Bobcats Host 4th Annual 'My Hero' Gala
October 23, 2010 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bismarck Bobcats News Release
Bobcats Sports & Entertainment (BSE) President and Chief Operating Officer Fred Whitfield, Presbyterian Hospital President Mark Billings and SportSouth sideline reporter Stephanie Ready hosted more than 500 guests at Time Warner Cable Arena this evening for the fourth annual "My Hero Gala" black tie fundraiser to support the Presbyterian Hospital Community Care Cruiser and the Bobcats Youth Foundation. This year's event, presented by Deloitte and Wachovia Wells Fargo, featured Bobcats players, coaches and executives in tuxedoes and basketball shoes, with music by the Right On Band and a live auction. My Hero Gala Awards were given out to philanthropic leader Malcolm E. "Mac" Everett, Novant Health President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiles and Bobcats star player and youth mentor Tryus Thomas in honor of their contributions to the community.
A native of Macon, Ga., Everett was Vice President and head of sales for the Trusts and Investments Division at First Union, and remained at the bank for the next 25 years before retiring as a Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Corporate and Community Affairs at Wachovia. In retirement, Everett has dedicated his time to improving everything from health care to public education to the arts and sports and entertainment. Organizations that have benefited from his leadership include the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools Foundation, Carolinas HealthCare System, Piedmont Natural Gas, the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the Community Building Initiative, the Arts and Science Council, the Levine Museum of the New South, the United Way of Central Carolinas, the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the Quail Hollow Championship, where he now serves as Chairman.
Wiles has served Novant Health entities his entire career. From administrative resident to vice president and eventually chief executive officer, Wiles has used his outspoken leadership style to advance charity care policies for the poor and uninsured and have been recognized by the N.C. Justice System. He serves on the University of North Carolina School of Public Health Advisory Council and as Chairman of the NC Hospital Association's Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety Advisory Board.
Growing up in South Baton Rouge, Thomas was keenly aware of the lack of financial and educational resources, and adequate role models in his community. Because of that background he has become a dedicated philanthropist, having started his own foundation, Tyrus Thomas, Inc., which funds a youth retention program entitled C.A.T.C.H. - Caring and Actively Teaching Children Hope for "at-risk" students entering 9th grade. Thomas' charitable efforts have led him to partner with many other organizations including the CARA Program to "adopt" a low-income family, giving him the opportunity to present a single-parent household of six with gifts, food, and a complete apartment renovation. Thomas sponsors, among other things, school supply drives and a Thanksgiving dinner for impoverished families, and he received a "key to the city" of Baton Rouge for his philanthropic work with youth in his hometown, and was presented with a resolution by Louisiana Representative Patricia Smith and Senator Sharon Weston Broome in the acknowledging his receipt of the 2010 National Nobel Prize for Public Service, the Jefferson Award.
In its fourth year of operation, the Presbyterian Hospital Community Care Cruiser continues to provide comprehensive primary and preventive medical care to un- and underinsured youth. Led by a medical director and staffed by a pediatric nurse practitioner, nurse and social worker the Cruiser offers screening services, immunizations, prenatal care, asthma treatment and health resources in underserved neighborhoods. Since it first launched, the Cruiser has logged more than 13,000 miles, treated more than 4,500 patients, administered almost 6,500 immunizations and provided referrals to more than 35 community health resources.
• Discuss this story on the North American Hockey League message board...
North American Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2010
- Bobcats Hold off Chill, Earn Split - Bismarck Bobcats
- Bobcats Host 4th Annual 'My Hero' Gala - Bismarck Bobcats
- Seventh Heaven: Tornado top 'Rays for 7th straight win - Texas Tornado
- Janesville blanks TC, 4-0 - Traverse City North Stars
- Metal Jackets host Warriors during Breast Cancer Awareness Weekend - Motor City Metal Jackets
- Wild top Monsters - Wenatchee Wild
- Chicago defeats Springfield - Springfield Jr. Blues
- Chill Clip Bobcats 2-1 - Bismarck Bobcats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
