IT’S ABOUT LOVE
Three words to live by,
“love,” “dedication,” and
“integrity” also describe
three important recent
COMMAERNTTARY
By John Wilson
events, their organizers and the
people served. Here are three shining
examples of inspiring events that I
was lucky enough to be part of and emcee.
At the first event, Steven Faison was named the Boys & Girls
Clubs’ Youth of the Year. He used “love,” “dedication,” and
“integrity” to describe his own personal guidelines for life as
he was honored at the New York Yankees’ 2018 luncheon in
Tampa, which was attended by about 600 people. The Yankees
and the Steinbrenner family started supporting Boys & Girls
Clubs more than 20 years ago and have since been able to help
tens of thousands of children. This annual luncheon is the one
event of the year in addition to training and baseball games that
Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner insisted the entire team
and coaches attend to sign autographs and encourage support
for youngsters. This year again the Yankees raised close to half
a million dollars for clubs in Tampa, Hillsborough and Pasco
Counties. This includes $10,000 from the live auction, where two
lucky people won a terrific weekend in New York City with air
travel and ground transportation, meals, hotel accommodations
and tickets to four Yankee baseball games. But the real winners
were the Boys & Girls Clubs in the Tampa Bay area.
Another event involved the love of music at the annual Justine
LeBaron Competition in St. Petersburg for Young Musicians,
ages 10 to 22. Those incredibly talented young people are facing
144 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2018
wonderful musical careers thanks
in large part to the encouragement
from the professional musicians
of The Florida Orchestra. The
competition’s grand-prize winner
won a personal concert performance
with The Florida Orchestra. The
John Wilson
youth competition is named for the late Justine LeBaron, a
stunning Florida Orchestra French horn player and wife to
principal trumpet player Don Owen. She died in 2012, after
more than 30 years with the orchestra.
The third inspiring event was in Washington, D.C. at the South
African Embassy. The well-known “Love Quilt” project came to
life again thanks to Gretchen Poellein Ginnerty, who is originally
from St. Petersburg. She used the power of love to help vulnerable
HIV orphans in America and in South Africa, which leads the
world in adult HIV cases. Quilters from across the country sewed
artwork into quilts created by American children for HIV orphans
in both countries. It was a cherishing sight to see the young,
struggling South Africans cry with happiness and excitement,
as they wrapped those decorative quilts around themselves.
These three projects revolved around helping others in need
and the character building power of “integrity,” the personal
commitment of “dedication” and the healing power of “love” that
we get through touch, sound and the sense of encouragement,
affection and fulfillment. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson, who retired from Fox TV in 2014,
worked more than 50 years in radio and television news broadcasting.