Foundation Honoring Tyrone Woods Donates $3,000 to Area Wrestling Program

Foundation honoring Tyrone Woods donates $3,000 to area wrestling program

Created on Wednesday, 11 January 2017|Written byEllen Spitaleri|

The Tyrone Snowden Woods Wrestling Foundation was established in 2015 to provide financial, educational and charitable support to Oregon high school wrestlers and wrestling programs, and on Jan. 4 the foundation presented $3,000 to the Roy Pittman Peninsula Wrestling Program.

Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, a 1989 graduate of Oregon City High School, was killed in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 12, 2012, while defending the lives of 30 Americans at the CIA annex there.

Woods was a member of the wrestling team at OCHS, placing fifth in state during his senior year. Those who knew him said the sport provided an outlet for his determination, athletic strength, never-quit attitude and competitive spirit.

Tyrone Woods

The vision of TSWWF is to pay forward Tyrone's love and passion for wrestling in a way that will help prepare youth of today for the challenges of tomorrow, said Roger Rolen, vice president of the foundation and retired wrestling coach at OCHS. Rolen worked with Woods when he was a team member.

"We hope to shine a light on the sport with its character-building qualities and positive contributions that influenced Tyrone to become the courageous, devoted and loyal man he was," Rolen said. "The values he learned from wrestling became a solid part of his Navy SEAL ethos, which he lived every day, and which carried him through that September night in Benghazi."

An important goal of TSWWF is to preserve Tyrone's memory and protect his legacy.

"With an array of fundraising events and support from the public, we can ensure that his story will provide a foundation in excellence for our youth in areas such as character-building, educational achievement and athletic success," Rolen said.

Nationwide support

"The $3,000 was raised through donations from generous and caring Americans across the country in honor of Tyrone's epic courage and sacrifice for his country in saving lives, and also to support his passion for wrestling, which had a significant influence on his life," Rolen said. "Contributions have ranged from $5 to $12,500, and we are grateful for every dollar that has been donated. The American people have huge hearts, and we are overwhelmed at the support we have received from Oregon to Massachusetts," he said.

"One contributor from Pennsylvania wrote, 'You have no idea of the contribution you are personally making to the futures of young people. Thank you very much for doing such good works.' This individual also covered the season fees for a young athlete at Oregon City High School, making it possible for him to participate on the team," Rolen said.

Because many of the foundation's directors have decades of experience wrestling and also maintain strong connections to the wrestling community, it came to their attention that participants in the Roy Pittman Peninsula Wrestling Program needed wrestling shoes.

"This need dovetailed with part of our mission to support these young wrestlers, and it was an easy decision to choose it as our first campaign. We're proud that we can help with this well-known and outstanding youth-athletic program," Rolen said. "Roy Pittman is a wrestling icon in the wrestling world and has devoted so much of his life to this sport. We are honored to be able to make this donation and are hopeful there will be more."

Medal of Courage

In 2013, Woods was posthumously awarded the Medal of Courage by the Oregon Wrestling Association.

"In order to sustain this excellence in wrestling and to maintain Tyrone's legacy as a state champion high school wrestler and an American hero, TSWWF presented the first annual Tyrone S. Woods Memorial Trophy in 2016 at the state wrestling tournament held at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland," Rolen said.

"The trophy recognizes the most outstanding Oregon high school wrestler based on academic excellence, citizenship and wrestling achievements. This year a $1,000 scholarship will also accompany it," he added. "TSWWF not only seeks to recognize the outstanding Oregon high school wrestler, but also to encourage and promote character building and good citizenship through the sport of wrestling."

Rolen further noted that Woods' name has been submitted for possible induction by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and will be voted on this year.

Donations have direct impact

"The individuals involved with TSWWF are fully committed to our mission and to maintaining Tyrone's legacy and his devotion to country," Rolen said.

"We are a [nonprofit], and no compensation is paid to any director or officer. With the exception of some operating expenses, the contributions go directly to our mission of supporting these wrestlers and wrestling programs," he added.

There are many ways of helping TSWWF, Rolen said, and they range from a small commitment to larger ones.

Donations may be made through the foundation's website or through Woods' Facebook page. All donations provide funding for equipment, program expenses, mats, transportation to tournaments and pay-to-play, Rolen said.

People also can volunteer to be a member of "Tyrone's Team" to help organize and publicize fundraisers, such as wrestling tournaments, silent auctions, golf events, runs and wrestling clinics.

Another way to help the foundation is to support fundraisers with raffle donations or with ideas for future events, such as the American Red Cross In Honor of Tyrone S. Woods Blood Drive scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Willamette Falls Community Center in Oregon City.

Support the foundation

For more information, visit tyronewoodswrestlingfoundation.org.

Send donations to TSWWF, P.O. Box 297, Oregon City, OR 97045, or make donations through PayPal at facebook.com/tyrone.s.woods.wrestling.foundation or through the website listed above.

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive in honor of Tyrone S. Woods from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Willamette Falls Community Center, 519 15th St., in Oregon City.

Members of the Tyrone Snowden Woods Wrestling Foundation Board of Directors are: Cheryl Croft Bennett, Woods' mother; former OCHS coach Roger Rolen; West Linn High School coach Doug Samarron, who wrestled Woods; Kirk Klebaum and Mark Burley, OCHS high school and Navy friends; Capt. Chad Plaisted, OCHS wrestling champion and West Point graduate; and retired Rear Adm. Wm. J. McDaniel, a former Oklahoma national college wrestling champion, writer and orthopedic surgeon.

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