The first was the opportunity to be a patient escort for Bobby Mitchell's Hall of Fame Golf Classic benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Carson's Patient Escort Badge: His Ticket to the Event
This was no small event, but rather a weekend of events that included a black tie dinner on Saturday night. Some 30-40 Hall of Famers give of their time for the weekend. Various companies and individuals buy tables and enter the golf classic for the privilege of eating with, playing a round of golf with, spending time with these amazing athletes for the weekend. Bobby Mitchell, a hall-of-famer himself and former Washington Redskin, has been lending his name and credentials to this event for 20 years!
I don't know if Carson realized what esteemed company he was keeping that Saturday evening, but he may later in life.
The first step in getting ready for the event was finding the right outfit. Carson elected to wear his dark suit with a light blue shirt and striped tie. He even decided it was important enough to skip the tennis shoes and instead go out and get some real dress shoes. He was really excited about them.
We arrived at the event early to receive our instructions and rehearse a bit. Carson practiced coming out from behind a curtain, walking to the center of the room, then returning to his place behind the curtain to pick up the next athlete. He looked great, and certainly looked like he knew what he was doing, but I wondered how it would be when he was doing it in front of about 300 people. He was the youngest escort by at least a few years, most of the others were probably between the ages of 10 and 13.
It sure looked like it was going to be fun; but we had fun even before the event got started. As it turns out, Carson was given a special program with photos of all the Hall of Famers and the teams they used to play for. We were ushered into the VIP room of the hotel and there, Carson got to collect autographs from all the players he could harass. They were great and Carson collected about 30 signatures from names such as Meadowlark Lemon, Larry Little, Mel Renfro, Jan Stengrud and more.
Tom Mack?? of the L.A. Rams
Thanks for the autograph Meadowlark.....
Carson with Larry Little of the Miami Dolphins
Next, it was time for the dinner. Carson and the other escorts took their place behind a black curtain, the athletes lined up, the lights were low, the spotlights were on, the attendees were all waiting at tables, the closed circuit cameras were panning the crowd, the emcee was speaking. And then, he decided to introduce the patient escorts one by one. I thought "uh-oh! Carson's going to be shy for this", and I was COMPLETELY wrong. When Mr. was introduced, he stepped right out from behind the curtain, spotlight shining full force on him, cameras transmitting his image on multiple screens and thunderous applause ensuing. He waved and smiled and didn't quit until someone tapped him on the shoulder to let him know it was time to return to his place BEHIND the curtain.
Then his "work" started and he was a pro.........I think he was the best escort out there, and if not that, certainly the most adorable - as a lady at one of the tables told me so!
The littlest escort seats the largest guy there...Willie Roaf of the New Orleans Saints.
All in all, Carson had the privilege of seating about 8 world class athletes. What an honor! I took lots of pictures so he can remember it later and, of course, we have the program with all the signatures that we are in the process of framing.
Thank you Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for such a great experience!
-Jennifer
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