With goal in sight, Gregg Williams Foundation to kick off three days of fundraising

As far as small towns are concerned, many consider Excelsior Springs fortunate to have the likes of the Gregg Williams Foundation assisting in the improvement of the community.  Created in December of 2004 as a non-profit organization to help fund programs for kids in the Excelsior Springs area, the foundation also donates financially to various community organizations to help promote the common good of Excelsior Springs.

The foundation is named after Gregg Williams, a 1976 Excelsior Springs High School graduate, Tiger athlete and NFL defensive coordinator.  Once a year the foundation hosts the annual Gregg Williams Tiger Classic, which is its primary three-day fundraising event, and is right around the corner.  This year the foundation has set its sights high and plans to reach the $1 million mark in funds raised since 2005.

At the end of 2011 the Gregg Williams Foundation had given back $626,000 to community and school programs for kids in the Excelsior Springs area, with the remaining funds being spent in the area to pay for the event expenses, fundraising expenses, taxes and fees.

This year’s Tiger Classic will kick-off Wednesday, July 11, with the annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony.  The dinner will begin at 6 p.m. in the commons area of the high school, with the awards ceremony to follow in the ESHS Performing Arts Center.  Tickets are still available for the evening and are $25 per person, which includes a steak or chicken dinner, salad, dessert and drink.  They can be purchased by contacting Roger Siegel at the ESHS activities office, 816-630-9284.

This year’s Hall of Fame Inductees were chosen by a special committee from nominations submitted by the community and include: H.A. Dickey, for the Community and School Service Award; Jim Piel, State Champion wrestler for the Missouri School for the blind and the first ever State Champion wrestler for ESHS; Sara Vassmer, multiple softball award winner, member of the 1998 State Champion softball team and softball player for the University of Missouri; Conrad Woolsey, outstanding multi-sport athlete for ESHS and collegiate shot putter for Northwest Missouri State and the University of Missouri; and the 1998 Lady Tiger State Champion Softball Team, which finished the season with a record of 24 wins and five losses and produced five All-State athletes.

For more on this story, see the print edition or e-Edition of the Friday, June 29, Standard.

By Jae Juarez • jae@leaderpress.com

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