PDA

View Full Version : Gridiron GIs score big for charity



thedrifter
09-03-06, 07:45 AM
Gridiron GIs score big for charity

By Matthew Rodriguez
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 3, 2006

right shoulder. She lost her arm and spent close to a year recovering in an Army hospital.

Yesterday, Halfaker was back doing what she enjoys: playing sports. Halfaker played for the second time in a charity flag football tournament at Camp Pendleton near the Semper Fit Fieldhouse.

The Buddy Bowl has raised more than $50,000 this year for charities that benefit disabled veterans and the families of servicemen and women killed while on active duty.

“This is just part of who she is,” said Connie Halfaker, 50, Dawn's mother and teammate. “She's an athlete.”

The charity event began among friends in 1977, but it turned into a fundraiser in 1999. The event raised about $500 that year for the families of several Marines killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of Point Loma.

Since then, the event has raised about $175,000 for several charities, including the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which provides specialized athletic equipment for disabled veterans and law enforcement officers.

Buddy Bowl organizers hope to raise $100,000 this year to match last year's total. Other funds go to the North County Honor Campaign and the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which support children whose parents have been killed while on duty.

Many of the players were civilians. Fewer servicemen and women played this year because many are overseas, organizers said.

Buddy Bowl treasurer Lisa Marcolongo's husband, Maj. Nico Marcolongo, is among them. Lisa Marcolongo said her husband is serving in Iraq with the 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms. He is board president of Buddy Bowl, a nonprofit organization, and usually organizes the event. This year, she took the lead.

“He's deeply missed,” Marcolongo said.

About 225 people played on more than a dozen men's and women's teams. Organizers hope to include wheelchair teams next year. Two of yesterday's participants – Army Maj. David Rozelle and Halfaker – had been seriously wounded in Iraq.

“I'm a little bit more cautious,” said Halfaker, 27, a retired Army captain who now lives in Washington, D.C.

A family friend and teammate said Halfaker showed the same competitiveness she always has.

“She was always a fiery competitor before the injury,” said Terra Bailey, 34, of La Jolla. “She hasn't let the injury change that.”

Several times during a game yesterday, Halfaker dived for an opponent's flag. She said the event, which she played in last year, has helped her build confidence.

“Sports was always a big part of my life,” she said. “It shows that it still is.”

Matthew Rodriguez:

(760) 476-8245; matthew.rodriguez@uniontrib.com

Ellie