Oak Forest Boy to Hurl First Pitch at 'Christmas in July' Thunderbolts Game

Evergreen Park, IL -- Christmas is coming early to Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood, when the Windy City Thunderbolts minor league ball club hosts Christmas Without Cancer this Saturday, July 23.

The game starts at 6 p.m. and is the Evergreen Park-based charity’s main summer event. Christmas Without Cancer identifies needs and then provides gifts and other basic necessities to Chicago-area families when a member becomes stricken with cancer.

Christmas Without Cancer will receive 50-percent of each ticket purchased through a CWC committee member. The evening features a pre-game concert by the Beverly All Stars, split-the-pot raffle and a visit from Santa, Fireworks will be blasted after the game.

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Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward purchasing gifts and off-set some of the financial hardships brought on by medical expenses and loss of income as families deal with cancer treatment.

“We receive approximately 30 to 40 applications a month,” said Geri Neylon, CWC founder and an oncological nurse at Advocate Christ Medical Center. “ It's unbelievable how much we have grown over the past few years.”

Young cancer warriors Anthony Pappalas, of Mt. Greenwood, and Ryne Ward, of Oak Forest, will be the evening’s honored guests.

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Anthony is currently under treatment for a DIPG brain tumor; Ryne is dealing with a relapsed Wilms tumor. The six-year-olds will both be hurling out the first pitch when the Bolts take on the Gateway Grizzlies.

Tickets for CWC’s “Christmas in July” fundraiser are $10. For more information or to buy tickets call Sherry Tuman at 708-424-5841 or by sending a private message via the CWC Facebook page.

CWC is also arranging a bus to take guests over to the ballpark.

Standard Bank Stadium is located at 14011 S. Kenton Ave., Crestwood.

Chris Ellis, of Evergreen Park, and his best friend, Boomer, was the honored guest at CWC's 2015 Christmas in July game.