UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, MY FRIEND! REMEMBERING AARON KOELMAN…

Posted on by caddy1071 in Aaron Koelman, Hero, Memorial, Smite Cancer

We have lost a great warrior from our clan on Thanksgiving, November 24th, 2023. The mighty Aaron Koelman has passed from our world after an incredible and unrelenting battle with pancreatic cancer. His physical form has passed, but his spirit, kindness and legacy will always live on in our hearts. Aaron took on his battle with faith, courage and uncommon wisdom, always planning ahead for what we hoped would not pass, but fighting always for his continued life with the family he dearly loved. Thank you, Aaron, for all the gifts you gave us in this world.

I first met Aaron at Gary Con, when I was running Call of Cthulhu regularly, way back when (when I had more time to give it the proper love!), in my version of Blackwater Creek. Aaron looked the imposing hero legend: a shocking mane of long red hair and a matching mighty beard, a bulk of massive muscle, kilted and ready for battle! That image had never changed for me, mentally, whatever challenges had set upon him. I was honored to have had Aaron play with me in a Call of Cthulhu online recording (sadly, yet to be released because of technical issues I need to nail down), be a part of our award-winning XCrawl Classics tournament team, The Punxsutawney Painiacs, and he has been a stalwart supporter of The Jerry Stefek Memorial Crawl for the Cure! I was proud to hear from Aaron that he loved playing the Crawl and he was inspired by its success! Aaron always wanted to help others and we are honored to have helped enable that.

Aaron played at the Crawl for the Cure: Gamehole Con, Take Back Tegel Manor! this year. He played the entire day supporting the event, even though you could tell he was tired and could use some rest. I was able to sit a few minutes during the run, put a hand on his back, and thank him for being there, and I treasure that. This is who Aaron was: he took on hard challenges for the greater good, he was a true hero in our lifetime with all the class and courage we all strive to possess.

I did not want to put Aaron on the spot with everything going on, but I think in his memory, it is imperative that everybody truly understand the person that Aaron was. For The Jerry Stefek Memorial Crawl for the Cure: Gamehole Con 2023, Take Back Tegel Manor!, we had an angel donor providing us $2,000 to the American Cancer Society for the Good of those suffering from cancer. I don’t think it is much of a surprise that it was Aaron, giving back in solidarity with the community he loved to help those suffering from what he courageously endured. I pray that his spirit and will are also an inspiration for others who are afflicted: you can get passed this. Aaron fought and fought – this was a long ordeal which he made the most of and won more years with his family because of his conviction and positive thoughts; I know that others can emulate this true hero and other battles will be won. God Bless you, Aaron Koelman. Thank you for everything you have done for our community and in our lives to make this world a better place. Until we meet again… Love ya, Brother.

Cory

LONG OVERDUE THANK YOUS WHICH MUST BE GIVEN!

Posted on by caddy1071 in 2023, ACS, American Cancer Society, Crawl for the Cure, Gamehole Con, Hero, Judges, Team, Thank You, Volunteers

Hello all! I did want to make sure I gave some explicit thank yous to the people who make this event happen – as things have been getting bigger, it’s been vastly more challenging, and these folks have made sure you have a fun event that raises money for good! THANK YOU for making these events possible – I am eternally in your debt!

THANK YOU:

  • Matt Robertson (A.K.A. Grape Ape or the Master of R.A.W.!) – A special thanks to Matt for jumping in remotely a throwing tons of creative ideas into the mix to make it a better event! We couldn’t use them all, but he definitely made things cooler and inspired ideas for future events! Thank you, Matt, for all the awesome contributions from afar for this and past events! You are awesome!
  • Sean Murphy – Sean and Edwin are the RPG charity superpowers in my eyes. Thanks for always being there to provide great examples and ideas for us to learn and create from! You rock!
  • Jim Meyers – Jim was there in the morning and late in the evening setting up and breaking everything down, making up because we were up all night preparing and not on time. (SOMEDAY I’ll fix this. 🙁 ) THANK YOU, JIM! Your incredible work ethic to push past the tired and whirl circles around me in a zombified state and keep things on schedule was astounding! (And then run many hours throughout the day AND build out his personal Gong of Doom the weekend before for an awesome addition of fun and setting… You sir, are amazing!)
  • Keith Nelson – Another who was there for set up, take down and ran the majority of the day so we could collect the awesome money we did for the American Cancer Society! Additionally, wandered the parking lot with me late in the evening after the event when I was so tired I hopelessly forgot where my car was. Thank you, Brother, for taking care of an exhausted Judge and taking the time to chat about the old school with me for a bit in wind-down – WAY awesome ending to an excellent event.
  • Chris Zank – Chris was the face of the event to many who walked up with his cheerful expertise! He knew our sponsors’ products cold and spread enthusiasm throughout the event wowing our ops staff all the way through – THANK YOU!
  • Gary Cunningham – Gary has been dedicating hours running for the Crawl for the Cure for many years now, however confusing I make the additional rules for the event! THANK YOU for all your help in running an awesome game for our supporters!
  • Bill Walters – Bill is incredibly generous in his support for the Crawl! He helps throughout the days, contributes awesome and very valuable prizes (just check the prize list – scheezooey 😉 ), provided additional awesome Frog God Games silk screens of Tegel Manor for the event, and even orchestrated the “donation bells” acquisition so you got your raffle tickets in good order! You are awesome, Bill! THANK YOU!
  • Peter Garancis and daughter Kylee – (not on the crew, just awesome player volunteers!!!) SPECIAL thanks to Peter and Kylee!! They were stalwart players and were there setting up for us – talk about excited players! Pete also donated the Funky Dice Trays from his company, Dark Nebula Games. THANK YOU, Pete and Kylee for your efforts and donations to the campaign!
  • Alex Kammer, Josh Hoyt and Gamehole Con – Thank you for always supporting my crazy events and making them possible! Your trust and support are so appreciated and honored!
  • Our sponsors – Just amazed – this community rocks. Please support them.
  • Edwin Nagy – Edwin is a mentor to me in all of this and I always, probably annoyingly, ask him for advice and ideas on these events. Additionally, he lent the awesome Frog God Games toys (battlemat-scale size map of Tegel Manor!) to make this spectacle possible! It was awesome! THANK YOU, Edwin!
  • Steve Seminerio and Hazel Welch – The people who without there would not be a Jerry Stefek Memorial Crawl for the Cure! While I come up with the gaming ideas, Steve and Hazel do all the real work of how we work the raffles and donations in the background, set up the OBS for the event, etc! As well as putting up with Stress Cory and the massive amount of work preparing and winding down the event. Thanks and love for everything you do to make these insane events possible! It would be impossible to do without your grit and support!

The Jerry Stefek Crawl for the Cure often gets labeled as “Cory’s project” – I hope it’s very clear that there is an army of support behind this event to bring you incredible gaming experiences that provide Good for others! THANK YOU, ALL, for your support of the Crawl for the Cure and the Good and hope we help provide for others in need! I am so happy we can share these successes together!

Thank you!
Cory Welch and Staff
The Jerry Stefek Memorial Crawl for the Cure