*** PRESS RELEASE 2005 ***

San Jose, CA—The 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game, sponsored by the Almaden Valley Rotary Club, will be held at San Jose City College on Wednesday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. This year’s event will be in dedication to Charlie Wedemeyer.

Charlie Wedemeyer, born in Hawaii, is the youngest of nine children in a very athletic family. His tremendous athletic talents and gifts obtained him scholarships to Punahou Academy and Michigan State University. Charlie was declared “Prep Player of the Decade” in Hawaii and was chosen to two college all-star games, East-West Shrine Classic and the Hula Bowl.

Charlie and his high school sweetheart, Lucy, were married and moved to Los Gatos, California, where Charlie coached football on the junior varsity level at Los Gatos High School. At around the age of 30, Charlie was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that has no known cause or cure. ALS causes nerve cells to degenerate and voluntary muscles to weaken and become immobile. When Charlie was diagnosed with the terminal illness, he was given one to three years to live. Defying medical beliefs, Charlie Wedemeyer is still alive and is still coaching the junior varsity level football team at Los Gatos High School.

Although Charlie is on 24-hour life support, he is able to give others hope and perseverance by traveling around the world with his wife, Lucy who reads Charlie’s lips, sharing their amazing story of faith, hope and motivation. Charlie and Lucy travel around the world to speak and promote ALS awareness at medical conferences, ALS support groups, schools, churches, prisons, youth organizations, and major corporations. In 1993, the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach (CWFO) was founded. CWFO is a Christian non-profit organization whose mission is to fight ALS and is committed to inspiring youth to reach their utmost potential. “I live to give others hope,” says Charlie.

Former stars of the Youth Classic include former San Francisco 49ers Jeff Garcia, Brent Jones, and Carl Monroe; former Dallas Cowboy Doug Cosbie; and current 49er Jeff Ulrich.

Tickets for the 31st Annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game are $15. All proceeds from the game will benefit the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach and other local charities. For more information about this event, visit www.youthclassic.org.

The Almaden Valley Rotary Club, charted in 1969, is composed of a wide cross section of men and women involved in local businesses and professions. The club has fellowship meetings every Friday regarding interesting and informative programs dealing with topics of local and global importance. In addition, they sponsor a variety of youth programs and activities in Santa Clara Valley. The Almaden Valley Rotary Club is a member of Rotary District 5170, comprised of 57 clubs with approximately 4,000 members. For more information, call (408) 268-7196 or visit www.almadenvalleyrotary.org.