On Aug. 9, 2011, Pee Dee South Carolina APA member Justin Tidwell was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer.  Justin missed the entire Fall Session due to surgery and radiation treatments, but he didn’t spend that time sulking.  Instead, he used his time during treatments and hospital stays to develop a website devoted to raising money to help those who, like him, have little to no medical insurance.  You can access the site at cafepress.com/tracshop.

On Jan. 14, 2012, Pee Dee South Carolina APA League Operators Richard and Regina Johnson did what they could to help Justin by organizing a fundraiser.  Taking place at Stroker’s Billiards in Sumter, S.C., and featuring a double elimination Singles tournament as well as raffles, the benefit raised $473.  A total of $413 went directly to Justin and $60 went to the winner of the tournament, which just so happened to be Justin!  Justin then gave $40 of his winnings to the 2^nd Place finisher, Brian Timmons.

Justin has completed his treatments and will know if the cancer is completely gone when he returns to the doctor next month. “He is in great spirits and has returned to play in the League for the Spring Session,” said Regina.

For more information on the Pee Dee South Carolina APA visit peedeesouthcarolina.apaleagues.com.

Northwest Dallas APA combined forces with Wizards Sports Cafe in Richardson, Texas on Dec. 22 to hold their inaugural Toys for Tots 8-Ball Scotch Doubles Tournament. Thirty-two teams showed up with toys as an entry fee and over 200 toys were collected.

Lori Way, Northwest Dallas APA League Operator, donated two Action pool cues for 1^st Place and an assortment of APA merchandise for 3^rd Place; Wizards Sports Cafe donated $50 in gift certificates for the 2^nd Place team.

Jose Dorado Jr. and Juan Contreras took 1^st Place, Richard Dankovcik and Lucy Kimble placed 2^nd, and Kevin and Deanna Bush finished 3^rd.

For more information on Toys for Tots visit toysfortots.org; and for more information on Northwest Dallas APA visit nwdallas.apaleagues.com.

When Stephanie Johnson heard fellow APA member James Owens was the victim of a house fire her immediate reaction was, “What can I do to help?”  Her second thought was, “Organize a charity pool tournament.”  And that’s exactly what she did.

“Me being one person can’t do much,” Johnson remembers thinking, “but if we brought the entire League together, we could.”  So she spoke to the owner of Scottie’s Last Chance Saloon in Punta Gorda, Fla., and got permission to hold the benefit tournament for the Owens Family at his location.

The charity event took place on Dec. 10 and featured 20 individuals competing in a double elimination 8-Ball Singles tournament.  Shawn Collie won the tournament, with Albert Baker finishing 2^nd.  Both members donated their winnings back for the family.  The event also featured a barbecue and raffles, including a cue donated by Charlotte County APA League Operator Vito Faieta.  At the end of the day $377 was presented to James and his family.

“It was so good to see so many people come together at this time of year to help one family,” Johnson remarked.

For more information on Charlotte County APA visit charlottecounty.apaleagues.com.

On Dec. 10, 15 teams competed in the 2011 ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) Fundraiser 8-Ball Scotch Doubles Tournament held at The Break Billiards in Cahokia, Ill. Winning pool cues, cue cases, large baskets of APA pool stuff and 1^st Place trophies were the father and son team of Marty and Martin Kaczmarowski. Winning pool cues, cue cases, a small basket of APA pool stuff and 2^nd Place trophies were Mark Montgomery and Niki Politte.

There was also a 3-ball contest, 9-Ball break contest, in-house poker run, 50/50 drawing and basket of booze which contained bottles of liquor from 11 local Host Locations.  Paul Malter won a cue as 1^st Place prize in the 3-ball contest. John Stoffel III won a cue as 1^st Place prize in the 9-Ball break contest. Brien Youngblood had the winning hand of four 9’s to win a cue in the in-house poker run. Brien also won $57 on the 50/50 drawing. Marty Kaczmarowski won the basket of booze.

The tournament was sponsored by Midwest Illinois APA and was held in memory of Bob Hinkle Jr. Bob became an APA member in 1993 and was a skill level 6 when he was diagnosed with ALS in October 2006. He passed away at age 50 in November 2007.

Many thanks to all who helped with the tournament and contests: Judy Hinkle, Alex Hinkle, Dale Miller, Brien Youngblood, Shelli Eichelberger, Bob Nier, Buffy McKinney and Jim McKinney.

Thanks to The Break for providing the pool room and tables at no cost for the day. Also thanks to all locations who donated items for the booze basket: Carol’s Bridge Inn, Doit’s Village Inn, Fairview Inn, Humdinger’s, Ken’s Lounge, Laurie’s Place, Old Town Tavern, Shooterz, Shorty’s Pub, Time Out and The Break Billiards.

Other donators were Gary Newingham and Rixstine Recognition.

All proceeds—a total of $1,046—were sent to the ALS Association, St. Louis Regional Chapter, which helps all families in the Missouri and Illinois Metro East areas who are dealing with ALS in their lives.

Please visit alsa.org for more information about the ALS Association; for additional information about the Midwest Illimois APA visit midwestil.apaleagues.com.

Sixteen shooters turned out for the 3^rd Annual Toys for Tots Benefit tournament held at Terry’s Billiard Club in Topeka, Kan., on Dec. 4.  Leon Sylvestor took 1^st Place in the tournament, which used a Speed 8-Ball format.  Local merchants donated enough gifts that everyone who entered the tournament received a prize.  Northeast Kansas APA League Operators Jim & Rosemary Halladay matched the entry fees and Terry Munson, owner of Terry’s Billiard Club, matched the quarters that went into the tables, making the total donation to Toys for Tots $600.

For more information on Toys for Tots visit toysfortots.org.

Northwest Dallas County APA raised $470 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure during two separate events.  League Operator Lori Way donated two Action pool cues that were raffled off to raise money for the charity—both were signed by APA spokesperson Jeannette Lee “The Black Widow” and Robin Dodson.  The first drawing was held during the 2011 Summer Awards Ceremony on Sept. 25, with Jonathan Bearfield becoming the first winner.  The second cue was raffled off during the 2011 Top Gun Tournament on Nov. 11— Tony St. Clair was the lucky recipient of that cue.

For more information on Susan G. Komen for the Cure please visit komen.org; and for more information on Northwest Dallas County APA visit nwdallas.apaleagues.com.

Starship Billiards in Decatur, Ill., played host to the Inaugural Cues for Kids Pool Tournament to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois.  During the tournament on Oct. 29, $999 was raised for the organization.

The goal of the event was to not only raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters, but to have fun in the process.   The tournament used a format called Hurricane 8-Ball, which is a faster paced version of 8-Ball, perfect for a fun tournament atmosphere.

League Operator Kim Jones said, “It was a small event for the first year, but I’m happy with the results.”

For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters visit bbbs.org and for more information on Central Illinois APA visit illinoisapa.com.

After holding three more tournaments during the month of October, APA of San Antonio wrapped up their month-long charity drive by participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk.  APA of San Antonio had 26 walkers involved in the event that took place on Oct. 22 at Hemisfair Park—they were among the top 5 “Friends and Family” teams participating.

The APA team exceeded their fundraising goal of $5,000 by raising $5,170 during the month-long charity drive.

For more information about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society visit leukemia-lymphoma.org, and for more information on APA of San Antonio visit sanantonio.apaleagues.com.

If you were at Cue Ball Billiards in Bakersfield, Calif., Halloween weekend you might have thought you stumbled into a costume party.  But in reality, the men wearing bras weren’t trying to win a costume contest, they were “supporting” a good cause.  APA of Bakersfield held a 9-Ball Singles tournament to raise money for the American Cancer Society and Breast Cancer awareness.  In addition to the $10 entry fee, all participants had to wear a bra.

League Operator Michelle Henry wanted the tournament to be a fun event.  “We used APA rules, but no handicaps,” Henry said.  “Each player was given three life lines—ask a friend (coaching time-out), use a friend (have someone else shoot one shot for them), and pass (turn the table over to the opponent without penalty). The tournament was about having fun and raising money and we did both.”  A total of $400 was raised for the American Cancer Society.

Thirty-nine players participated in the modified single elimination tournament that saw Ryan Bonilla take 1^st Place.  Wayne Moore won the Biggest Supporter prize.  Moore was voted best dressed and best attitude by the participants.

For more information on the American Cancer Society visit cancer.org; and for more information on the APA of Bakersfield visit bakersfield.apaleagues.com.

During the month of October, APA of Maryland sent a flier to all teams requesting donations for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  For a $3 donation players received an APA Pink Ribbon patch, and for a $15 donation they received an APA Shoot for the Cure t-shirt.  Over 400 patches and 200 t-shirts were sent out, with the local APA Office donating the cost of the patches and t-shirts. Thanks to the generosity of APA members, $4,239 was collected for the cause!

For more information on the Susan G. Komen Foundation visit komen.org, and for more information on the APA of Maryland visit apapool.com.