FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 12, 2009
Baltimore, MD – Today the Craig Willinger Fund announced its official Non-Profit “Kick Off” event. The Event will take place on Thursday, November 19th, at Della Rosa’s Canton Tavern on 1801 S. Clinton Street, from 7pm – 10pm. The event is $10 per person and includes light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Local Baltimore sports celebrities will be on hand to meet and greet and help launch the group and its new website www.cwfund.org.
The Craig Willinger Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to sending cancer-stricken children and young adults, to watch the Beautiful Game where it is played – both domestically and abroad. The Fund strives to raise spirits and offer a better quality of life by offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a soccer match, in person, at unique soccer venues.
The story is a simple one. In the summer of 2008, Board Member Darren Rudham heard about Craig Willinger, a Bayern Munich fan that had been diagnosed with high risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and given 6.5 years to live. Craig’s dream was to go see his favorite team play in person. It was Darren’s promise that Craig would see Bayern play in Germany.
Two fundraisers, and a lot of hard work from a dedicated base of Baltimore-based Liverpool FC fans, the club raised almost $4,000 to send Craig and his girlfriend Johanna over to Germany to watch Bayern play Köln in February of 2009.
And so the wheels began to turn. If it could be done for Craig, why not someone else? And so the Craig Willinger Fund was born. The Craig Willinger Fund’s hope is that the dream and their promise to it will inspire others to recognize that making a difference in one person’s life doesn’t take all that much.
“The opportunity I received to go watch my favorite soccer team play was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and one that might never have happened had it not been for a few dedicated soccer fans” Willinger said. “My board members and I are excited to launch this non-profit and give the same opportunity and experiences I enjoyed to numerous cancer-stricken children and young adults.”
Willinger concluded, “This year our goal is to send up to five cancer-stricken children or young adults 25 years and younger and one of their care givers to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.”