In October 2011, a fundraiser was held in Owasso, OK for the family of a little boy named Ryder. Ryder had been diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a rare but aggressive type of brain cancer. He was only four year old.
As you can imagine, the financial impact on the family was severe. Even with insurance, families affected by Childhood Cancer report spending $10,000.00 or more on medical expenses that aren’t covered by insurance. Add to that the nonmedical expenses incurred like lodging, food, and travel for the family when a child is sent to a medical facility away from home. On top of this, caring for a sick child is a full time job in itself and often forces one of the parents of a two parent household to stop working completely in order to provide care at home. The added strain of this illness on a single parent household is enormous. In light of these overwhelming statistics, putting on a show to help Ryder and his family was an easy decision.
It was Ryder and his impact on our founder, Tim Johnson, that led to the creation of Wrestling for a Cause. Through Ryder and his family, Tim met other families affected by Childhood Cancer and it became clear that a resource was needed to help ease some of the financial burden these families were facing.
Since October 2011, Wrestling for a Cause has put on over one hundred thirty events. These events have been held in venues ranging from cramped American Legion Halls to spacious College Basketball Arenas. In addition to families impacted by Childhood Cancer we have done shows to raise money for The American Cancer Society, The Tulsa Jr. Oilers, The Tulsa Drillers, and The Northeast Oklahoma Veterans Freedom Tour. Across all of these shows over the last ten plus years, we have been fortunate to have been able to raise over $170,000.00 for so many that needed it.
At every Wrestling for a Cause event for a family or organization in need, all proceeds from ticket sales, concession sales, raffles, silent auctions, as well as a portion of merchandise sales are donated. The Wrestling for a Cause Crew, Production Staff, and Performers also donate their time and energy to each show to ensure that the family or organization in need receives as much of the proceeds as
possible.
Beyond the money raised, however, we have been privileged to have been able to entertain so many people and provide them an escape, even for just a few hours, to a world of colorful costumes, superhuman feats of strength and agility, comedy, tragedy, heroes, villains, and larger than life characters. A world of Wranglers and Ranch Hands, Viceroys and Beasts, An Everyday Man, A Walking Showcase, 80s Rock Stars, and a Villain the fans love and adore. A world they can call home. A world they can escape to that will always be there to welcome them.
In all this time, we have never forgotten the little boy who inspired our founder and then, in turn, inspired us all to take up his fight. We honor him every summer with a two night event in his name featuring the very best professional wrestlers from Oklahoma and surrounding states. Sadly, we lost Ryder in March 2013 but we carry him, and many other WFC Kids we’ve lost to Childhood Cancer, in our hearts every day.
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