NGL wrestlers get ‘pins for Abby’
No matter how young or old you are, and no matter what your platform is, you can make a difference. That is what a group of local middle school boys have discovered as they have fundraised for a worthy cause.
The Neillsville-Greenwood-Loyal (NGL) middle school wrestling team is fundraising through “Pins for Abby.” Neillsville basketball player Abby Koepp, a junior in high school, was diagnosed with leukemia in December. The team announced last Wednesday that for every pin the team gets throughout the rest of the season, a sponsor will donate money to Koepp’s family to help with covering medical expenses. Businesses and individuals can sign up as sponsors. At the end of the season, middle school wrestling coach Luke Friemoth will let the sponsors know how many total pins were made, and the sponsor can choose how much they will donate per pin. Although it’s only been a week, the team already has more than 30 sponsors.
“It was my son Michael’s idea,” said Lynn Harris, one of the wrestling parents who is also friends with the Koepp family. “A few years ago Michael wrestled in a Marshfield tournament that supported Marshfield Children’s Hospital. For every pin, a sponsor donated $1 to the hospital. He asked if I could help him start something like that here.”
Harris contacted Sunny Bixby-Opelt, another parent, and then talked to Friemoth, and both agreed it was a good idea. One of the varsity coaches and his sister agreed to be the first sponsors. Harris then posted about the fundraiser on the NGL wrestling Facebook page and it took off from there.
“We have a really good community that comes together,” said Friemoth. “I contacted a handful of people about being sponsors, but most of them reached out
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to me. There have been people coming out of the woodwork to support this. I don’t think there’s been a day without someone calling. And it’s not just businesses; we’ve had a lot of individuals too.”
The donations have not been limited to just Neillsville. A brother and sister that grew up in Neillsville now run Play It Again Sports of Eau Claire, and they heard about the fundraiser and decided to donate.
For the sixth, seventh and eighth graders on the team, it’s a way for them to show their support to a fellow athlete although they might not have the ability to give financially themselves.
“It gives the kids something to fight for when wrestling. It’s more than just trying to improve themselves. To do something for someone else, it gives them some skin in the game,” said Friemoth. “It’s kind of fun for the kids too, because they started realizing it was a big deal. Some of their eyes got really big when I explained to them that even if it’s just $1 a sponsor, that’s still $30 a pin. So that can really add up… It gives them something to work towards.”
Harris said she was proud of the boys for taking ownership of the program. Some of them are good friends with Abby’s brother in sixth grade, so they were already familiar with the situation.
But, “Whether they personally know the family or not, it was great to see how willing they are to be a part of it,” said Harris.
“It’s very overwhelming and amazing that an eighth-grade boy asked to do something and this is what came out of it. The community really supported it,” she added.
Anyone interested in being a sponsor for “Pins for Abby” can contact Harris at 715-797-5273.
The middle school team’s next wrestling meet will be at Wisconsin Rapids East Junior High School this Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 a.m.
There will be other opportunities to support the Koepp family as well. The Neillsville seventh and eighth grade girls basketball teams are challenging businesses and individuals to donate to “Hoops for Abby.” At the Jan. 24 Greenwood versus Neillsville varsity girls basketball game at Neillsville, whatever the total score is between both varsity teams, businesses or individuals are invited to match that dollar amount or double it. For example, if 100 total points are scored, the sponsor will donate $100. People are invited to contact Kevin Dittner at 715-8965919 to participate.
Additionally, a committee is planning an April 1 raffle basket fundraiser at the Neillsville American Legion to benefit the Koepp family. People may contact Harris at 715-797-5273 to donate a prize or raffle basket.
