Devin meets Jaylen at
Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund event.
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 04/15/2009
A record turnout at the 2009 Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund Benefit weekend was highlighted by the welcome homecoming of record-setting superstar Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals. Larry, Jr. — the former Pilgrim Lutheran-Holy Angels Academy star — led the Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance this year and a 27-23 last-second loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The two-day CFMF Benefit at the Metropolitan featured 2007 American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, who put on a fabulous concert before 250 people at the Friday night event. Sparks was a big hit in Minneapolis, charging up the audience and helping elevate the continued growth of the fundraiser.
The program featured a powerful video presentation of Carol Fitzgerald's life with her husband and yours truly Larry, Sr. through this year's Super Bowl highlights. Carol died April 10, 2003, of breast cancer. She now has two grandchildren, Devin and Jaylen, the baby sons of Larry, Jr. and Marcus. The grandchildren met each other and exchanged high fives for the first time last Friday, April 10, six years to the day Carol died.
Larry, Jr. just returned from a 36-day, 10-country trip to United Arab Emirates (Dubai), South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Egypt, Morocco, and visiting the troops serving in Iraq and Kuwait on invitation by the NFL. Vikings star Jared Allen also traveled with Larry, Jr. and was among the many stars, celebrities and friends at the Benefit.
Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress; Hall of Famers Paul Molitor, Warren Moon and Jim Marshall; and many other heavyweights from the business community locally and nationally were in attendance. The program MCs were KSTP's Ann Hutchinson and KMOJ's Ray Richardson.
Saturday's CFMF community celebration was also a big hit with many of Carol's legion of friends coming by to enjoy the event. Carol's family participated, led by her father, Dr. Robert Johnson, his wife Mercedes, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday, and daughters Valarie, Dr. Stephanie, Paula, and Kimberly and son Robert, Jr.
CFMF presented the 2009 financial awards to African American Breast Cancer Alliance, Longfellow Community School, Plano Child Development Center (of Chicago), Horizons Youth Program at Sabathani Community Center, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (Chicago), Davis Scholarship Fund, Pilgrim Lutheran School, New Beginnings Baptist Church After School Program, Community Fitness Today, Youth AIDS Project, Kwanzaa Community Church Sidewalk Project, and Hennepin County Medical Center Positive Care Center.
Those organizations collectively were presented with $45,000 to support their efforts in the battles they wage for the causes that were especially important to my wife. Thank you to the volunteers and both venue staffs at the Metropolitan and Martin Luther King Center for your dedication to the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-re corder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com .
