When NCAA and NBA basketball great Bill Walton comes to Wilkes-Barre for the annual Volunteers of America Celebrity Dinner on May 12, he’ll first spend a little time in Greater Pittston.
According to Tom “Harry” Blaskiewicz, Walton is scheduled to tour Avoca’s “Boston Garden,” the gymnasium at the American Legion on Main Street where a group known as The Jolly Boys ran a youth basketball program for decades. Walton will also break bread with some Jolly Boys alumni, many of whom played on championship high school basketball teams and went on to play at the collegiate level.
Blaskiewicz said he met Walton at a convention several years ago and the two have developed a friendship. It was Blaskiewicz who suggested Walton as a speaker for this year’s dinner.
Bill Ackerman, Pittston native who now resides in Dallas, and a member of the Volunteers of America Board of Directors, made arrangements for Walton’s trip from Southern California.
The dinner, which begins at 6 p.m. and includes a silent auction of sports memorabilia, will be held at Genetti’s Hotel and Convention Center, Wilkes-Barre.
Tickets are $100 for adults and $50 for students accompanied by an adult. To purchase tickets, or to inquire about a VIP reception with Walton, call 825-5261.
The deadline to purchase tickets is May 10.
The silent auction will feature many Walton signed items. Other sports memorabilia available includes items signed by John Wooden, Larry Bird, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Joe Paterno and Cal Ripken Jr.
A three-time college national Player of the Year at UCLA and a selection as one of the top 50 greatest players in NBA history Walton will speak at the seventh annual event. Ticket sales for the dinner have already exceeded the 325 people who attended last year’s dinner that featured former Notre Dame and NFL quarterback Joe Theisman. Other guest speakers have been Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, Jerome Bettis, Jermiah Trotter, Charlie Weis and Andy Reid.
The organization will present its annual “Spirit of Youth” award to Wilkes-Barre residents Jack and Cece McCarthy and Lehman Township resident Lee Piatt.
Jack McCarthy serves as chairman of the board for the McCarthy Tire Company, while his wife Cece is the corporate secretary.
Piatt is a partner and chairman of the business and finance department of Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, LLP.
Proceeds from the event go toward programs that need charitable support, such as van transportation and a pantry for low-income mothers and babies, said Volunteers of America COO Bill Jones.
