Woman, 79, pounds the pavement for Children’s Miracle Network
Published: August 5, 2005
Lee Verken covers a lot of ground.
Over the past four years, the North Sider has walked from the north end of George Street clear down the Causeway selling raffle tickets for the Bud Loomis Old Timers Softball Tournament.
She visited businesses on and off the main drag throughout the summer to see if employees want to support the event, which is also one of her favorite causes: the Children’s Miracle Network, which is the ticket’s beneficiary.
The tournament has donated $123,000 to CMN since 1993, said Bud Loomis, tournament director. The first year, $700 was raised, and that number grew to $23,000 last year, he said.
“We’ve never not beat the year before,” Loomis said.
The raffle tickets are for a $1,000 grand prize and 11 $100 prizes — $2,100 for the 21st year of the tournament, Loomis said. The money raised from the raffle tickets, T-shirts and sponsors pays the bills, umpires and prizes, Loomis said. The leftover cash goes to CMN, he said.
CMN became important to Verken after her granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer in high school.
“I feel this is a way to give back a little,” she said. “Besides, I enjoy it.”
Verken alone has sold more than 4,000 tickets for the fund-raiser over the years.
This year she sold 1,100 even though she took days off when the weather reached the 90 degree mark.
“I have a lot of customers, many of the same ones every year. They are good about buying from me,” Verken said.
“I’m 79 years old. Whether I do this next year or not, we’ll have to see,” she said.
The people at her apartment building are always her first customers, but after that it’s tennis shoe time, she said.
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