A number of residents are invited to help support a Jacksonville EMT this Sunday.
Chad Dawdy is a military veteran who has been a longtime Emergency Medical Technician in Jacksonville as well as the greater West Central Illinois area taking ambulance shifts in Jacksonville and Beardstown as well as serving as an Air-Evac helicopter EMT for many years.
In December and January, Dawdy suffered a pair of strokes, the latter being a major one that resulted in his being in the hospital for a month with a feeding tube. Dawdy is now back home but has a long road of recovery ahead and currently requires a walker due to continued issues with balance among other long-term effects.
A benefit for Chad to help with expenses and medical needs is happening this Sunday at the Hangout Bar and Grill in Jacksonville. The benefit kicks off at 9:00 am Sunday with a sand volleyball tournament. Registration begins at 9:30 with the tournament starting at 10:00.
One of the event organizers, Rachel Jackson of Jacksonville says the all-day event will have a little something for everyone. “We will have food available starting at 11:00 am. A silent auction will run through 4:30 pm and we will announce the winners at 5:00 pm. In addition, we have 50/50 raffle tickets and a raffle for a 50” flat-screen TV. Dominick Casey, Mike Feller, and Rick Wilson have put together a gun raffle and those winners will also be announced tomorrow. The Peter Sellers with Jeff Newman and Peter Scott will be performing from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.”
Jackson along with Misty Caskey have worked tirelessly to put the benefit together. Jackson says they just want to give something back to a family that has been there for others in the community.
“Jacksonville has always been a community that really bands together for people in their time of need. Chad and Bobbi Jo have been long-standing friends of mine and they’ve both always been there for me and my kids. In fact, he was at my house hanging my security cameras three days before his second stroke. So we just want to make sure we are there for them during their time of need the same way they have always been there for everyone else.”
The benefit for Chad Dawdy is Sunday at the Hangout Bar and Grill from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. More information can be found on the Chad Dawdy Benefit event page on Facebook.