Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few

Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few
- “Captain" Spock Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).


Eight days before Christmas 2008 a tragic murder-suicide in Alden NY left 2 wonderful children without parents. Those two children ages 13 and 11 will never see Christmas the same way all of their friends do and they may never look forward to that time of year like almost every other child does. These children have been left to face many challenges as they grow up without their mother or father. I would never wish these life challenges on anyone let alone two children.

The story can be found in the Buffalo News: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/525362.html

With everything going on today in society (ie stock market down, banks struggling, companies going bankrupt and millions of people losing their jobs) it would have been easy for society to sweep these kids under the rug and just claim there is nothing to give. People could try to justify this claiming “that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” but when Spock spoke those words it was without consideration of the human heart and how deep people will dig to help children in need, regardless of the affect it may have on their situation.

This family mentioned in the article was very close with my good friends Kelly & Tommy Ebeling as well as their two children (Bryanna and Karly). The kids all grew up together, were all in school together (same grades), went to girl scouts together and stayed at each others house. It broke their hearts to see these two children go through such a tragedy and facing an uncertain future. So they decided to step up and do something about it. Kelly & Tommy are in the process of creating a fund that will help provide for these children as they grow up as well as help them with a secondary education. To start this fund they have organized an annual snowmobile run as well as Basket Auction benefit.

The 1st Annual Wilczak Snowmobile Run kicked off today Feb 22nd around 11:00 from Byrncliff Resort & Conference Center in Varysburg, NY and was a resounding success. Each participant was to visit 4 stops on the trail and roll 3 dice at each stop. At the finish there was a dinner, 50/50 raffle, and basket auction. Trophies were awarded to the three participants (male and female) with the highest cumulative dice roll as well as the individuals with the lowest cumulative dice roll. All of the proceeds went to the real winners…The Children. One interesting fact is that most of the snow in western NY had melted but in the past few days, seemingly just in time, the snow started to fall again and there was enough accumulation for the event to go forward.

I volunteered to man one of the stops and write down the dice total for each participant. After all of the participants had visited my stop, I went back to Byrncliff and helped collect the tickets, total the scores, determine the winners, sell basket auction tickets, 50/50 raffle tickets, and tee shirts. My part was small but it sure was uplifting to see person after person come through the door to help these children. Some participated in the Snowmobile run others just came for dinner. Some were employees of Byrncliff working on Sunday, some were friends bringing more items for the auction, and still other were people never meet before with big hearts willing to give. 100-150 people participated in the run at a cost of $25 and\or came to dinner at a cost of $20. Almost to a person each person stepped up and bought 50/50 raffle tickets, then stepped to the basket auction table and bought tickets for the auction, continued on to a second raffle for some large items being raffled (ie snowmobile helmets and snowmobile coats that had been donated), proceeded to the tee-shirt table to buy a tee shirt for the event and then got in line for the buffet dinner.

With things going they way they are in the world today I find it uplifting to watch people of all ages dig a little deeper, potentially give up one of life’s pleasures just to give to those in need. Thanks to these people and many more like them, the fund for the Wilczak Children is off to a great start.

Kelly and Tommy have also organized a much larger Basket Auction benefit to be held March 15th. From the sounds of it this Basket Auction has grown to quiet the event. They have had a local farm donate a pig to the cause and a local butcher has donated the processing of the pig. The pig will be raffled off in two halves fully processed and ready for your freezer. Among other things the auction will also include Autographed Sabres Stick, Autographed Bills Jersey, Autographed CDs including one from Martina McBride, a Pheasant hunt valued at $150, Passes to the Miss Buffalo pageant, Free rounds of Golf, a 6 hour boat charter on Lake Ontario for 6 people and over 200 baskets. Arrangements have been made for a band, polish dancers, and magicians to provide entertainment.

However first and foremost what you will find at this benefit will be the same thing I found today at the snowmobile run… People all with hearts the size of Niagara Falls and all willing to give up a little of what they have, to help someone in need.


Blesses are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting
- Elizabeth Bebesco


Anyone interested in purchasing some raffle tickets for 1/2 a pig can contact me. The tickets are $2\each or 3 for $5. The 2 winning tickets will be drawn live at the Basket Auction on March 15th (you do not need to be present to win).

The Basket Auction benefit it will be held March 15th at:
Millgrove Volunteer Fire Hall
11621 Genesse St.
Alden, NY 14004

Anyone interested in donating to the cause can send donations to:
Friends of the Wilczak Family
c/o Kelly Foss Ebeling
6489 Broadway
Lancaster, NY 14086

An account in the name of “Friends of the Wilczak Family” has been setup at the Alden State Bank in Alden NY.