The phrase “APA Family” is frequently spoken throughout APA Leagues. A shining example of what this truly means was found in the Pee Dee South Carolina APA on Aug. 29. 

To say it’s been a rough year for longtime APA member Mike Gainey would be an understatement.  His lungs collapsed after undergoing heart bypass surgery earlier this year.  He then went into liver failure and his kidneys began to shut down.  His family was told he would not leave the hospital alive.  Fortunately, Mike did improve and was able to return home.  Unfortunately, the medical bills began to pile up.  That’s when his APA Family stepped in.  Mike’s teammate, Robby Bryant, approached League Operators Richard and Regina Johnson about organizing a benefit to help cover some of the medical expenses, and the Johnson’s didn’t hesitate.  “We couldn’t have done it without Robby’s help” Regina Johnson said.  “Not only was it his idea, but he assisted every step of the way.”

The benefit was held at R & J’s Billiards & Pub in Florence, S.C., and included a double elimination 8-Ball tournament, food and raffles.  The food was provided by the Johnson’s and Joe Turner, owner of The Phoenix Bar & Grill, also located in Florence, S.C.  Twenty-five players competed in the 8-Ball tournament, where Larry McGee took 1^st Place.  Two raffles were also held, with Becky Bryant and Ray Weinburg being the lucky winners.  Mike was on-hand for the benefit, which raised $650. He’s looking forward to playing pool competitively again—he plans on rejoining his team for the Fall Session.  Good luck and best wishes Mike!

For more information about Pee Dee South Carolina APA, please visit peedeesouthcarolina.apaleagues.com.

Western Nebraska APA League Operators Joe and Carmen Bond continue to do their part to make the world a better place.  On July 31, they held a charity tournament to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Three different locations in Paxton, Neb.—Windy Gap, Swede’s and Ole’s—played host for the tournament.  All three locations are on the same block, with just a short walk between each.

The modified single elimination event featured a Flip-Flop format, which alternates between 8-Ball and 9-Ball each round.  Thirty-one shooters competed for their share of the $1,500 in prize money provided by the Bond’s. Ashley Sierks took 1^st Place and Jared Truman finished in 2^nd Place.

Western Nebraska APA will continue to accept donations for the charity throughout the Summer and Fall sessions—$237 has been raised so far for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  “All money collected is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in hopes of granting wishes to terminally ill children,” Joe Bond said.

For more information on donating, please visit nebraska.apaleagues.com, and for more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation visit wish.org.

On July 10, Mohawk Valley APA helped Scott and Kim Tranter—owners of Empire Diner in Herkimer, N.Y.—raise money for local charities by building the World’s Largest Omelet.  It was no coincidence that the omelet looked like a giant pool table.

Volunteers spent several hours cooking eggs dyed with green food coloring and placing them on a large platform in front of the diner.  Donations were accepted in exchange for the opportunity to hit billiard-themed beach balls with an 18-foot cue stick into pockets made out of trash cans.  The event raised $12,000 in food and $10,000 in cash for local food banks.

It took 45,000 eggs, 200 pounds of cheese, 150 gallons of milk and 120 pounds of butter to make the 2,200 square foot omelet, which broke the record set by the Tranter’s back in 2002.  “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” has even agreed to feature the record breaking omelet in a future edition.

So, how many people did it take to eat the World’s Largest Omelet?  The answer will remain unknown, since the giant omelet was donated to local pig farmers to be used as feed.

For more information about Mohawk Valley APA please visit mohawkvalley.apaleagues.com.

Chicago Central APA knows that most donations to the Greater Chicago Food Depository are received during November and December.  They are also well aware that hunger knows no season.  With that in mind, they scheduled their charity 8-Ball tournament to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository on June 12, 2010.

The double elimination tournament drew 16 participants to City Pool Hall on Hubbard Street in Chicago. Everyone had a great time for a good cause.  Owen Bacucang took 1^st Place in the tournament, while Rick Naluz finished in 2^nd Place.  The event raised $300 and collected 150 canned food items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

For more information about the Greater Chicago Food Depository please visit chicagosfoodbank.org, and for more information about the Chicago Central APA visit chicagocentral.apaleagues.com.

Central Illinois APA announced a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois.  The fundraiser, called “Cues for Kids”, will run the entire 2010-2011 League year.  Donations can be made through weekly team envelopes, or via collection jugs that will be set up at all Central Illinois APA events.  Central Illinois APA will match all contributions up to $1,000.

The program is expected to become an annual event.  The “Cues for Kids” event officially kicked off at the April 2010 spring awards presentation.

For more information about “Cues for Kids” visit illinoisapa.com; for additional information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois please visit bbbscil.org.

Every year Western Nebraska APA League Operators Joe and Carmen Bond dedicate their entire Spring Session to raising money for cancer research.  Donations are collected through weekly team packets, raffles and two tournaments—with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

The first tournament, a 9-Ball Singles event, was held Feb. 13 at Walker’s Steakhouse in Gothenburg, Neb.  Lois Holbein took 1^st place in the modified single elimination tournament, where 27 participants competed.

The second tournament, an 8-Ball event held on March 27 at the Touchdown Club in North Platte, Neb., hosted 47 players.  Ashley Osienger took 1^st place in the modified single elimination event.

To ensure that every dollar raised from entry fees can be donated to the American Cancer Society, Western Nebraska APA provides $1,500 in prize money to each tournament.

$1,301 was raised for cancer research through donations, raffles and tournaments. For more information on the Western Nebraska APA visit nebraska.apaleagues.com and for more information about the American Cancer Society please visit cancer.org.

Numan’s Billiards in Johnson City, Tenn., played host to Mike Massey on March 11. He helped Tri-Cities APA collect money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  Massey entertained the crowd of nearly 200 APA and non-APA members with his dazzling display of trick shot artistry.  The exhibition was free-of-charge with donations accepted to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  The event raised $194 for the charity. 

League Operator Justin Bledsoe plans to hold the event again next year and hopes to raise even more money for the hospital.  “Tri-Cities APA was very happy we could raise this money and we look forward to more benefit events in the future,” Bledsoe stated.

Please visit stjude.org for more information about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For additional information about the Tri-Cities APA in Eastern Tennessee visit tricities.apaleagues.com.

When longtime APA member and Host Location owner Bill “Teddy Bear” Wetherell passed away last September, Central Illinois League Operator Kim Jones knew she was going to keep his memory alive somehow.  On Jan. 30 she fulfilled that mission by holding a 3-on-3 charity tournament in Wetherell’s honor.   The tournament raised money for the Boys & Girls Club of Decatur, Ill., a charity that Wetherell personally contributed to each Christmas.

“Bill was a generous man, and we wanted to continue his contributions through an APA event,” Jones said.  “He loved the APA, playing in the League since 1989, so a pool tournament benefitting an organization that he cared about was a logical choice.”

The Teddy Bear Tournament, held at Rendezvous Bar & Grill in Decatur, Ill., raised $2,400 for the Boys & Girls Club of Decatur.  The double elimination 3-on-3 tournament included 32 teams.  The team consisting of Chris Akers, Blake Rauch and Coty Pinnell won 1^st Place. Carol Gifford, Rob Thompson and Dave Miller finished as Runners-Up.  Third place went to Todd Tibbs, Tiffany Blastenbrei and Ricky George. Ken Koshinski, Jim Irwin and Chris Sullivan finished in 4^th Place.

For more information about the Boys & Girls Club please visit bgca.org; for additional information about the Central Illinois APA visit illinoisapa.com.

In the true spirit of “Pool Together”, APA of North Alabama joined forces with North Alabama BCA to raise money for Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA).  The fundraiser, which raised $450 for the Sipsey River Chapter of BACA, was held Jan. 30 at Diamond’s Billiards in Huntsville, Ala.  Wayne Parker, owner of Diamond’s Billiards, donated the table time for the event, which included an 8-Ball tournament and a 9-on-the-Break contest.  Chuck Zeiher, husband of APA League Operator Lee Zeiher, volunteered his time as tournament director, ensuring that the double elimination tournament ran smoothly.

“We love supporting BACA,” Lee Zeiher said.  “They are a wonderful organization, and they truly do a lot to protect abused children locally.”

For more information about Bikers Against Child Abuse please visit bacausa.com, and for more information about the APA of North Alabama please visit northalabama.apaleagues.com.

Every January the ladies of Somerset County in New Jersey challenge the men to a Battle of the Sexes event.  Of course, we are talking about a pool tournament— for a good cause!  This year’s event was held Jan. 9 at McCormick’s Pub in Somerville, N.J.  APA League Operator Brian Boyle runs the tournament every year as a way of giving back to the community.  Boyle doesn’t take all of the credit, “I couldn’t do it without the help of my Division Rep, Chris Sarra.  Chris has been a driving force behind this event since day one.”

The Battle of the Sexes event raised $1,574, with 60 percent going to the winning team’s charity and 40 percent going to the losing team’s charity.  The men were victorious, winning by only one point and securing $944.40 for Juvenile Diabetes Research.  The ladies one point defeat wasn’t in vain, as $629.60 was donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in their honor.

Money is collected through entry fees, raffles, donations and a potluck style dinner.  “Members can bring a covered dish and get a $5 discount on the entry fee,” Boyle said.  “We charge $5 a plate to anyone at the location, not just tournament participants, and we have more food than we can eat.”

This year marked the 4^th Anniversary of the Battle of the Sexes Tournament. The event has become more successful each year!  For more information about APA of Central New Jersey visit apacentralnj.com.

For more information about Juvenile Diabetes Research please visit jdrf.org, and for more on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital go to stjude.org.