Gabriella Roth, Cheryl Kasselmann, Carol Gwilt, Carolyn Rota, Angela Petter, Tom Bose, Maryann Bose, Jason Bedore, Joe Rota
On March 18, 19 and 20, PC Bocce teams hosted a Bocce Tournament for the charity “Soldiers Best Friend.” They provide returning soldiers who have combat-related PTSD/TBI with a therapeutic companion dog. We were honored to have a demonstration of combat service dogs by the kennel master from Luke Air Force Base. And we were also very fortunate to have former Staff Sgt. Jason Bedore, a veteran from the Iraqi War and his adopted service dog Lucky, come to the bocce courts. Jason, who came home with PTSD, had a tough time dealing with everyday stresses. Jason knew he needed help and he adopted Lucky, his service dog. Lucky was trained by “Soldiers Best Friend” to do just that. Jason explained how Lucky helped him overcome his anxieties and today, seven years later, Lucky the service dog is now just Lucky a cherished member of the Bedore family. On March 28, the bocce board and volunteers visited the Soldiers Best Friends facilities in Peoria and presented them with a check for $1,750. Great job, everyone, and thank you to all that donated to this worthy charity.
Also at the tournament, the PebbleCreek teams did great. The ladie’s team, Bocce Ladies, took first place. The players were Carol Gilt, Faye Ralph, Muriel Milewski and Carolyn Rota. The Co-Ed team of Bocce Buds, took second place. The players were Ken Petter, Angela Petter, Jan Ruedlin and Dave Ruedlin and the men’s team, Pallino Posse took third place, the players were Tim Biel, Joe Davis, Angelo Renna and Fred Carlson; but hearing the laughter, cheers and seeing the smiles, everyone who participated was a winner. The Spring league started on Tuesday, March 26 and will end on Friday, May 16.