Information Pages

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Mark OToole Benefit...His Thanks to All Those Who Attended and Those Who So Generously Made Donations

Mark OToole Benefit
 A "Lovefest" to a Wonderful Entertainer

mark-otoole-a.jpg (510×768)

For those of you who were not able to attend the Mark OToole Benefit at  the Rampart last Wednesday afternoon, entertainer after entertainer joined in the tribute giving to a "friend in need." 

Hosted by Kelly Clinton Holmes...

tn-500_stephensorokoff-8177.jpg (600×467)

... if you would like to see some of the entertainers who were happy to perform for Mark, by the magic of YouTube.com, you can relive some of those moments.

Some of these wonderful performances included....

GaryAnthonyS5.jpg (4000×4432)
Gary Anthony
072613p.jpg (237×210)
Mark Giovi
Michael-Grimm-Net-Worth-600x474.jpg (600×474)
Michael Grimm
(America's Got Talent Winner)
043010c.jpg (119×210)
Vita Corimbi Drew
Other performers included:

Bobby Brooks Wilson
Rob Garrett
Lisa Gay
Jazzin' Jeannie Brei
Michael Monge
Joey Denunzio

..and if we missed a few, we apologize !

You can see the entire benefit show on Mark OToole's Facebook page !

The fundraiser was a financial success as well, but the highlight of the afternoon came from Mark OToole himself by way of a heartfelt note he had written,  and delivered to the audience by his beloved spouse, Chad....

...while Mark viewed the benefit from his home via live stream.

Mark has asked me to share these words with you and all of those in Sun City Anthem and the Anthem communities who have tirelessly supported him over the years.

Mark_Otoole_Mondays_Dark_Sep_72986.JPG (900×1200)

HI FRIENDS,

THERE IS NOTHING MORE THAN I’D LIKE, THAN TO BE THERE IN PERSON SO I COULD GIVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU A HUGE HUG.

UNFORTUNATELY, I AM STILL NOT READY TO VENTURE OUT IN PUBLIC AND PARTY LIKE A ROCK STAR YET.

 IF I WAS, I WOULD BE ON THAT STAGE SINGING MY HEART OUT AND BEING THE CLOWN THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE COME TO KNOW AND LOVE.

YES I SAID LOVE, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AROUND THE ROOM TODAY, YOU WILL SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS TO EACH OTHER...

WE ARE TRULY A FAMILY. A FAMILY YOU MIGHT SEE ON JERRY SPRINGER, BUT NONETHELESS A FAMILY....

...A FAMILY WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT EACH OTHER; A FAMILY WHO LAUGHS AND ENJOYS LIFE TO THE FULLEST;  AND IN TIMES OF NEED, THEY ARE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY, ASSURING YOU, IF THERE’S ANYTHING YOU NEED, THEY WILL BE THERE AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT.

WHEN I FOUND OUT IN 2007 THAT I HAD CANCER, IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

 I REMEMBER WHEN I BEAT IT, I THANKED GOD FOR MANY REASONS.

I WASN’T A BAD PERSON BEFORE I HAD CANCER, BUT IT MADE ME REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT LIFE WAS, AND IT SHOWED ME HOW TO REALLY CARE, NOT IN WORDS, BUT BY MY ACTIONS.

YOUR ACTIONS TODAY SHOW ME HOW FORTUNATE I AM.

 I AM TRULY BLESSED AND HUMBLED.

I WOULD LIKE AT THIS TIME TO THANK ALL THE MUSICIANS AND PERFORMERS WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY GIVEN THEIR TIME TODAY, SO RIGHT NOW, PLEASE SHOW THEM SOME LOVE AND APPRECIATION BY GIVING THEM A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE.  

THANK YOU TO THE RAMPART, WHO HAVE STOOD BY ME THROUGH THIS TRYING TIME, AND EAGERLY WAITING MY RETURN.

MY WEDNESDAY NIGHTS HAVE NOT BEEN THE SAME.

I FIND MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, GOING DOWN TO THE REFRIGERATOR, OPENING THE DOOR AND SINGING 4 HOURS TO THE LIGHT BULB. 

AND BY THE WAY, THAT’S WITHOUT TAKING A BREAK......

AND FINALLY, MY TWO BIGGEST THANKS GO OUT TO KATHY WOLFE, WHO PUT THIS ENTIRE BENEFIT TOGETHER. THANK YOU KATHY FOR BEING A TRUE FRIEND, WHOSE ACTIONS WERE NOT JUST WORDS....

AND LASTLY, MY SPOUSE, CHAD, WHO FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, HAS LITERALLY PICKED ME UP WHEN I HAVE FALLEN, AND SHOWN ME WHAT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND COMPASSION REALLY MEANS.

I CAN HONESTLY SAY, I THINK IF HE WASN’T BY MY SIDE,
 I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THIS TRYING TIME.

THANK YOU EVERYONE,

THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE ME,  GOD WILLING, I WILL BE ON THAT STAGE, SINGING, LAUGHING, AND DOING WHAT I LOVE TO DO, AND WHAT I WAS BORN TO DO...

...AND THAT IS TO ENTERTAIN MY "FAMILY".

GOODNIGHT, AND I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS.

MARK OTOOLE

From all of us at Anthem Opinions, we sincerely thank you for the contributions you made by either attending the benefit, or sending them to us by mail.

God Bless all of you.

Dick Arendt
Anthem Opinions

Want to say a word or two about the benefit or to Mark OToole?

Send us your thoughts to:


No comments:

Post a Comment