March 20, 2005

Photo by Steve Metz
TROOPER TALKS Orange was everywhere when University of Tennessee running backs coach Trooper Taylor spoke to youth at the Guardian Angels of Hope Family Fun Day. At left is Dan Carlson, a member of the diocesan Disabilities Advisory Board and an academic adviser for the Vol football team.

Vol players help make the Charities fundraiser a success.

atholic Charities’ Office of Disability Programming welcomed some familiar faces to the second annual Family Fun Day, held at Sacred Heart Cathedral School on March 6.

For the second year in a row the Guardian Angels of Hope—a group that supports the work of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee—dedicated months of planning to help CCET raise money to benefit people with disabilities. The Angels organized all of the fundraising activities for the event and brought almost 50 volunteers to run games, paint faces, and sell hot dogs, soft drinks, and candy.

Last year the event raised $3,000, all of which the Angels turned over to CCET. Shawn Spagnuolo, the director of the disabilities office, believes this year’s event will raise even more. “The turnout was a lot better this year,” she said.

“This year we had more time to plan,” said Laura Lee Sturgill, Angels’ vice president. “It is a really good time anytime we can get together to raise money.”

Dan Carlson, a parishioner at John XXIII, contacted the Tennessee football team last year and this year and got running-backs coach Trooper Taylor to bring a few players out to sign autographs and play touch football with the kids. After a few games with the players, the kids sat down to listen to Coach Taylor emphasize the importance of making good decisions and taking care of their bodies.

“Decisions you make today affect the way you live the next [day]. If [the players] make bad decisions, it doesn’t end up on the funny page,” said Coach Taylor. “If you put bad things into your body, bad things come out. Get outside and play. You don’t get healthy playing Xbox.”

At the end of the day Father Ragan Schriver, CCET’s executive director, thanked everyone for participating, especially the Angels. ”Thanks so much to the Guardian Angels of Hope for bringing all this together today,” he said.