Commentary | Vitale Gala is a special night thanks to those kids who showed us the way
SARASOTA
The world as we know it here will spin a rainbow of hope Friday night.
It's a sight to behold.
We get to see the best in people and how powerful love and kindness can be. We get so see how utopia can be defined in various ways.
Thanks to a bunch of kids whose lives aren't going the way they hoped, we are all the more empowered to produce good.
We owe this to Dick Vitale's legion of cancer-fighting kids. Some will be honored on the dais and others posthumously at the 10th annual gala Friday night the Ritz-Carlton.
Vitale says he is going to be greedy. He wants to surpass the $2.1 million last year's gala brought in.
"We are at $12.7 million now, and if we can raise $2.3 million we can get to $15 million in the 10 years since we've put on the gala," Vitale said. "We are sold out, but there are many ways people can give, and those at the gala can donate whatever they want."
There will be more than 70 sports celebrities at the banquet, but as Vitale has said multiple times the stars are the kids, who are in the front lines of the war against cancer and those who will be honored in memory on this occasion.
"These kids have become part of me," Vitale says. "Skyler (Dunn) you keep seeing her smile though she has gone through 200 rounds of chemo, and that's a reason why I am so obsessed," Vitale says. "I've got healthy grandkids, and I want to make sure dollars are available to help them if something happens."
Dick Vitale will announce his All Courageous Team, honoring 10 kids who are at various stages in their fight against cancer. The one thing they have in common is they took it on their own to help in the fight against cancer.
We cited Jake Taraska from Lakewood Ranch previously, and there are a couple of kids from Sarasota.
Skyler Dunn has created her own army of cancer-smashing kids around the world and has more than 10,000 instagram followers. What excites her most is when she hears from someone who says Skyler's advice or inspiration helped them.
And there is Kyle Peters, who in 2010 was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. His cancer has been in remission since 2011 after rounds of chemo and radiation, and he has attended every Dick Vitale Gala in the past four years, working to raise awareness of the disease.
Joining them on the All Courageous team are Cole Eicher (13 years old), Josh Fischer (6), Erin Kiseiwski (16), Jared Rascio (7), Tatum Parker (13), Marissa Peddier (9) and Leah Still (4), the daughter of Cincinnati Bengal Devon Still.
The list is really endless, filled with these warrior kids who may have never played baseball or carried a football but smacked home runs and scored touchdowns in the battle against cancer.
There will three video presentations honoring former ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott, who lost his life to cancer last January, and former women's college basketball player Lauren Hill, who captured the heart of the nation before she died last month.
The other will tell the story of Still's daughter Leah, who has been battling neuroblastoma.
The gala will have three honored guests from the sports world in Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Lovie Smith, Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim and Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher. Each is no stranger to cancer and has donated time and money to help the fight.
Among the invited guests are USF head football coach Willie Taggart and assistant Ray Woodie, who played for Manatee and Palmetto. Also Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari and a contingent of players from the Tampa Bay Bucs are expected to attend.
Those who cannot attend the gala, but want to donate may do so on DickVitaleonline.com.
This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Commentary | Vitale Gala is a special night thanks to those kids who showed us the way."