep playing like they did this season, give them back to St. Louis.

Give children fewer critics and more encouragement.

Give protestors of the Dakota Access Pipeline more portable heaters and less tear gas.

Give women equal wages as men as well as equal representation in public office, tech jobs, and CEO positions.

Give all our active soldiers, and veterans, our heartfelt gratitude – and speedier and better healthcare.

Give last-minute Christmas Eve shoppers (pronounced “procrastinators”) the patience of Job to maintain their sanity among the holiday crowds (pronounced “mobs”).

Give the Star’s Julius Gius Bellringer a record total in 2016 along with our sincere gratitude in the memory of the late, great editor and humanitarian Mr. Gius for creating this wonderfully worthy campaign 37 years ago.

Give all the kind-hearted people who donated to the Bellringer or to my annual “Woody’s Holiday Ball Dive” – an avalanche of 386 balls bounced in this year for disadvantaged kids – a big “thank you!” and good karma in 2017.

Give a Merry Christmas, Blessed Chanukah, Wonderful Kwanzaa or simply Happy Holiday to everyone!

Give my loyal readers, all 12 of you, the same as above.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Check out my new memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

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Ball Drive is Rolling Along

December 18, 2016 by Woody

Woody’s highly anticipated new book “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” is NOW available! Order your signed copy HERE!

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Decking the Halls with Balls of Jolly

Basketballs are bouncing in, footballs are spiraling in, and soccer balls are bending in like Beckham kicked them for my annual Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive.

This year’s running tally has already topped 250 balls, yet that is one less than it should be. In years past, I could always count on Jerry Nelson to donate a top-of-the-line basketball. Always a basketball, which made sense because Jerry was a longtime local referee.

Some of the gift balls for kids this year!

Sadly, I received an email earlier this week with these words from Jerry’s eldest son, Erik: “Dad has blown his last whistle.” Gerald passed away at age 84 on Dec. 6.

Jerry was much more than a referee. He was a dedicated educator, youth coach, Scout leader; avid tennis player with an email address gntennishack; and was involved with numerous service clubs.

After my memoir “Wooden & Me” came out, Jerry sent me a note incorporating one of my favorite Wooden-isms: “I read your book quickly, but not in a hurry.” He signed off, “Your favorite Westpark referee.”

That he was. Jerry will be missed, but his basketball donation this year won’t – I am giving an extra Spalding in his honor.

Another Jerry (Mendelsohn) and his wife, Linda, donated a dozen basketballs and a dozen soccer balls. Importantly, three of the couple’s four grandchildren – Garrick, 6; Dannika, 3; and Parker, 2 – helped with picking out the balls and delivering them.

“The older two remember why we do this every year and Parker got his first taste of what ‘giving’ is all about,” Jerry shared. “Linda and I were beaming with pride at these three and their desire to be of help in making this holiday season brighter for those children in need.”

Tom and Christina McEachern similarly had their grandchildren – Helios, 12; Preston, 5; and Sadie Grace, 2 – in mind while donating two soccer balls and one basketball.

Sandy Aberle started a new tradition by asking the seven children attending her family’s Thanksgiving dinner to each bring a ball to donate.

In memory of her mother Janice Manjoras, Sherrie Basham donated three footballs and four basketballs, noting: “My mom loved Christmas and always donated to a cause for kids.”

Pamela Carter similarly donated a basketball in memoriam: “This is my first Christmas without my Mom. We were blessed to have our parents until they were 97 (Dad) and 96 (Mom). No matter what age they are when they leave, it is not easy.”

Nancy Rickman donated a mix of 25 basketballs, volleyballs and footballs “in memory of my friends Dorothy Jue Lee and Allen W. Jue.”

Donna and Loren Jonkey dedicated a basketball “in honor of our son Jeff (a LBPD officer), who suffered a heart attack in June and was given a second chance at life.”

Andrew Sherman gave “a basketball in memory of Mike Sandoval, who left us way too soon, and a baseball in honor of Richie Rubenstein, who is battling multiple myeloma.”

From Jim Cowan, a veteran: “This year I would like to dedicate the ten basketballs to members of the Armed Forces, both past and present, for their service and sacrifice in preserving our freedoms that are too often taken for granted.”

Kate Larsen donated three soccer balls, sharing: “Thank you for making it easy to pick out just the right thing to get kids off their sofa, turning off their phones, and going outdoors to enjoy running around.”

No, the thanks belong to everyone – too many to mention all in this limited space – who has generously contributed.

There is still time to drop off a new sports ball at any local Boys and Girls Club, YMCA or at Jensen Design & Survey at 1672 Donlon St. (near Target on Telephone Road in Ventura) weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Dec. 21. And please email me at woodywriter@gmail.com so your donation can be added to the final tally.

Let me close with this wisdom from John Greenleaf Whittier: “The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.”

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WOODY WOODBURN

Writer, "Streaker" & Speaker

Tag Archives: holidays

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