This season brings upon us all types of warm fuzzies.
You can count on it every year, no matter the financial circumstances people find themselves in.What if, just maybe, everyone, anyone, just someone, one person decided that wasn't good enough for them?Let me introduce you to William Martin, aka Cowboy Bill. He grew up in the Saginaw area and graduated from high school just a year behind me.He's a boy turned man, turned entertainer, turned entrepreneur, turned inspiration to all.A funny man by nature, he took his talent and earns his means doing stand-up comedy.He is a recorded singer/songwriter and author of children's stories.This story is about when an invitation to perform comedy at a fundraising golf tournament led to a little girl meeting Cowboy Bill.In his words, her story "had such an impact on me, And when she bravely lost her battle in June 2011, I knew I wanted to help other kids like her. Then, in May of 2012, I searched on my computer for 'kids with cancer images' and found all these pictures of kids with big, beautiful smiles and bald heads. And in the mirror, I could see my cowboy hat and it hit me: 'These kids need cowboy hats.' After all, what kid wants to wear a wig, but what kid wouldn't want to wear a cowboy hat?"With people from a grand company, Resistol hats, the Cowboy created a comfort fit to line hats so as to not irritate sensitive skin.What a smashing success. In its first six months, the nonprofit organization Cowboys Who Care has distributed 700 hats to Camp COCO, a camp in Illinois for kids with cancer, and to hospitals across the nation and locally.Cowboy Bill's sponsorships and donations continue to grow, and so do the opportunities to brighten the lives of those who are fighting battles no one should have to fight. On Nov. 19, he held a fundraising golf tournament much like the one that started this brainchild. It was a sellout and grossed more than $18,000.As with every nonprofit, it takes many hands and many generous pockets to keep the giving going.So the answer to your burning question of how do I jump on this cowboy hat ride is simple: www.cowboyswhocare.org or www.cowboybill.comThe most moving thing I've heard the Cowboy say is, "Sometimes I think about that skinny buck-toothed kid from Blue Mound who allowed so many people to intimidate, bully and manipulate that kid. I wish I could go back and tell him, it's all going to be alright. I would tell him, 'Believe in yourself, and [the rest] in your life won't matter.' I am grateful who I am, but I have not moved far enough away to forget the life I came from. Don't let anyone define you!"This is just one of many grand friends I had the privilege to share my hometown with.As the season of giving rolls past us, maybe this year we can just jump on the wagon and ride it all year.Kelly Ellis Rico of Saginaw is a member of the 2012 Star-Telegram Community Columnist Panel. gnitejonboy@gmail.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
