Holiday Heroes volunteer makes big purchase
Dec 14, 2011, 3:40 PM | Updated: Dec 15, 2011, 2:16 am
Everyone expects generous souls to open up their wallets and buy rare
autographed sports memorabilia and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities
when Arizona Sports 620’s Holiday Heroes rolls around every December.
Related Links:
• Holiday Heroes raises over $260,000
• Photos – Part One
• Photos – Part Two
• Holiday Heroes – Gambo vs. Brett the Dog (Video)
But it’s not every day that an autographed jersey from one of the
greatest baseball players of all time gets taken off the market by a 15-
year-old.
That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday morning at Karsten Golf
Course in Tempe when 15-year-old Peoria High School sophomore
Carlos Medina bought an autographed jersey from baseball legend Willie
Mays for $1,500.
Medina came to Karsten as a volunteer to help answer phones through a
school program, but got caught up in the spirit of things.
“Whenever you get to see a background of what’s going on, you really
get to see the good stuff,” Medina said.
Of course, Medina’s generous donation goes to benefit The 100 Club of
Arizona, as do all the proceeds of the 5th annual event. But where does
a teenager get $1,500 to spend on such a rare item?
“When you save up for a good six years, you’re able to do what you can
with your money,” Medina said. “But I had no idea I was going to buy
anything. I honestly thought that it was just going to be a blank room
just picking up phones and answering, but it turned out to be a very
good experience.”
Medina has a nice little collection of sports memorabilia, including an
autographed helmet from Green Bay Packers legend Bart Starr and an
autographed cleat from Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo
Williams.
For his latest item in the collection, Medina says it will be handled with
care.
“This will be staying on the wall, for sure,” Medina said. “Not many
fifteen-year olds can say they have a Willie Mays jersey.”
That’s for sure.
Thanks Carlos, for donating your time and generous purchase to help
out The 100 Club of Arizona. In total, Holiday Heroes raised $262,340 in all.
