Welcome to the 6TH Annual Jimm Revelle Tournament

Our 2012 Tournament was a great one.. so far it has earned a total of $4,058.00 for the Revelle Fund! See pictures here.

•We had 35 auction prizes that sold for a total of $1,543.00.
•Individual and other donations amounted to $1,150.00.
•We had 28 players and the entry fees brought in were $1,340.00.
•There were over 70 donated items of prizes and food and over 30 monetary donations.
•The event now sports a beautiful new banner- photos coming soon.
•And here are the tournament winners:

B/C DOUBLES:

Steve Holloway & Buzz Corsello

OPEN/A DOUBLES:

Dave Bleyer & John Marty

OPEN/A SINGLES: Steve Simpson

B SINGLES: Tohny Rocha

C SINGLES: Anthony Ontko

Place: Living Fit Club-Formerly Olympus Sports Club
437 Manchester Rd(Rt 27)in Westminster, MD
Date: Saturday October 13th - 9 AM to approx 5 PM
Sponsored by EForce Racquetball and supported by Chris Owens of
Living Fit Clubs. Special thanks always to Charlie Winterstein.. founder of the original Leisure Racquetball Club.

One day tournament.. $30.00 per person for first event.. $15.00 per person for second event. Doubles and/or singles play available for beginner through advanced.. all pairings made by Joe Cornell.. each player guaranteed at least two matches. Prizes for first place in each class.
Our complimentary lunch featuring tons of delicious food, begins about 11:30. Food is provided in part by Olive Garden, and is available to participants, volunteers and everyone.
Silent auction items will be awarded around 2:00 PM.
Racquetball Speed Gun event is a blast - and will be held at about 12:30. Public welcome!

The original goal of this event and Jimm's story:
The Revelle family had been in need of financial assistance due to Jimm's long hospitalization. Jimm Revelle was a good friend who spent a large part of his career at Maryland Public TV involved with AM Weather, Wall Street Week With Louis Rukeyser, and many other local and national MPT productions. Prior to his illness he had been freelancing as a TV camera operator and studio director in the Baltimore and D.C. area. In late May of 2007 he was hospitalized. A blocked bile duct caused an inflammation of his pancreas that turned into acute pancreatitis. He spent eight and a half months fighting for his life at University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, where he underwent numerous surgeries and suffered from unfortunate complications that kept him in the surgical intensive care unit in critical condition. He never recovered.. and died on February 18th, 2008 after suffering a massive stroke. All of his care cost incredible amounts of money.. money that the family did not have.

Racquetball was one of Jimm's favorite activities. For him it was a rich source of camaraderie, exercise, and friendly competition. In fact, it was said that his solid physical condition prior to his illness helped him to fight as hard and long as he did. A racquetball tournament was seen as the perfect way for Jimm's friends to get involved and earn extra funds to help in supporting the Revelle family.

He played at the Living Fit Club-Olympus Sports Club in Westminster, and it is there that the Jimm Revelle Memorial Racquetball Tournament is held. The club is owned and operated by Chris Owens, who has generously donated the club's racquetball facilities for the event.
The tournament is organized by longtime friends Kathy and Joe Cornell, former owners of the club, and championship caliber racquetball players in their own right. Jimm's racquetball buddies, and others who have an interest in this cause, also help to make the event a success.

The Tournament's Current Mission

This will be the sixth year of the Revelle Tournament, which supports the Jimm Revelle Fund. In the first years our focus was financial assistance to Jimm's family. That need eventually lessened, and the Fund has turned its attention to helping present and past members of our racquetball club family, and others in our community who may be suffering hardships and are in need. We are proud to have assisted a total of six families- to help them get through especially tough times. This year we gave assistance to a 54 year old Carroll County father who sustained extreme injuries in an ATV accident and was in a coma when we learned of his plight. He came out of the coma in June, and is undergoing intensive physical therapy.. but his recovery will be a long one. His dedicated family is doing everything possible to get through this. They are being aided by their church, and have put on a fundraising dinner/dance to help pay expenses. 
Last year contributions were made to the Palmerino family, whose autistic son Vincent needed speech therapy. Our contribution made it possible for him to be enrolled in a program offered by Speech Pathways in Westminster . Note: Jill Palmerino reports that Vincent attended sessions twice a week and his progress has been excellent! See letter from Jill below.
 
A board of five individuals, working in conjunction with the Community Foundation of Carroll County, headed by Audrey Cimino, decides on the granting of assistance. Assets not distributed will remain in the Jimm Revelle Fund - a Community of Compassion Fund, managed by the CFCC. These funds will be available for use at any time, at the discretion of the board.
Board members are: Kathy Cornell, Alec Webb, Lee Ziemski, Erle Meinecke and Mindy Coates. Fund Type: 501(C)(3).. Tax ID: 52-1865244

In addition to fundraising, the tournament endeavors to be a rejuvenating and unifying event that brings people together for fun, food and friendly competition. The Jimm Revelle tournament gives the Fund life, and you in turn make this event a reality.. with your time and your donations.
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The following item highlights the Revelle Tournament's ability to make a difference in our community:
   
Vincent Palmerino, pictured in this blog and mentioned above, was the primary focus of the Revelle Fund's attention last year. His mom Jill took the time to write us a wonderful heartfelt letter which she presented at this year's event.  It is transcribed in full here-

"Our Dream Team"
Hi, my name is Jill Palmerino I'd like to tell you a little about myself and my family. I am 34 years old my husband Joey is 38. We have two awesome boys Tony is 8 and Vincent is 6. Tony is in the 3rd grade & Vincent is in Kindergarten at Friendship Valley Elementary School. Tony is such a great and caring big brother to Vincent. Joey and I found out Vincent had Autism. He was diagnosed between the ages of 2 1/2 to 3 years of age. When we learned of this, I asked, "Why God"? Why My Child? But as time went on, I realized that God only gives us challenges we can handle. There have been so many nights when I got the boys ready for bed; I would just sit on the floor and cry, wondering if I could handle these challenges. My husband has to travel for his job, and he could be away for extended periods of time. When Joey is away, I am very blessed to have my parents, close family members and friends as a wonderful support group. I truly wouldn't have known what to do without them. My mom is so involved in helping by going to Vincent's doctor's appointments at the Kennedy Krieger Institution(where he was diagnosed by a team of doctors)and IEP meetings at school. Then, last year, a couple so dear to my heart came and asked if we needed any help with Vincent. At that time, Vincent was not speaking much and had a limited vocabulary. He was hard to communicate with in many ways. With the help from that couple, Joe & Kathy Cornell and the Jimm Revelle Foundation Fund Vincent has been receiving speech services from Speech Pathway Finders, founded by Kimberly Bell and her fabulous staff. I felt as though God was answering our prayers. We call them our "Dream Team" I had tears of joy when they hosted a racquetball tournament event that was a fundraiser to collect money to go to Vincent for his speech services. It was like the show on TV EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER, only it was "EXTREME VINCENT MAKEOVER". It was such a miracle, that just from those classes he was able to have better communication with his family and friends. I never in a million years thought he was going to be able to speak or hold a conversation. He can now talk in sentences, sometimes a little hard to understand, but has done a 180 degree turn in a matter of two years. This is remarkable considering the way he was, barely speaking at all. Vincent is a very sweet and lovable child, but also gets in trouble like most normal 6 years old. Tony, our oldest son is always caring and encourages Vincent with positive remarks but like most brothers when the two of them are together sometimes it's totally chaos. I just wanted to acknowledge that through the hard work and dedication of this foundation our lives and the lives of other families with different needs have been helped enormously. They are "Our Dream Team", God sent us in helping our son with Autism. Life has many challenges some are easier than others, and our daily struggles have been helped with this wonderful organization. Without the outpouring of love and support of this amazing foundation, our son would be struggling even more with his communication skills. We are so grateful to all the fine members who helped to improve our lives. We know there will be challenges & obstacles in our future, but with God and our "Dream Team" we will continue to move forward. We just want to thank you for all of your help. 

With Our Love and Gratitude
Joey, Jill, Tony & Vincent Palmerino

How To Get Involved

If you would like to help out by donating: 
Make a direct contribution to support the tournament by sending cash or a check made payable to The Jimm Revelle Fund to Kathy Cornell at 673 Lake Dr. Westminster, MD 21158...  
Play in the tournament or Sponsor a player and give cash or a check to him or her. Players with the most sponsor dollars will be eligible for terrific prizes on tournament day! 
Player Entry Form (entry deadline Oct 8th) is available as a .pdf file from the MWRA website CLICK HERE.  
MWRA is the Maryland Washington Racquetball Association.. go to their website for info on area clubs and events.. including ours, under "tournaments"!
http://www.mwraweb.com/ 

All proceeds from this tournament go to the Jimm Revelle Fund. Each contribution will be answered with a 'thank-you' and a receipt for tax purposes.
Make checks payable to:
The Jimm Revelle Fund
If you wish, write Racquetball Tournament in the memo space


Please come join us!! 
Take a pleasant ride through scenic Carroll County and join us on tournament day. Enjoy watching spirited racquetball play and have a drink and snack with us, or help to devour a free yummy lunch beginning about 11:30 AM.. delicious pasta dishes kindly provided by Westminster Olive Garden, numerous savory homemade delights from the Cutting Garden gals, Debbie Ziemski, Kathy Cornell and others. 

Also, jot down a bid on any of the numerous neat items on our silent auction tables. Items run the gamut- from flowers by The Cutting Garden, to an autographed portrait of Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith donated by Great Moments Sports Memorabilia, and dazzling neon bar signs from Silver Run Liquors. Also, again this year, Living Fit Club owner Chris Owens has contributed a Flat Screen HD TV for the auction! Pick up a bargain and help a wonderful cause at the same time!

Another tradition at the tourney is the speed gun event. Joe plays traffic cop and reads the exact speed of racquetball hits, awarding prizes to the fastest and the most accurate ball speeds. This happens about 12:30, and is always great fun to watch!

At the club you'll probably see some old friends, and maybe make some new ones.. all are welcome to drop by completely free of charge.

Event will be held at Living Fit Club-Olympus Sports Club("Olympus" is on side of building), 437 Manchester Rd, Westminster MD, 21157 -Click here for Map-
The start time will be 9:00 AM, and go until all matches are complete..
usually around 5:00 PM.
Any questions.. call Kathy at 410-346-7905.

Special note: The families and friends of those, past and present, affiliated with the club are warmly welcomed.. In addition to the Revelle family, we invite the friends and family of Wayne Kirker, Dave Coates, Megan Taylor, Dan Stephens, Randy Daily, Terry Burke, Paul Long, Chris Audet, Barclay Brown, Steve Clay, Stephanie Caparola, Norm Smith, Kenneth W. Young, Charles T. 'Tom' Chrest and Todd Shields to join us on this special day. This is all part of an effort by Kathy and Joe to create a more inclusive yearly event that endeavors to honor the rich contribution that others have made in the lives of us all. It is our feeling that Jimm, who genuinely loved people, would approve.. and in fact share our pride in this wonderful event.

Donors and Supporters

It takes a lot of folks, working in many different ways, to make something like this happen. $22,984.00 is the grand total earned by our tournaments for the Jimm Revelle Fund.. all through the efforts of people like you!

Here is the list of businesses and organizations that have contributed to the Jimm Revelle Tournament:
Chris Owens- Living Fit Clubs
Olive Garden- Westminster -Mgr. Kimberly McCombie
Great Moments Sports Memorabilia- John Conigliaro
The Cutting Garden Flower Shop- John King
EForce Racquetball Equipment- Nancy Whalen
Carroll Chiropractic & Sports Injury Center- Dr. Jeffrey Wallace
Silver Run Liquors- Mike Ball
Harvestin' Natural Foods- Ron Buczkowski
Maggie's Restaurant- Jim Breuer
Village Printing- Dean Douglas
Servpro of Carroll County- Lyndon & Barbara Gibbes
Stu's Music- Don Myers
Staples Westminster- Tony Griczin, and special thanks to Holly Buell
Legends Cafe- Amy and Jim Fields
Lee's Automotive- Hank Davis
Harley Davidson of Baltimore- Don Meyers
Texas Road House- Westminster
Hugs & Stitches- Sandi Schneider
JJ Hoffman's Creamery- Jane and Jeff Hoffman
Embroid Me
Parks Landing Seafood Restaurant- Bill and Sandy Parks
Crawford Insurance- 58 W. Main St. Westminster- John and Ben Yingling
Frisco Family Pub- Brian and Cheryl Lawson
Paradiso Ristorante- Roberta Foster
Subway
BB&T Bank- Lynn Kuhns and Chris Ruppert
Dick's Sporting Goods- Westminster
Papa Joe's Mexican Restaurant
Cartridge World- Coy Boone
Northcraft Pressure Cleaning- Kent Northcraft
Munch's Court Street Cafe- Steve and Cheryl Lawson
Maryland Public TV
Weis Markets
Giulianova: Groceria-Deli-Catering
Ledo Pizza- Cranberry Square Shopping Center
Roaring Run Lions Club
Rafael's Restaurant- Rafael Javier
Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar
The Stables Restaurant and Lounge at Westminster
Roy Rogers- Westminster
A Gourmet Affair-Restaurant/Cafe
Greenmount Station Restaurant in Hampstead, MD- Chris Richards
Sakura Japanese Steak and Seafood House
Applebee's
Heinz Bakery
The Greene Turtle
Brown's Orchards & Farm Market - Loganville, PA
The Fire Museum of Maryland

Thanks to these individuals for donations and assistance:
Kathy and Joe Cornell
Eva Yingling
Deborah Revelle
Jenna Revelle
Laura Andrews
Mandi
Ellie
Christina Bildstein
Charlie and Jeanne Winterstein
Terry and Tony Baer
Jill, Joey, Tony and Vincent Palmerino
Ryan Baer
Dean and Kathy Smith
Gary and Krissy Gross
Kent Northcraft
Lee Ziemski
Erle Meinecke
Ben Yingling
Mindy Coates
Alec and Mary Webb
John, Jenelle, Joanna and Paula at the Cutting Garden
Dan and Mary Ann Schatz
Bill and Irene Chadwick
Joel Levin
Lynn Kuhns
Roberta Lyles
Kim Holcomb
Lou Goldberg
Jim Golden
Eileen Cozart
Kaye Shipley
Ray Kawata
Chris Kahler
Vicki Hudson
Cricket Masson
Jim Bigwood
Kari Honeycutt
Bob Mixter
Joe Campbell- Campbell Photography
Marty Friedman
Steve Smith
Frank Batavick
Mike English
Ken Day
Linda Quinn-Stein
Donna Hunt
Kathy Pugh
Daryl Martin
Jeff Wachter
George Beneman
Lela Yamnitz McWilliams
Janice Heimer
Michelle Parker- for MotorWeek, an MPT Production
Audrey Cimino- Community Foundation of Carroll County
Timmy Ganske
Don Joy
Michael Ball
Matt Dowling
Susan Nally
Dave Bleyer
Chic and Christina Cieslik
Kelly Ensor
Ralph Davis
Pavel Bittner
Adam Auerback
Steve Messiora
Robert Corsello
Steve Bowersox
Vince Powers
Justin Bullock
Steve Holloway
Ty Stolp
George Hardinger
Paul Newman
Jeff Lee
Steve Simpson
Michael Fuller
Phil Czyryca

Event Winners in 2011:First Place Open/A Singles - Don Joy
First Place B Singles - William Chadwick
First Place C Singles - Joel Levin
First Place Open/A Doubles - Steve Simpson & Paul Newman
First Place B/C Doubles - Jeff Lee & Phil Czyryca
Congratulations to the winners and all who participated!

2 notes saved from last year-
We have leaned about the passing of a member of the Leisure Racquetball Club family:
Charles T. 'Tom' Chrest passed away on Saturday November 12th, 2011.. he was 57 years old. Tom worked at the racquetball club with Kathy and Joe and was a great tennis player. Tom covered many hours for Kathy and was always smiling and laughing. He was always willing to go above and beyond for his friends, and will be greatly missed.
For more information on Tom go to.. this link at Carroll County Times
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Another who passed recently is Mike Ball's brother Kenneth W. Young. Kenneth was an extraordinary man who did remarkable work with children. His obituary can be found at Carroll County Times and is worth reading.. click here.
Our sincerest condolences to longtime friend and avid tournament supporter Mike Ball and his family.
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