On Saturday, October 2nd, AzDS hosted the 17th Annual Fall Fundraiser at the Mesa Convention Center. The organization was very pleased to have 365 guests to bid on the 155 silent auction items and 10 live auction items. Kevin Hunt of 12 News entertained the crowd as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Special thank you to auctioneer Greg Gerber, DJ Larry Indelicato, vocalist Laura Danielle Walsh and Monsignor Nestor for their support at the 2010 event. Congratulations to the organizing committee for a successful 17th year - especially Linda Hughes and Deb Krecek who put in countless hours of volunteer work towards the event.
Annually at the Fall Fundraiser, AzDS presents the Jay Coyner Award to the most deserving athlete with a physical disability. The 2010 recipient is Stephen Binning.
Stephen first got involved with sports when he was just 6 years old and has tried every single sport imaginable since then including wheelchair basketball, kayaking, cycling, golf, snow-skiing, water skiing, track, field and archery. He is the most active athlete involved in the programs and is always willing to try something new.
Stephen has traveled all over the country to compete in sports and was even selected for the Beijing Experience through the Paralympic Academy and traveled to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Most recently, Stephen has been active on his high school track team at Desert Vista High School. Stephen is a quiet leader on the court and pushes himself and his teammates to do the very best. Congratulations to Stephen Binning for winning the 2010 Jay Coyner Award.
