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Wrestler's chopper a windfall for charity

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published October 10, 2006

Jimmy sat astride the chopper and imagined what it would be like to roar down the open road. It didn't matter that his cerebral palsy prevented him from saying the words. His face lit up with joy.

For Jimmy and the rest of us looking on, the shiny new chopper was a prop with a serious purpose.

West Coast Choppers of Long Beach, Calif., built this impressive machine. The company has made a name for itself outfitting celebrities with the expensive choppers. These custom-made babes require patience, because delivery can take 18 months.

This one was to be a prop in a WWE match involving the Undertaker.

As the story goes, the four-time WWE champion was supposed to ride into the arena on this bike and get ambushed by his opponents, who were then supposed to demolish the bike. Professional wrestling crowds go crazy for that stuff.

Unfortunately for the crowds but fortunately for the Angelus, the bike arrived a week late for the wrestling match.

The Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Calloway, then picked up the phone and called Garlan Williams, who heads fundraising for the Angelus, the Hudson nonprofit that operates group homes and day programs for severely handicapped people.

The Angelus touches your heart. You meet the people who live in the group homes at the 17-acre compound off Hudson Avenue and you want to lend them a hand. You can't help but be inspired when you talk to the employees who care for them or the Angelus founders, Pauline and Dave Shaver.

Garlan Williams is one of a legion of volunteers. He first got to know the Angelus about 14 years ago when the board chairman visited his company, Sunrise Propane, and asked him to donate fuel for a barbecue fundraiser.

Garlan and his wife, Tammy, soon paid a visit to the compound. They've been deeply involved with the Angelus ever since. In recent years, they have led the fundraising efforts for the Angelus.

It takes about $1.5-million a year to operate the five group homes, pay the 55 employees, care for the 32 full-time residents and cover the other services the organization provides.

The Angelus depends heavily on events like the annual Charlie Daniels concerts and a celebrity guitar auction. The bike will be raffled to raise money for the Angelus.

Garlan first met the Undertaker about six years ago when Sunrise Propane installed gas lines at the wrestler's house in Odessa. He invited the 6-foot-10, 305-pound wrestler up to meet the "kids" at the Angelus and he has been giving to them ever since.

The Undertaker doesn't live in Odessa anymore, but the two men have remained friends. As Garlan tells it, the Undertaker is a big man with an even bigger heart for the severely physically handicapped residents.

When he's performing in the Tampa area, he makes sure the residents at the Angelus get tickets for WWE wrestling events and he has donated another bike that helped raise $30,000 for the organization.

On Nov. 17, when the Angelus holds its Charlie Palooza auction of 40 autographed guitars at the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino in Tampa, the Undertaker will take a final ride on the chopper.

He's booked to ride into the event in Tampa astride the bike in a cloud of fog. The 500 raffle tickets will go for $100 each.

The winners are guaranteed: the person who rides off on the chopper and the "kids" who have stolen the Undertaker's heart.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 9, 2006, 19:38:58]