Dodging for vets
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 8, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Brian Volk and Bill Graham of the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition accept a check for over $1,000 from Samantha Creech. All profits, including entry fee, T-shirts and concessions, from a dodge ball tournament Creech organized were included in the donation. She said, "I come from a military family and wanted to find a way to give back."
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Rosewood High School senior Ethan Chapin throws the ball at the opposing team during a dodgeball tournament.
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Players compete in the dodgeball tournament at Rosewood High School to raise money for the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition. There were seven teams, and the Average Joes were the winners.
One might say that Samantha Creech came into this world ready to give back.
It started soon after she was born, when she became a gift to her parents, Tim and Sandy Creech.
"I was adopted from Russia when I was 9 months old," she said.
She grew up in a military family. In addition to her father, now retired from the Air Force, she also had grandparents and two brothers who proudly served.
Now 17, the senior at Rosewood High School has been active in many extracurricular activities -- playing soccer all four years as well as being captain of varsity cheerleaders -- and is currently president of three organizations, National Honor Society, DECA Club and student council.
So naturally she has participated in more than her share of fundraisers along the way.
But until recently, she had not considered spearheading one on her own.
"Just living in a military community, I really wanted to do something to give back," she said.
She knew how she wanted to do that, a dodgeball tournament, but it took some time to narrow down the beneficiary.
"I wanted to raise money for the veterans or some sort of medical treatment, but I went with the veterans, the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots Coalition," she said.
She researched online about how to run a dodgeball tournament.
She contacted Bill Graham of the coalition, who was receptive to the idea.
She talked to her athletic director at school about the process to secure use of the gym.
She borrowed additional dodgeballs from nearby Rosewood Middle School.
Then she created sponsor forms, acquiring nearly a dozen sponsors to support the effort, and created T-shirts to sell.
The only thing she didn't factor in was how much money the effort might generate.
"Because my school's never done this before, I wasn't sure how successful it would be but it ended up being pretty good," she said. "I got all my expenses paid off and all the money I earned -- entry fees, T-shirts, a raffle -- I raised about $1,100.
"I was really blown away with the results. I didn't think I'd make that much money. Rosewood is a small community. I was really surprised with the involvement I got from the community."
She did have help, she said. Her parents pitched in and their involvement with the Booster Club also aided in the process, with them offering up 50 percent of the proceeds from a concession stand.
Friends also donated prizes for the raffle, including an afghan made by her grandmother, and a "famous" Ho-Ho cake made by a mom at the school.
A highlight was being able to present the $1,100 check to Graham for his veterans organization.
She said she would like to see that continue in the future. But for the time being, this semester is all about getting prepared to graduate from high school.
She has been accepted into four universities -- Stetson University, Appalachian State University, UNC-Wilmington and UNC-Chapel Hill -- and is pursuing scholarships. She said she plans to major in international business and minor in Spanish and marketing.
Her dream job would be "working for a large bank or a corporation, and then I would be able to travel and do business and get them to do business over here," she said.
And one day maybe getting to travel to her own birthplace.
"I hope to go visit Russia one day, but it's very political and the economy is unstable over there," she said. "My parents promised they'd take me back whenever we get the opportunity."
She is also hopeful that the dodgeball fundraiser, or something similar, might be replicated in the future.
"I would like to pass it down to somebody else who'll be here next year," she said. "I would come back to help them with whatever they need."