O'Fallon Church to Host 'Stars Helping Storm Victims' Saturday

On Saturday, fans will get a chance to help out with a great cause and see some of their favorite Blues, Cardinal and Rams players.

in O'Fallon is hosting Stars Helping Storm Victims from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday on its campus, 7116 Twin Chimneys Blvd. in O’Fallon. All of the money raised will be given to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for disaster aid throughout Missouri.

General admission tickets to the event are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Each ticket holder will get one free autograph from each player. Additionally, the event boasts four players whose signatures will fetch an additional $10 per signature: Skip Schumaker, Matt Holliday, Adam Wainwright and James Laurinaitis.

Troy Merseal, associate pastor at Sunrise, said that the additional $10 tickets will be limited to 100 available each for Schumaker, Holliday, Wainwright and Laurinaitis. This is based on their popularity and the fact that the players' game schedules allows them to be there for only a limited time during the day.

Merseal added that these certain tickets were limited to make sure that all ticket holders got their chance for a signature.

Pre-sale tickets have already sold out, but many more tickets will be available Saturday at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

Merseal emphasized that each of the players is very excited and enthusiastically agreed to help out a great cause.

“Each guy is donating their time. They are not getting paid at all,” Merseal said. “Some of the scheduling is down to the wire, but they are willing to do what it takes,” he said of the three current Cardinal players on a tight schedule Saturday.

The Cardinals players will arrive, sign autographs then head down to the stadium for the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with minutes to spare.

Merseal said the idea to do something like this came to him after witnessing the devastation of the Bridgeton tornado, Joplin tornado and general flooding in the Missouri area. All money collected will benefit the storm victims. Merseal emphasized that none of the money goes toward overhead costs or administrative costs.

Jim Blue, pastor at Sunrise, said the UMCOR will look at the target areas and determine where the greatest need is. The money goes to the community at large and is not targeted to the Methodist communities.

Popcorn, hot dogs and snow cones will be available during the autograph signing. There will be balls, bats, pictures and pucks available for purchase, but fans are encouraged to bring their own memorabilia for players to sign.

Merseal suggested that fans come early to get their place in line. Doors will open around 9 a.m., and Merseal noted that they are equipped to handle up to 1,000 people. Autograph signing begins at 10 a.m.

Merseal said he is constantly amazed at how events like this typically exceed his expectations. “This has already gone further than where I thought it would go,” he said.

For more information, contact the church office at 636-978-2727.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

• 10 a.m.–11 a.m.: Jeff Lahti, Mike Jones, Paul Cavallini, Ken Dayley, Adam Goldberg, Glenn Brummer and Jason Brown
• 11 a.m.–noon: Jeff Lahti, Paul Cavallini, Dal Maxvill, Chuck Diering, Terry Yake, Skip Schumaker, Matt Holliday and Adam Wainwright
• noon–1 p.m.: Bob Hess, Dal Maxvill, George Altman, Bradley Fletcher and Charlie James
• 1 p.m.–2 p.m.: Lee Thomas, Jim Donohue, George Altman, Neil Komadoski, David Vobora and James Laurinaitis
• 2 p.m.–3 p.m.: Lee Thomas, Jim Donohue, George Altman, Ken Reitz, David Vobora and James Laurinaitis