July 28, 2005

Pay it forward

Inaugural fund-raiser paves way for Tillman legacy

AVAC expects 700-1,000 for Saturday night’s ‘Celebration Under the Stars’

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

When contributions started pouring in after Pat Tillman was killed, those closest to him set out to create a legacy with the Pat Tillman Foundation that would emulate the man who left his mark on a nation.

Almaden Valley Athletic Club has teamed up with the Pat Tillman Foundation for Saturday night’s “Celebration Under the Stars,” a benefit for the Foundation’s “Leadership Through Action” program. Shown from left, first row: Becky Smotherman, activities director; Jean Cook Braun, director of marketing; and Sue Davis, general manager; and back row: Alex Garwood, Pat Tillman foundation president; Joe Shank, owner and JoAnn Shank, co-owner/controller

Tillman, a Leland High School graduate, was a scholar-athlete who walked away from an NFL career when he and younger brother Kevin joined the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He was 27 when he was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004 in a firefight that later was determined to be a tragic case of friendly fire.

In September, the first phase of his legacy will come alive in the form of a leadership program at Arizona State, thanks to a $1.25 million endowment. And, with the help of Almaden Valley Athletic Club owner Joe Shank, Saturday’s inaugural fund-raiser, “Celebration Under the Stars,” looks to bring phase II of Pat’s legacy closer to home.

“It got started very much as a reactive position,” says Tillman’s brother-in-law Alex Garwood. “People were calling wanting to know what we were going to do, and from there it’s been very proactive.”

The Pat Tillman Foundation is born
Working closely with Pat’s wife Marie and brother Kevin, Garwood formed the Pat Tillman Foundation in an effort to use the tragedy to instill some of Pat’s values in others.

“We knew we were going to do something, but we didn’t know what that something was,” he says. “We wanted something that felt like Pat, something that was true to Pat and would be unique. Then the question was how. Here was this incredible man. How could you put that on a piece of paper? Try to describe Pat in one word. Describe him in two.”

After much thought and many late-night telephone conversations, Garwood says they had a general idea but it was only after a two-hour meeting in Sunnyvale one morning that “Leadership Through Action” was born.
“We met at 9 a.m. and by 11 a.m., we were done,” he explains. “When Marie stood up and said, ‘This feels like Pat’ we knew it was right. Now I can say that and have some credibility, but when Marie says it and Kevin says it, you know it’s the right thing to do.”

Almaden Valley Athletic Club was the perfect venue to celebrate the memory of a man who spent much of his childhood in the club pool, as did Marie and her family, according to AVAC’s owner Joe Shank. And Garwood’s father holds the distinction of being the club’s second charter member.

“We thought it would be really appropriate to do something in view of the fact that Pat grew up in Almaden Valley,” Shank says. “As a boy, he swam in our pool and his wife Marie and her mother have been members here off and on over the years. We have so many mutual friends who have been in each others weddings. There’s just so much history and when I heard what they were doing for young people, I felt it was really important to do something—and hopefully to be the first in the Bay Area to do something for their foundation.”

With AVAC’s recent nomination for the Distinguished Volunteer Fundraisers Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals for community-based philanthropic efforts, Shank certainly knows how to throw a party. This one promises to be one of the finest the club has ever put on, as it will pay tribute to Tillman and raise funds to help bring his legacy to the Bay Area.

“Leadership Through Action”
The “Leadership Through Action” concept centers on providing long-term inspiration and the tools necessary for students to learn how to be leaders. They will then be offered the means to test and implement their ideas and the funding to make it happen. This September, 14 pre-selected “Tillman scholars” will participate in the yearlong program at Arizona State University. While college students in Arizona and the Bay Area are initial targets, Garwood says the program isn’t necessarily strictly meant for the college arena. They could eventually include high school or even middle school students too.

“The program now is at specific schools,” explains Garwood. “Year one is at Arizona State University. In year two, we’re moving to the Bay Area. Whether this ends up being at San Jose State, or Stanford or Santa Clara, we’ll figure it out at the next level.”

“We thought this was a marvelous cause in view of the fact that Pat was so local and so tied to our club, either directly or indirectly,” says Shank. “That’s part of the impetus for AVAC choosing this event to celebrate somebody who gave up a pro football career for his country. It really is inspiring and doesn’t happen very often. He was a marvelous young person and we try to pick outstanding people to support with causes that have to do with that.”
Shank admits that the timing, which pits the celebration in the middle of the San Jose Grand Prix, could be better. However, it was more important to book the “Joe Sharino” band because of their history. They played at Pat and Marie’s wedding.

“It was the only time we could get Joe Sharino and we felt the tie [to their wedding] was important. Still, there shouldn’t be a conflict as nothing [for the Grand Prix] is planned for Saturday night,” says Shank. “There’s going to be a lot of bonding here and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for a lot of people.”

Tickets still available for dinner and dancing
At last count, AVAC expects to host 700 to 1,000 people, who will mingle and indulge in an impressive selection of local restaurant fare around the pool or dance the night away under the stars on the 11 championship tennis courts, once the nets have been taken down and the stage is put up, inviting guests to dance—while donning white soled tennis shoes. The evening is expected to raise an estimated $20,000.

The “Joe Sharino” band was booked because they played at Pat and Marie’s wedding.

“When you talk about numbers, $20,000 is a lot of money, but I’m always hesitant to put a cap on what we’re trying to do,” says Garwood. “The focus is on people being able to come out. If you raise a little bit of money, great, but people will be talking about Pat, learning more about him and celebrating him. So you rub elbows with other like-minded folks. It’s a good feeling. It’s that pay it forward concept. We are all connected and if that’s Pat bringing us together, great. It’s the kind of thing that feels right, that makes sense.”

“In terms of a take away, this is a chance to come out and celebrate a great man, a chance to hear some great music, be surrounded by good people, and have a nice time,” says Garwood. “You can learn a little bit more about the foundation and learn a little bit more about the club. For a few hours, you’ll have a chance to come out and have some chow and a few beers.

Simply put, the mission is designed to continue Pat Tillman’s legacy by inspiring others to make positive change in themselves and the world around them.

“The college course will provide the inspiration for college students to get up and do something,” says Garwood.

“The doing something is studying leadership, understanding leadership and developing their own leadership skills and tools. Then the doing is taking those skills and applying them. The application is developing a program that helps others, whether it is creating a solution to a problem or righting a wrong. The test is if the concept the student comes up with is viable and they can implement it they will get the funding or seed money from our foundation to make it happen.”

After that the students are expected to “pay it forward” when they are given an opportunity to serve as coaches, mentors, guest lecturers and subject matter experts for incoming students in the program.

Tickets for “Celebration Under the Stars” are still available for both members and the general public at $25 each or two for $40 (also the number on Tillman’s jersey). All proceeds benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation. Almaden Valley Athletic Club, 5400 Camden Ave., San Jose, CA 95124. To purchase tickets, RSVP to Celebration Chair: tillmancelebration@avac.us or buy presale tickets at AVAC through July 29. For more information, contact the Club at (408) 445-4953. Casual attire—
tennis shoes required (no black soled shoes, please!). Sponsored by the Hall Walsworth Group at Citigroup Smith Barney.

For more information regarding the Pat Tillman Foundation and the “Leadership Through Action” program, visit www.pattillmanfoundation.org.