1. Yes, the story is real. I wanted to have a ton of bands in my backyard for a party …. aaaand my wife said no.
2. Watching 20/20 made me realize that my party needed a cause.
3. Cancer was a no brainer; a lot of people I know have died from cancer.
4. Lavender is the color for all cancers. Yes, I was surprised too!
5. Surprise, we have five people that maintain the Walla-Pa-Looza page on Facebook. I have an iPhone, so yes I am on Facebook a lot, but come on….
6. People ask me all the time – "what the hell is Walla-Pa-Looza or Wappa Loza or Wata po latsa". Yeah, I know, I get tired explaining it but those that "get it" donate and support us.
7. People do make fun of what we do. I have heard them. I laugh – I used to do that too!
8. Our website is run by someone with a ton of IT experience. I am glad he is a friend. I would like to grow old with him and his family.
9. I would like to grow this organization to the point of no return. I think I can, I have the right volunteers.
10. The event will stay here. No arguments. McHenry/Johnsburg is home.
11. I am a perfectionist, I expect the volunteers to run with ideas, but fit and finish is important.
12. I write most of my blogs way before the actual post date. I write constantly.
13. Almost all of the bands donate time to play. Support them! They are great local bands. If you are not sure which ones donated time, facebook or email me privately and I will tell you.
14. I get a ton of phone calls, e-mails and notes about people with cancer.
15. The core group that sits on the board work for free. I think thats sad because they all deserve something. Maybe one day, we will be big enough to reward the hard work they do.
16. I do not have final say. I make sure everything goes to a vote.
17. Nick Bionda kicks ass selling Walla-Pa-Looza to sponsors and vendors.
18. Kevin Donlan is our Marketing/Legal/Finance guy. I encourage you to make him smile. He has to babysit me – think about that for a minute …
19. I receive about 150 emails a day. Yeh, I know crazy right?
20. I shop like everyone else and the funny thing is, people talk about the "WALTA PU LUUTZA" in front of me. I don’t interrupt. I feel like The Unknown Comic.
21. I never go online when I am on Facebook. I learned quickly that chatting with 25 people is crazy.
22. Because of Facebook & Walla-Pa-Looza I have regained some incredible relationships that I would never, ever give up.
23. Volunteering is a great thing. I am not ashamed to admit it. It feeds my soul.
24. We will always include local bands in our events.
25. The date is July 31st. It starts at 2:00p. 4 great bands 4 cancer, please come out, you won’t be disappointed.

A week or so ago, Kevin Donlan, our Marketing / Finance / Legal advisor and all around good guy, attended the American Cancer Societies – Relay For Life kick off event. I did not attend as I have been to quite a few meetings over the past few months and decided to take some time to relax. Ok, we all know I had Jimmy Buffet tickets.

Well, according to Kevin, these folks were really excited about what we have been doing and that made me feel pretty good. We were the top sponsor on the t-shirts and everything!

As you may or may not know, we were the new kids on the block and here we are being recognized by the Relay For Life folks as the local player in the fight against cancer! If any of you remember I started this as a thought, a party in a backyard and well look at us now. I used to say to our volunteers were the “C” students of fundraising. Well, because of you and your friends we are being recognized as a local force that raises money for the “C” word! People are starting to take notice. So give the volunteers an A+! I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished and the amazing people that show up at our events.

I never dreamed that this would become so important to those in the community. I had told a few of our volunteers that we will continue to support the American Cancer Society but will try to find ways to give back to the community as YOU are the ones that are showing up, raising money and spreading the word. I have said it before and I will say it again, it starts local. You made this happen, not me. I know it’s a cliché but I will say it time and time again.

Anything’s Possible.

You have made it perfectly clear to me that you care, you give and you support.

We are less than 30 days away folks …

For more information on Relay For Life click on the American Cancer Society link on our home page.

Becoming the guy that decided to throw a party in his backyard and then turning it into a fund raising effort certainly has its ups and downs. My “need to party” has something that has been a part of my social activities since 1985. I can remember the first party I threw at my parent’s house in Eastwood Manor like it was yesterday. Word traveled pretty fast through the halls of McHenry East Campus. The next thing I know, I have a hundred or so people wandering around, drinking liquor and doing things that I am sure would have completely shocked most of us today. But, hey, we had a need to party. Those times were different. The police would come, everyone would scatter and the guy that threw the party had to clean up, repair things and plan to basically get his ass kicked. I have to tell you the truth. IT WAS COMPLETELY WORTH IT!

My “need to party” has given me the ability to meet some incredible people and that is something I will take to my grave. That is as long as “my need” does not put me their first. But, seriously, over the years, those parties have become children’s birthday parties, Fathers Day parties, baseball picnics and anniversary parties. Funny, I am still partying but maybe just a little more laid back that’s all. Socially, I love the part where I get to introduce people I know to other people I know. The interaction is very cool. As I get older I tend to think that I am the friendship match-maker. It’s me that is the common denominator. I know it’s a pretty twisted reality, but it’s true.

Walla-Pa-Looza is living proof.

The party aspect has put me in front of a lot of fun people – the Raisin’ Cash For Cancer part has given me a nice dose of “hey pay attention dummy” reality. People die from cancer. Just take a look around. It’s starting to feel like I am constantly reading about someone that has just lost a friend to cancer or has a family member that died or was recently diagnosed and has a hell of a fight on their hands all the time. I see it from my friends on Facebook, I see it in my e-mail inbox, and I see it around my community. So partying is my way of giving back. Some run relays, some play poker, others shave heads. I party. That’s what I know.

Sometimes, we get good news. Like this past week. My close friends, Nick and Traci Bionda found out that their son Zak is still cancer free. The Bionda’s are lucky; Zak was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma and has been cancer free for sometime. I am so pleased to hear that Zak is continuing to do well. Those types of stories give me hope. Hope that other people I know will get that same kind of news. If not, I am still willing to party. Only instead of having a few people at mom and dads house I will continue to invite the 2,000+ people I know to celebrate with me. It’s a celebration of hope, dreams and cures.

See you on July 31st

Craig

PS – I hope the fathers and grandfathers had a great day yesterday. I know I did.

What a special week we had here in the Chicagoland area. We were blessed with a Stanley Cup by our Chicago Blackhawks and we had the Cross-Town Classic between the Cubs and the White Sox.

We also celebrated my son Justin’s 9th birthday. I love you very much Justin, you make me so proud!

This week I was also presented with a plaque by the Mustang Cubs for sponsoring the team. I was very proud that Walla-Pa-Looza was able give back to the community. It was so nice to see the team present it to me and say thank you. At first, I didn’t think much of it but realizing we helped contribute to the growth of the young folks in our community is pretty cool. These boys work very hard and knowing that playing baseball teaches them teamwork, sportsmanship and finding new friendships is “choice” as well. This year was special for me as I was a team coach and sponsor.

On the same day that the team presented me with our sponsorship plaque my son Justin played well enough to earn a game ball. I was very proud to see how hard he played. He had a nice hit out to right field, a stolen base and his defense was perfect. I forget how much pressure these kids put on themselves but I love teaching at this level. The coaches on our team, Jim Belfanz, Scott Rowe and I try our best to remind the kids that this is supposed to be fun. But, they want to succeed. We are not the best team in the league in fact we are one of the teams that struggle’s to win games but if we can walk away knowing that we were good role models and they learned something that will be good enough for me.

The next few weeks, things will heat up for the volunteers in Walla-Pa-Looza as we will be having another meeting and will be discussing corporate sponsorship, raffle items and much more. We have a couple more parades here locally and will be starting our advertising and marketing in the area. If you can, help us spread the word.

Also, take a look at our website. You’ll find our Paypal donate button up on the left top area of each page of the site. This gives you a quick and easy way to donate to the cause. In the coming weeks, you will also see some of our sponsors on the site as well.

Craig

Today is a vacation day. It’s a vacation day for us to remember those veterans that made it possible for my family, friends and co-workers to enjoy a beverage or two, barbecue and take it easy. I noticed a lot of chain e-mails being sent to my inbox reminding me that it was our armed services that made this day possible. I am grateful for those that fought to give me the liberties and freedoms I enjoy living here in the United States. I really didn’t need that email to remind me, but it was nice to see so many people dedicated to passing it along.

Today, the Johnsburg VFW along with help from the Johnsburg Lions and Woodstock Infantry Club put together the annual Memorial Day parade here in my home town Johnsburg, Illinois. I am very proud that Walla-Pa-Looza has decided to participate by having a float in this parade. I know this is short notice, but if you can stop and enjoy the parade today do so. The Memorial Day Parade starts at 9:30 from Fairview and Chapel Hill along Fairview crossing Johnsburg Road to Church St, then to the Johnsburg Community Center for the rest of the Memorial Day Program at the Armed Forces Flag Memorial. Antique and military vehicles will be on display during the picnic and baseball game that follows! Free hot dogs and pop will be provide by the Johnsburg Lions.

I hope to see some of you attend the parade and visit the memorial at the Johnsburg Community Club. It is a nice way to remember that today is more than a day off; its day that should remind us that sometimes we take for granted the opportunities given to us by the men and women who have given their lives for our country.

Have a wonderful holiday today and please stop and say hello if you see me in the parade or at the Community Club picnic.

Next week I promise to have some pictures and a recap of our adventures in the parade.

Craig

I know last week I promised to talk about one of the hardest working volunteers in Walla-Pa-Looza but I felt like I need to explain to you that sometimes “it” just happens.

A few weeks ago a few of us from Walla-Pa-Looza sat down with the folks from the Centegra Sage Cancer Center for lunch to see how we could figure out how to market the Walla-Pa-Looza product and become partners in our fund raising efforts. We ended up at Cathie’s Place here in Johnsburg to meet. I wanted to make sure to mention Cathie’s Place because not only did she open her restaurant to us on a day that they were closed but she also picked up the tab. We had prime rib, salad, soup and even desert. What a great lunch. If you get a chance, stop in and say hi to Cathie and her husband Steve. They are great people and I am very happy to have their restaurant across the street from my house. The restaurant is at 4000 North Johnsburg Road in Johnsburg, Illinois.

My story with Cathie begins like this. I was introduced by a friend of mine, Dick Doyle who stopped in during their first week of business. So, when I had a chance I introduced myself and told Cathie that yes, I was the guy that started Walla-Pa-Looza. She was very excited and told me she would do anything to help raise money for cancer. So, I told her I would keep that in mind. During our conversation she began telling me all the great things that the Sage Cancer Center does and had said she would introduce me to some people at the center. She went on to tell me she worked as an RN at Centegra for years. But, her knowledge of the Sage Cancer Center was not because she was an RN but because she has breast cancer. I left the restaurant that day thinking that maybe she was right. It was time for me to meet up with the people from Sage. I kept a mental note and went along my merry way.

As things in the world work in mysterious ways, I received an e-mail that same week from someone else here in Johnsburg that is dealing with breast cancer and had just attended a luncheon with the Sage Cancer Center and had said she gave them my name and phone number. A meeting was scheduled and I have to say, I was highly impressed with the professionalism and sincerity of both the women we met with. At that lunch I decided that this would be a perfect fit. What a better way to keep locally raised money local. So, this year’s 2010 Walla-Pa-Looza event will help people locally that are dealing with cancer and cancer related issues.

After lunch I pleaded with Cathie to allow me to pay for lunch but she wouldn’t let that happen. She just said “I am just happy that you were able to meet with Mia and Amy from Sage Center and that you are all working together.” Me too Cathie, Me too!

I am now in the process of scheduling a field trip to the Sage Cancer Center for the folks in Walla-Pa-Looza so we all get a true feeling of what the goal is.

I am guessing somebody upstairs is helping connect the dots!

Craig

The Wallace Family

In this week’s blog I wanted to talk about my family.

I know I use this blog to discuss the on-goings of Walla-Pa-Looza, but to understand me a little bit better I wanted to give you some details on the family that puts up with all my meetings, phone calls & emails. Sometimes I can just tell they think I do way too much.

My wife Joanne is the person that runs the household. She keeps us organized, clean and fed. She works seven days a week and yet finds time to give us all a hug, to volunteer at school, participate in Walla events and attend baseball games. She is the rock in this family and I am proud to be married to her. Joanne has plenty to do but she still misses her mother that she lost to cancer almost 10 years ago. She shared with us what she felt on the “Tell us Your Story” page but I can tell you that every Mothers Day, Christmas or birthday she hurts. Her sister Val, who has Downs Syndrome, toasts her mother at Christmas every year. It makes us all feel sad. Joanne’s mom was the one that brought us all together as a family.

Now the holidays are a bit different but her spirit is still with us.

Justin, who is nine, is our older son. He is almost a spitting image of me. He has a love for music and has already seen AC-DC, Kid Rock and Skynyrd. He also is a huge Kiss fan. This strikes me funny, because at his age so was I.

One day I broke out some record albums and he was in awe. The funny part was when he came to me and told me I made a mistake – one of the albums had two records in it. I told him it was not a mistake but that was called a double album. He thought that was very cool and I felt really old. But, Kiss is still rocking and so is dad.

Justin also loves Rocky. He might get mad at me but he has all the DVD’s and has a pair of Rocky boxing shorts he runs around in from time to time. I think it’s cool that he likes Rocky so I bought him a Rocky T-Shirt.

Justin plays baseball too! He is actually pretty good when he wants to be. He has grown to love the Chicago Cubs and hopes like the rest of us that they will one day win a world series. I almost feel bad for pushing my Cub love on him but I love seeing his passion for them already.

Justin loves playing football, basketball and much more. He is a good student and I am very proud to have him as my oldest son. He is caring and loving. He is also proud that his dad put together Walla-Pa-Looza because he understands that loved ones die from this disease. He gets it now.

Andrew, who is six, is my youngest child. He gets the hand me downs in the family. As with most children they have differences. Andrew likes playing Army. He loves to take time and quietly set up all his guys and build forts.

He is in his second year of T-Ball and because he has an older brother is bored with it and wants to play real games. He is very athletic so we let him practice with the older kids. Andrew also loves animals. He has a fish tank in his room and he loves sitting and watching them swim. This past year for his birthday we bought him a puppy. His name is Lewie. Lewie is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yet another task that Joanne has taken on. She is his master and of course has yet another mouth to feed! Anyway, Andrew just started Karate and cannot wait to play football. In the mean time, he too has become a Cubs fan as well. I don’t know why I turned them into Cubs fans but, what the hell. They have to win at one point. Andrew enjoys video games and is also a very good student as well.

He likes riding on the float during the parades we attend but I am not sure if he completely understands why his mom and dad volunteer.

My hope is that both boys decide in their adult lives to do something for others. I may not be perfect but if they learn one lesson from me its compassion.

This past week I was reminded that everyone has a story about some family member, some co-worker or friend that is dealing with cancer related issues and right now, it’s me. I have a friend here in Johnsburg that has cancer and is not doing so well. But, he keeps pushing on, keeps volunteering and keeps living. He is yet another reason I am reminded that every little bit helps.

Next Week I am going to talk about yet another volunteer in the Walla-Pa-Looza family.

Craig

I love to "poke the bear". The truth is I love bears – Chicago Bears, Baby Bears (Go Cubs!) and even koala bears, but when a friend decides to join Walla-Pa-Looza and starts rolling his or her sleeves up I love to tell them they have to earn their “Chair” and until they do they are called a “Stool”.

Yes, I know, I thought it was really funny too!

One of my closest friends Mike Betts was our first “stool”. Now, anyone who knows Mike would know he is just a “tad” bigger than me. So imagine me running meetings and telling Mike he does not have a say because he is just a stool. At one point, I thought he would just grab me and midget- toss me because I never let it go.

Anyway, Mike has enjoyed the joke as much as the rest of us and we actually laugh about it all the time. Fast forward to a year later and now Mike is our Parade Chairman and he organizes what parades we sign up for and puts them together. So, all I have to do is show up and drink beer.

This year, I found a new bear to poke! His name is Doug Carlile. For those of you that don’t know Doug, he is Walla-Pa-Looza’s insurance guy. Doug works for CLM Insurance Agency and has saved myself and many other volunteers tons of money on insurance. So, call Doug and get a quote from him.

Doug, besides working at CLM, is the treasurer for the Johnsburg Lions Club, bar manager at the Johnsburg Community Club and now a proud new volunteer for Walla-Pa-Looza. But Doug likes to jump in with both feet so Joanne and I had to set him straight. See, Doug loves to utilize his experience as a seasoned veteran of putting together charity events and loves to share. But, we had to tell him, whoa big guy, you have to earn a “Chair”. He looked at us like we were nuts. Then the poking began.

So I would like to introduce Doug as our new “Food & Beverage Stool” for Walla-Pa-Looza 2010. Doug, being the light hearted guy he is, has rolled with it. In fact, when he calls me he says in a very sarcastic voice “Hey Craig, it’s the Stool …” Man, I love it. I couldn’t wait until our next Johnsburg Lions meeting so I could announce that Doug was our new stool. He rolled his eyes and said "great, now everyone in Johnsburg knows". But, seriously, I am so happy to have Doug on our side. He is one of the hardest working guys in our community. If you get a chance, read why Doug joined the Lions on the Johnsburg Lions Club website. He cares about the community. He’s a big guy with a big heart.

But, wait, I have more! I was thinking since we added two more volunteers to our group I had to come up with something for them, and, of course I have. If you have ever met my friend Dina (the singer in Blush) you would know that she is a beautiful girl but is lacking in the height department so, I would like to introduce you to our new Battle of The Bands “Step Stool” Dina Demonte. She is putting together a great line up for our under 21 battle.

Now what do I call the tallest member of the group Mike Mazrin? The poking continues.