Cully's Kids Part II: the big announcement

Friday morning day two of Cully's Kids officially kicked off with a golf tournament out at Oxbow Country Club.  It was a hot day- perfect for the outdoor activities.

The first indication that something special was going to take place, was the seating below.  Matt had already told the announcement to those of us in attendance at Usher's the night before, but the anticipation of it was still pretty intense.

Brooks Cullen, Matt and Bridget's oldest, hasn't forgotten playing knee hockey with Nolan at the state hockey tournament.  Just like all the young men that Nolan looks up to and who have taken the time to mentor him, he now feels responsible to be an example for Brooks and younger kids like him. 

Brooks with his younger brother Wyatt.

Some of "Cully's Kids," getting ready for the big announcement.

My tiny camera doesn't have a lot of capability.  But it still gets the essence of the moment.  I love this photo- not because of the composition... but what it says to me.  I see the youngest Cullen boy, Joe, with his Grandpa Terry, talking with Julie, being photographed by Rick who clearly loves the shot, and Bridget is in the background watching.  Bridget is in the middle of being interviewed by one of the 10 different media sources in attendance, but clearly, her heart is with her son.  

And now the big anticipated announcement.  Below is Sanford Medical Center president Dennis Millirons.  Matt and Bridget have just announced that their foundation, the Cullen Children’s Foundation, will donate $1 million to the Sanford Health Foundation to build a therapeutic children’s play area for the new Sanford Children’s Hospital proposed in south Fargo.

The money will go toward building a 3,000-square-foot Cully’s Kids Area.The room will be on the seventh floor, and will be hockey-themed, with a therapeutic and educational environment staffed by professionals. It will also feature play areas, an area for arts and crafts, culinary projects, a library, a learning area, a stadium theater and an interactive area.

By the time Dennis had enumerated all of this, I found myself holding back tears.  Normal- that is what Bridget and Matt want kids fighting cancer to have- a space where they can escape the strain of disease- the needle sticks, the tests, the chemo- and be normal for even a little while.  

Here is my friend Wendy again, who will work closely with the Cullen Foundation bringing in her expertise from all of her years of experience of being a Child Life Specialist.

Brian Lee getting interviewed. Brian just recently signed with The Tampa Lightning to play for two more years in the NHL.  We're so proud of all of our Moorhead hockey pros.

Former Spuds head coach Dave Morinville with former Spud players Jeff Foss and Chris Vande Velde. 

Another young Westra boy helping his Grandpa shoot golf photos.

Taking a break after carrying golf bags for the golf participants.

The Oxbow Country Club has a special place in our heart.  We had our wedding reception there 15 years ago- almost to the day. 

Chris Vande Velde, former Spud and Sioux player, whom Nolan has looked up to for a long time.  Chris is still in contract negotiations with The Edmonton Oilers for next year's season.  

We left that night exhausted and filled, with one day left to celebrate... part III...  

Golf adventures.

Nolan

Cousin Gunnar

Colton

Nolan, Colton and their cousin Gunnar competed in their end of the season golf tournament on Monday. We awoke to thunderstorm clouds and the threat of rain, but it held off long enough for our tournament. Each of the boys played in their own division. Colton in the 8 and under. Nolan in the 9 and 10 year olds and Gunnar in the 11 and 12 year olds.

They each played a number of holes either on the course or on a manufactured spot on the driving range for Colton. All three of them putted the same course roped off on the putting green. We couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised at the little awards ceremony at the end of the tourney. Gunnar got first place in putting for his age group with a 20. I think he had plans of retiring the clubs for next year, but Uncle Rick says "no way." You are a for real golfer when you take first place and you need to continue!

And Nolan tied for first place in his age group with an 18. Not to be forgotten however was Colton who also won his age group with a 19! And Colton got 3rd place overall on his holes. Leave it to the 7 year old to show everyone how its done. He had his own little following of kids who clapped and cheered for him when he won and he absolutely beamed.

But our early morning showed a bit in our baseball games later that night. Nolan struggled with pitching, as did the other two boys who had played in the golf tourney. We won the first game and lost our second one. We will need a big win tomorrow night to earn a spot in the championship bracket for Thursday and Friday.

I've been messing with the blog design all day. I've settled on this for a bit. I'll try it on and see if it fits. What do you think? Rick cast a no vote because he says all of my links are at the bottom and nobody will scroll down to see anything. But I love the clean look. What do you think? Which do you prefer, content in the sidebar, or clean design?