The incredible story of Blake Dudley, the 14-year old boy, wheelchair-bound with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who had a dream, wrote a letter, and saw his dream come true.

I caught up with Blake Dudley (left) with his mother, Celeste (right) at their hotel in Florida before the BCS National Championship in January

I was able to catch up with Blake and his mother, Celeste the weekend before the game. Having the chance to see the result of everyone’s generosity first-hand was easily one of my favorite experiences the entire trip.

I remember one of my Twitter followers (and it’s been so long, I forget who!) said, “I hope this thing takes off and gets so big, the kid gets to live like a king the whole trip.” Upon walking into their hotel, I believe he did. Media members were all over, official BCS decorations were everywhere, including a sand art logo proudly displayed in the beach outside.

Not only had the fundraising effort help make such accommodation possible, a local Miami reporter recognized Blake when he came into the hotel. She went to greet him and joyfully let him know that she had been praying that he would be able to attend the game.

I asked Blake if he ever thought his original letter would ever result in something so big. “No” was the simple, meek, and humble answer. It was as if he was still amazed that yet another stranger (and this time some random guy from a blog) was so anxious to ask him the obvious.

How could he have predicted just how big this would get? Southern Gameday, firmly in the corner of Alabama, helped get the ball rolling. “It was cool that they didn’t care what team I liked. They just wanted to help me get here,” said Blake of the Alabama efforts.

We here at HLS were more than happy to assist with that effort and we sent out the call in a Friday Roundup. That fundraiser, along with local fundraisers in Blake’s area, we were able to net around $6,000 total to make this dream a reality. American Airlines donated the flight. An anonymous donor even sprung for two tickets outright. With all of these efforts, Celeste was able to organize handicap accessible seating for Blake, a third ticket for his brother, the hotel stay, a much needed handicap accessible van, and even money leftover for souvenirs to remember this incredible trip.

I asked Blake if there was anything he wanted to relay to all those that helped out in this monumental effort: “Just thank them that I got to be here. They helped give me the money and all that so I could be here.”

The only part of Blake’s dream that didn’t come true was his prediction. It started neutral and simple with a “whoever wins it’ll be by seven.” In the end though, he couldn’t help himself, blurting out “but Notre Dame’s gonna win” before I could halt the recording of the interview on my phone.

Notre Dame may not have won the game, but Blake sure did.

I am incredibly proud that HLS was able to play a part in this effort and I would definitely like to extend my own thanks to anyone that donated and helped spread the word.

The post Making Dreams Come True appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Personally, I found myself changing jobs, a move that was a long time coming. Around the same time, I saw my responsibilities change here at HLS as well. All of sudden, I’m helping with a total redesign, fighting through the issues that redesign caused, and being named editor-in-chief.

The next thing I know, I look up and the Irish are 12-0 with a shot at the title and joined in on a worthy effort to send a great kid to South Beach. And succeeding.

The whole year has seemed like a crazy dream.

When I watched NBC’s recap of our undefeated season, it was a surreal feeling. It was as if the entire show was a reminder that, yes, this all actually happened. Every ESPN promo for the title game has a similar function. Yes, the Irish are indeed number one. The lights on top of Grace Hall remain lit for a reason.

And then I look back on all that HLS has done. Not just in the stats department, but also what we’ve been able to give back.

2012 has simply been an incredible year all around and we get to start 2013 with the conclusion of this crazy ride.

If this is a dream, don’t wake me.

The Roundup

Not having such a great year: Matt Barkley. Remember when he was the Heisman favorite? Yeah, now he’s not even playing in his bowl game. Yikes.

If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re Lane Kiffin. And yeah, I get your flight got delayed and it screwed up your schedule, but it doesn’t help when your players compare their host city to excrement in the same 24-hour time-span. Related, please never stop coaching USC, Lane.

Roll injuries? Here’s some Alabama injury news you might want to keep an eye on. In particular, if Barrett Jones remains out, Louis Nix could cause major havoc.

Speaking of Louis Nix…here are more reasons to love this kid.

Congrats, Denard Robinson you have NFL talent! At cornerback.

Jack Swarbrick is talking. You should listen.

Lou Holtz wants you to go back to church. Expect to see quite a few of these ads in the next week.

This has absolutely nothing to do with football. Seriously, it doesn’t, but this story is absolutely hilarious so I’m linking it anyways.

Put These Games on Your Radar

Same drill as last week. Below are all the bowl games until next Friday with my games of interest in bold. All times ET.

Friday, December 28

2:00 PM – Ohio vs Louisiana-Monroe (ESPN/WatchESPN)

5:30 PM – Rutgers vs Virginia Tech (ESPN/WatchESPN)

9:00 PM – Minnesota vs Texas Tech (ESPN/WatchESPN)

Saturday, December 29

11:45 AM – Rice vs Air Force (ESPN/WatchESPN)

3:15 PM – West Virginia vs Syracuse (ESPN/WatchESPN)

4:00 PM – Navy vs Arizona State (ESPN2/WatchESPN)

6:45 PM – #23 Texas vs #13 Oregon State (ESPN/WatchESPN)

10:15 PM – TCU vs Michigan State (ESPN/WatchESPN)

Monday, December 31

12:00 PM – North Carolina State vs Vanderbilt (ESPN/WatchESPN)

2:00 PM – USC vs Georgia Tech (CBS)

3:30 PM – Iowa State vs Tulsa (ESPN/WatchESPN)

7:30 PM – #8 LSU vs #14 Clemson (ESPN/WatchESPN)

Tuesday, January 1

12:00 PM – Notre Dame Football Marathon, includes Onward Notre Dame: South Bend to Soldier Field, Undefeated: 2012 Notre Dame Season in Review (NBC Sports Network – full schedule)

12:00 PM – Mississippi State vs #20 Northwestern (ESPN2/WatchESPN)

12:00 PM – Purdue vs Oklahoma State (ESPNU/WatchESPN)

1:00 PM – #7 Georgia vs #16 Nebraska (ABC)

1:00 PM – #10 South Carolina vs #18 Michigan (ESPN/WatchESPN)

5:00 PM – Wisconsin vs #6 Stanford (ESPN/WatchESPN)

8:30 PM – #15 Northern Illinois vs #12 Florida State (ESPN/WatchESPN) (call it morbid curiosity)

Wednesday, January 2

8:30 PM – #21 Louisville vs #3 Florida (ESPN/WatchESPN)

Thursday, January 3

8:30 PM – #4 Oregon vs #5 Kansas State (ESPN/WatchESPN)

The Beer

It’s New Year’s, so we need to bust out the champagne right? Let’s see, what’s the champagne of beers…

/ducks

The post Friday Roundup: The “What a Year” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I went from a serious high, being so incredibly happy that HLS had the chance to give back, to the lowest of lows once the news of the shooting at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut broke. We cancelled posts, and barely even promoted the other fundraising efforts that we talked about in the Roundup.

However, I do want to share some good news on those efforts. Perhaps it will restore your faith in humanity.

While the puppets have surpassed their fundraising goal, the biggest news come in the Get Blake to South Beach Campaign. I was able to speak with Blake’s mother, Celeste over the weekend and she had this to share:

I told Blake last night, “looks like we are going to South Beach, it’s just a matter of watching the football game in the parking lot, or the stadium”. He and his brother, Brenden, are soooo excited!

And the reason the trip itself is so definite is thanks to the generosity of American Airlines. Celeste was informed via Facebook with this great news:

Today I was reminded of the generosity of the human spirit. Last Wednesday, I contacted a friend, Abby Alconcher. Abby is a flight attendant for American Airlines. She works endless hours, not only advocating for the AA flight attendants, but also for the National Psoriasis Foundation. My email simply stated the story of Blake Dudley, the young man who’s dream is to see Notre Dame play in the BCS championship in Miami. This morning, Abby emailed me that American Airlines would be providing his family with air transportation to Miami! I am so amazed that this came together so quickly. Yet, hearing his Mom’s voice on the phone as I told her about this generous donation was the best part so far! Thank you Abby, you are amazing!

Celeste expects to hear from American Airlines this afternoon with details of the flights.

On top of this, the fundraiser run by Southern Gameday, is now nearing $4,500!!! That is just around $500 short of the initial $5,000 goal so keep pushing to the end! In addition, local fundraisers have netted around $700, for this campaign. Bringing the grand total to the neighborhood of $5,200. We all know how expensive tickets are and I’m sure trying to find a wheelchair accessible seat will be no small task, so keep it up!

UPDATE 12/17 2:37 PM: The drive has surpassed it’s $5,000 goal and sets at over $5,100. This is amazing. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Donations are still being accepted and, should there be, any excess will be used to cover needs for Blake (transportation, medicine/care not covered by insurance, etc.). Celeste will keep in touch with us to update everyone on exactly how the money is used.

This generosity has been simply overwhelming. It is amazing to see strangers working together to help make Blake’s dream a reality. The world can sometimes show us a simply ugly and awful side of humanity and seeing something like this come together so successfully has warmed my heart.

Of course, while I am extremely happy for Blake, I do not want to minimize the pain and the needs of the Newtown community. CNN has compiled a list of groups that are accepting donations to help the families of all the victims. Personally, I am going to go down that list and make some kind of donation to help — just like our other efforts, any little bit will surely help and I hope you will join me.

I simply cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity and kindness that you have shown to Blake and his family and I would like to thank anyone else in advance that adds to his fund or for anyone that donates to any of the Newtown fundraisers as well.

Thank you for proving that this world is full of good people.

The post Restore Your Faith in Humanity: Fundraising Updates appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

In the spirit of Christmas, a season of giving, this Roundup will be dedicated not just to HLS giving back, but to shine the spotlight on a couple of worthy causes to donate to as well.

Many of you are likely familiar with the Kelly Cares Foundation. Founded by Brain and Paqui Kelly, the organization is most well known for their work in support of breast cancer research, but also extend their focus to education and community needs.

We have donated to Kelly Cares in the past before, most notably through our ticket auction earlier this season. I am pleased to announce that we have done so again to the tune of $200.

We also invite you to consider giving not just to Kelly Cares, but perhaps also a couple of other worthy causes.

To start, you can help make a kid’s dream come true. You may have heard the name Blake Dudley floating around, especially on Twitter. Blake is a huge fan of the Irish and like many of us has dreams of going to the BCS title game.

However, unlike us, Blake has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The disease has now forced this boy, who once loved playing sports, to be bound to a wheelchair. While his body has weakened, his love for the Irish has never subsided.

I was able to talk with his mother, Celeste, via email and she had the following to say:

This has been so cool, I can’t believe all the kind words and actions of people from all around the country!!  Our heads are spinning!  I just hope so much that his dream is realized, it really does mean the world to him!

I also received a call today from Blake’s counselor at school that his entire school 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are all writing letters to Brian Kelly to tell them why they think Blake deserves to go to the game!

There really are great people in this world!!!

Blake’s desire to go to South Beach was so strong, he took matters into his own hands and had a letter he wrote scanned and posted on the Internet. Since that time, the story has started getting attention. Even Alabama fans have taken notice. One site, Southern Gameday, has gotten involved as well and has even set up a donation drive for the effort. As of the time of this writing, that drive has raised over $2,100.

If ‘Bama fans can get on board, so can we. Let’s make Blake’s dream come true. Please drop by Southern Gameday’s donation drive and give whatever you can, even if it’s just $1. Also, be sure to drop in a message of “Go Irish” or something similar in the donation comments. The man behind this drive has agreed to track a little friendly fundraising competition, so let’s start kicking the crap out of ‘Bama early!

HLS will be giving a $25 donation to get the ball rolling on the Irish side. Let’s get Blake to South Beach!

On to the lighter side of fundraising, our friends at the House Rock Built are doing a fund raiser of their own. You can check out the full details on their site, but you might also want to check out Puppet Tommy Rees who as a special message for all Loyal Readers:

In all seriousness, these guys do great work and have helped many ND fans get through some of our more awful seasons. They are very close to their goal and HLS will be helping with a $25 donation to help them in their final push. This will also get us a line in a future episode and this line will be community driven from either forum discussion, mad lib, or absinthe party.

Again, no amount is too small. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of this puppet goodness, drop a dollar or two into their tip jar.

I want to thank the staff for their generosity. I also would like to thank our advertising partners and every reader that has used our Amazon links to help make this happen. Y’all are all truly awesome.

The Roundup

Well this is donation certainly should’ve been more appreciated. Remember that concerned alumnus that donated a huge chunk of cash to discount tickets? Well, some students found a way to be upset about it. Big zero for any student in that camp. Someone like Blake would’ve loved the chances that y’all enjoyed for your ticket lottery.

Speaking of BCS tickets, it seems desperate times call for desperate measures. One Irish fan is more than willing to sell his truck to have the chance. Again, to the awful complaining students, never speak again.

Dine and dash just got a whole new meaning. A recruit claims that Tommy Tubberville dodged questions about how long he’d stay at Texas Tech, got up and then never returned. The next day, he’s off to Cincinnati. Cincinnati, to no surprise, is denying this.

Tyler Hansbrough doesn’t appreciate you elbowing his brother. Former Irish hoops star Ben Hansbrough caught the business end of an elbow and big brother got ever so slightly pissed about it.

RIP Big East. My God, I’m glad the Irish are out of that mess.

B1G ideas…from online surveys. Since Delany can’t be trusted with logical decisions it is now up to the internet to help the Big Ten figure out how to make their new divisions.

Well here’s Irish opponent news you don’t see everyday. The faculty of future ND opponent UMass isn’t so happy with the move to the FBS and would like to return to the FCS. However, such a move likely won’t happen.

Just add MSPaint. Someone at Tennessee was actually paid to do this.

After further review… The Pac 12 will officiate the BCS National Championship Game. I’m already preparing myself for the “ND bought refs just like they did against Stanford” or something similar. This only ends in ‘Bama claiming another title no matter what.

Look, we are generous, but we don’t plan on ever giving these back. My God, what a beautiful sight. Just needs a crystal football.

Put These Games On Your Radar?

Bowl season will kick off this Saturday. There isn’t a single matchup that you should stop down for. If you need a football fix though, here’s a schedule.

The Beer

I’ll be honest, I haven’t given too much thought to the beer choice this week. However, it’s winter and you can’t go wrong with a good strong stout.

I’m going to peruse the liquor store after work today, what are your stouts of choice?

The post Friday Roundup: The “Caring, Crystal Dreams, and Puppets” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.