ALS- “Hunting For A Cure” Banquet

Jim Dawson — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:55:30 +0000

Eric Sullivan, Matt Sullivan, Brent Stoner, and myself attended the “Hunting for a Cure” banquet on March 20th, 2010. This banquet is a fundraiser for the Ky. Chapter of the ALS Association. ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually leading to muscle weakness, twitching, and paralysis. Mitch Ensor, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2006, wanted a way to raise money to help find a cure for this disease. With help from his family, friends, and numerous sportsmen and women, Mitch began this banquet a few years ago to raise money for the ALS Association.

What a humbling experience this banquet was for all of us. The generosity of everyone was amazing. Without a doubt, there was a lot of money raised through games, live auctions and silent auctions. However, it was the compassion and caring for others that struck me. Sportsmen and women are incredible. Whenever someone is in need, they are always the first to offer a hand. Derby City will continue to help fight ALS with donations for future banquets. The Ensor family opened our eyes to the struggles of fighting ALS, how to remain positive in times of adversity, and how to be proactive in the this fight. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mitch and his family.

I think the last line of Lou Gehrig’s speech about his diagnosis of ALS says a lot about his character. He says, “So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.” I don’t know Mitch Ensor well, I met him for the first time at the banquet. However, watching him throughout the evening, I believe he would say the same thing.

Mitch: keep fighting, keep hunting, keep believing.

-Jim Dawson, Derby City Game Calls

You can keep up with Mitch Ensor’s “Hunt for a Cure” by checking out their Facebook page.

Friendship

Jim Dawson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:30:30 +0000

One of the things I like about hunting is that it allows you to meet a lot of people and develop life- long friendships. Many of my good friends are hunters who I have met through my love of the outdoors. Working at Derby City Calls has expanded my network of friends even more. Brent Stoner has become a good friend of mine. We recently started hunting together and have had success turkey hunting and chasing rabbits. Jeff and Eric Sullivan have also become good friends. There guys are not hunters…yet!! My love of hunting allowed me to meet these guys when they were looking at manufacturing turkey calls. Jeff and Eric are hardworking business owners. They have been great to work with and I look forward to many years of friendship.

To Brent, Jeff, and Eric- I am blessed to have you guys as friends. I look forward to growing these friendships over the years.

To Rick Denkhoff (another good friend)- You better kill a big turkey or deer this year if you still want to be a Pro Staffer.

Derby City Game Calls » Eric Sullivan

ALS- “Hunting For A Cure” Banquet

Friendship