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3/28/2008
Outdoor Dream puts Smiles on Faces
Anderson Independent - David Williams
They are the kinds of dreams that put lots of smiles on children's faces, says Denise Blackwell of Inman.
Ms. Blackwell knows about all the smiles The Outdoor Dream Foundation, which is based in Anderson, put on her 14-year-old daughter's face.
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip," Ms. Blackwell said. "Hope was so excited about the trip."
The Outdoor Dream Foundation turns dreams into reality with outdoor adventures for children who have been diagnosed with terminal or life-threatening illnesses.
Hope almost missed her trip to Alaska, where she wanted to "mush" a dog-sled team.
Hope was diagnosed with leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant at Duke University's medical center. Hope's brother, Bryce, now 6, turned out to be the match Hope needed, and when she recovered, it was time to fulfill her dream.
Hope spent three days with a dog-sled team and also flew in a small plane around Mt. McKinley.
"We had moose right outside the cabin one day," Ms. Blackwell said. "It is a whole different lifestyle. The pace is really laid back."
Al Watson, a volunteer with the foundation, said, "Once you meet these kids, you?re hooked."
Mr. Watson and his partner Bill Clamp are licensed tugboat captains. They also own TowBoat U.S., which operates on Hartwell Lake.
"We?re like the AAA of the water," Mr. Watson said.
Mr. Watson put more than his firm'?s transportation knowledge to work when he joined Hope and her mother on the trip to Alaska.
"They are strong in their faith," Mr. Watson said. "They?re just wonderful people."
The foundation also grants many fishing and hunting trips to locations in the region.
Mr. Watson recalled a bass fishing trip for a Greenville girl who was nearly blind and suffering from brain cancer.
"She caught three fish, one 12-pounder and two 14-pounders," Mr. Watson said. "And she got to drive the boat. It made her day."
The foundation, a nonprofit organization which has been recognized for putting more than 98 percent of its contributions into granting the dreams of children, plans to conduct a fundraiser April 7.
The event is called An Evening with Hank Parker. Mr. Parker is a two-time Bassmaster Classic champion, and one of the prizes offered at the event will be a guided striper fishing trip for two with a member of the Hank Parker 3D Team.
Another prize will be a trophy white-tailed deer hunt with National Football League Hall of Fame member Larry Csonka. The former Miami Dolphins running back has been a supporter of The Outdoor Dream Foundation since it was formed four years ago by Coach Harold Jones, his son Brad Jones and the many volunteers who contribute to the foundation?s trips.
The fundraiser at the Civic Center of Anderson also will include a performance by country music star Rex Norton. Tickets cost $30 each.
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