Tag Archives: holidays

Generosity Rolls in Despite the Fire

by Woody

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor 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 . . .

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“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.”

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

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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

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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."

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

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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

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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.

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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.”

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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.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck 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” …

Friendships & Holiday Ball Drive

by Woody

1StrawberriesCoverWooden-&-Me-cover-mock-upFor 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

* * *

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.

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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.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck 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” …

Last-Minute Gift List for Santa

by Woody

STRAW_CoverWoody’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.

1santaGive 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.

Wooden&Me_cover_PRCheck 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”

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Ball Drive is Rolling Along

by Woody

STRAW_CoverWoody’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 gifts for kids!

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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Column: Holiday Ball Drive

by Woody

 ‘Holiday Ball Drive’ is kids’ stuff

Editorials are generally as disposable as the newsprint on which they are printed, and yet one that appeared in The New York Sun in 1897 might as well have been carved in granite because it remains relevant and favored well over a century later.

BallDriveHeadlined “Is There a Santa Claus” it began with a letter from young Virginia O’Hanlon:

“Dear Editor –

“I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?”

The Sun’s reply included the now famous line, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” and continued: “He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.”

Indeed, how dreary would the world be with no Virginias – and, alas! no Briannas, Sarahs, Mitches and Myas.

In the spirit of love and generosity, “Woody’s Holiday Ball Drive” officially kicks off its annual efforts today to bring a small measure of joy into the lives of disadvantaged children.

The seed for this endeavor was planted about 20 years ago at a youth basketball clinic when former Ventura College and NBA star Cedric Ceballos awarded autographed basketballs to handful of lucky attendees.

Leaving the gym afterward, I happened upon a 10-year-old boy who had 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 he hadn’t carefully taken the trophy basketball home to put safely on a bookshelf, I interrupted his playing to ask.

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

1ballsAt Christmastime, visions of that boy – and other boys and girls like him, who don’t have their own basketball to shoot or soccer ball to kick or football to throw – danced through my head. So I asked you dear readers to help make the holidays happier by dropping off a new sports ball (no batteries required) at a local Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, youth recreation center, fire department, Special Olympics chapter or house of worship. The organization’s leaders will see that the gifts wind up in deserving young hands.

Over the years you have responded like MVPs – Most Valuable Philanthropists – and I am once again asking you to deck the halls with sports balls. If you participate, please email me at woodywriter@gmail.com so I can add your generosity to this year’s tally.

It is not only kids who receive the gift balls, some of the most inspiring donors have been kids, too.

Kids like 10-year-old Sarah and 8-year-old Mitch who emptied their “Jar” of chore money to buy a soccer ball and football to donate.

Kids like 12-year-old Mya who used babysitting money to buy seven soccer balls.

Kids have used their birthday money to buy gift balls and one boy asked his grandparents for a new football – and could he please have it a week early so as to have time to donate it to someone who otherwise wouldn’t get a Christmas present?

Kids like 9-year-old Brianna, who wrote me: “I saw your wish list in the newspaper and I wanted to help. I know how important it is to help others. So this year I saved money by collecting recyclables. So I was able to give: 5 basketballs, 2 footballs, 2 soccer balls, 1 volleyball, 1 bag of baseballs, 1 bag of softballs. I hope this helps.”

What The Sun declared more than a century ago it says here today in The Star: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and kids like Brianna, Sarah, Mitch, Mya and other amazing kids like them exist.

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Wooden&Me_cover_PRWoody 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”