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Reba McEntire, Red Steagall Headline Chicago Benefit Concert for Area High School Wrestling Coach
The country artists will perform at the Sears Centre Arena March 21; proceeds to pay medical expenses for retired Marine West High School wrestling coach Richard Carlini.
February 23, 2009
Hoffman Estates, Ill. / The “Queen of Country” Reba McEntire will take to the stage at the Sears Centre Arena along with Red Steagall for a benefit concert on March 21 to support the mentor of hundreds of former Chicago-area wrestlers.
Former students of Coach Richard Carlini created a foundation to help pay for his medical expenses.
The Teachers, Coaches and Students Foundation was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to help support the retired Maine West High School wrestling coach who suffers from AVM (ArterioVenous Malformation).
Reba McEntire heard about their efforts and wanted to help, so she teamed up with her own mentor and country music legend, Red Steagall, to raise money for Coach Carlini.
The benefit concert will take place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates on March 21. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 2nd at 10am and can be purchased at the Sears Centre Arena box office, any Ticketmaster outlet location, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
The Back Story
A stroke of the spine known as AVM put Coach Carlini down for the count. He simply woke up one morning with the lower half of his body paralyzed.
News spread quickly through the tight-knit community of Des Plaines.
The former coach spent the next three months in five different hospitals meeting with dozens of doctors. He eventually had back surgery but with no successful results.
“It’s still tough to believe for me,” said Bryan Real, a former lightweight wrestler and student of Carlini. “Coach Carlini was a powerhouse, a mentor and a friend. He was inducted to the Maine West Coaches Hall of Fame and he means the world to all of us. He’s done so much for so many years and now, it’s our turn to give back.”
The idea for a concert came up because members of the organization felt they needed a major fund raiser to make a difference for the coach, whose funding with Medicare is running out. Coach Carlini and his wife are starting to sell all their assets to help pay for medical bills. If he were to accept Medicaid, his house would go to pay for future medical expenses.
“We knew the cost to try to get our coach back on his feet again and care for his future needs was not going to be cheap,” says Real. “A bake sale or a car wash was not going to do it. Raising money had to be big and fast because he simply wasn’t getting any better.”
Former wrestlers and friends came back together as a team to help their old coach. One by one, former teammates, now living around the country and leading their own lives with families and careers, have set aside time to dedicate themselves to this project.
When Reba McEntire stepped forward along with Red Steagall, the group knew they had a hit. Both entertainers and the Sears Center even revised their fees to assist the foundation’s needs.
For more information about the concert and/or the foundation, please contact:
Bryan Real
Phone: 847-622-1803 x224
Email:
Website: www.teacherscoachesandstudentsfoundation.com
NOTE: The above document is information regarding a benefit concert put together to help coaches, teachers, and students throughout the state of Illinois who have had spinal cord injuries.
Many of you know my father has been paralyzed from the mid section down due to a burst aneurysm in his spine since the end of October. Many of his past students, football players and wrestlers have come forward to build a foundation to not only help him, but others in need as well.
Our family is humbled by all the support, well wishes, and prayers received.
With Warm Regards,
Perry and Jenny Carlini