Why We Started the Foundation
Coach Carlini, head wrestling Coach from Maine West High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, was a mentor to most, and admired by all. A year after my graduation, he became the athletic director of our high school. Even years after high school and college graduation, many of us tried to stay in touch with him. We would try to get together for lunch or breakfast at least once a year. As busy as all of our lives became, when we did have the opportunity to get together, we would always talk about friendships that were made by years of being on the team. Most of all, we talked about how hard practices were and how hard our coach pushed us to give the best we had. The guidance and direction he gave us during our wrestling years set a lifelong foundation for who we are and what would do in our life.
Our coach was a figure of strength and respect. He set the example by working out every day after our practice ended. He was healthy, strong and physically fit. After retirement, he kept in good physical condition by continuing to work out and cycling weekly. He also kept busy with his hobby of wood working, which is his passion. Then one day I received a call I never expected. Overnight, Coach Carlini was suddenly paralyzed from the waist down. I could not believe what I had heard. The day before, he had been in perfect health with absolutely no symptoms. Our coach had a condition called Arteriovenous Malformation condition, which caused a stroke of the spine, resulting in the paralysis.
My first reaction was disbelief; my second reaction was What could I and my teammates do for our coach who had given his time unconditionally, not only to us, but to hundreds of others?
The immediate answer was to raise money for his current and future care. In the weeks to follow, many things happened very quickly. Family members and friends were contacted, immediate and future needs were reviewed, short and long term plans were looked at. Within the next ninety days, our coach would be released with no future care or rehabilitation efforts due to his Medicare running out. The last resort for care would come from Medicaid. Care would be available only if he were to surrender his house, personal property and all assets over $5000. This was not an option we as a team would allow.
Our initial project was to set up a nonprofit organization to accept donations for his daily care once he was released from the rehabilitation center. While looking into a 501 C 3, a nonprofit organization, I soon found out that the organization must have a bigger cause than just one individual. The organization must have wider benefits than just helping one person we all cared for. The needs for our coach would grow into an organization that could be needed by many.
In the early years of our life, we are influenced by our parents, teachers, coaches and friends. As children of parents that get older, we without question support our parents with any needs. As our teachers and coaches get older, we should give back to them as they gave to us when we were young and very influential. After all, we spent half of our waking moments from the time we were five until graduation with our teachers and coaches.
The Teachers, Coaches and Students foundation is in business to ensure that medical care and physical needs for spinal cord injuries are fulfilled for needed recipients in the State of Illinois. Physical and medical needs will be supplied to recipients prior to the government requiring the dissolution of a life time of their assets. Care will be provided to any working or retired teacher, coach or student that has become disabled due to a spinal cord injury and is unable to receive medical benefits. The organization will also assist students who are enrolled in any grade or school, whose families are in the same financial condition where medical benefits have expired.
Bryan Real
Teachers, Coaches and Students Foundation
Copyright © 2009 Teachers, Coaches and Students Foundation.