On or about 1990, Fred, who was a police officer in Hammond as well as a football coach at Clark was approached by Bill Alms, the head of Project: Help For The Disabled, to assist in obtaining an electric wheel chair for a young boy named Eric Watts. He was starting school and needed an electric wheelchair to maneuver around at school. Fred had started “Cops Adopt”, an organization that had volunteers (usually from the police department) “adopt” a child for Christmas and purchase gifts and have a party featuring Santa Claus. Fred approached Gary, the Head Football Coach at Clark and asked if there was something the football team could do to assist in the purchase of the wheelchair. Almost immediately it was decided that the team would dedicate one game each season to generate the money necessary for the purchase. The team named the game “Running and Throwing for those that are not able to” and it was a huge success. The team was able to not only help provide the necessary funds for the wheelchair but several members went further and continued to help Eric out by taking him bowling and just seeing that he got what he needed most … friends to look up to. You can see the article from Mr. Alms talking about the event below.
This is where it all started for CAASH CHARITY. Coach Behrens and I with Eric Watts at the initial fund raising game.
Then at the 1991 Football Banquet with the players Jamie Kirin, Kenny Adkins, Bobby O’Rourke, Dan Wojciechowski, Joe Adam Kenny Hughes and Dustin Shideler.