Jerry Presley

From: Jackie Bullen 
Sent: Wed 9/21/2011 4:39 PM
To: Jerry Presley
Subject: Greenwood Village Goosechase

Greetings Mr. Presley ~

You generously gave me a signed Nuggets jersey at the Greenwood Village Goosechase in June 2011. My 12 year old daughter (who participated in the race with me) gave the jersey to her dad, my husband, for Father's Day. The gift delighted them both and will be a family treasure for years to come, as my husband has been a Nuggets fan since the '70's. We don't often get to attend the games, as the financial expense is not in our budget, but we faithfully watch and cheer them on.

This act of kindness exemplifies the caliber of person you are, as well as your willingness to serve and connect with others. As I promised you at the time, I have donated to Children's Hospital (in your name and honor). I will continue to donate annually to Children's Hospital, in your name. I truly cannot express my gratitude for this act of kindness towards my daughter and husband.

I do not live in your district, but I know many people who do. I will encourage them to vote for you ~ I don't know your political affiliation, and quite frankly I don't care. Your genuine care for others (I also saw you trade your Avs jersey with a young man) is enough for me to know how you handle situations with integrity.

Blessings,

Jackie Bullen

________________________________

From: Jerry Presley
Sent: Fri 9/23/2011 2:03 AM
To: Jackie Bullen
Subject: RE: Greenwood Village Goosechase

Hi Jackie.

Thank you for your kind words. You are very thoughtful.

That day was very memorable for me as well.

I told people that I felt like I was in a "Pass It On" ad. I would have titled it "Serendipity". Many pieces seemed to just fall into place. Stars were aligned.

I want to give you some additional information about that event.

When my number was picked as the winner of the Paul Stastny jersey, I was clueless. I was told by two friends that the number picked was my number. I would not have claimed the prize had they not told me I won. The jersey would have gone to someone else and there would be no story.

Then, a few minutes later I was approached by the young man who you referred to, asking if I would trade jerseys. He explained that he was a HUGE Paul Stastny fan and that he won the Chris "Birdman" Andersen jersey. Would I trade him? Of course I would. (Had he not won the Birdman jersey and offered a trade, I would have given him the Stastny jersey and the story would have ended there.)

Later, I was thanked by his whole family in the parking lot and they explained what a big deal this was to him. I made his day.

I now was the owner of the Birdman jersey.

Soon after the jersey trade, you approached me and explained that your husband was a HUGE "Birdman" and Nuggets fan and wanted to know if I would sell the jersey to you so your daughter could give it as a gift to her dad on Father's Day. I explained that I wouldn't sell it to you but that I would give it to you.

You insisted that you wanted to pay me for it, and as a compromise, I suggested that you make a donation to your favorite charity. You negotiated further and told me that you would make a donation to MY favorite charity. Okay, I agreed and we struck a deal. I would give you the jersey and you would make a donation to The Children's Hospital.

So now, the kid who has the signed Stastny jersey is thrilled, his family is happy and your husband gets an autographed "Birdman" jersey given by his daughter on Father's Day arranged by you, The Children's Hospital gets a donation and everyone thinks I'm a great guy. I could not have planned a better day. It was as good as Christmas when I was 6 years old.

But the story starts with Paul Stastny, Chris Andersen and the Kroenke organization. Someone from the Goose Chase asked the Kroenke folks to donate something as a door prize and they provided the signed jerseys. It all started with the donation of the jerseys. I just happened to win one of the jerseys.

There's one more twist.

The reason why The Children's Hospital is my favorite charity is because my daughter received a Bone Marrow Transplant there not too long ago for a life threatening condition. That organization is teeming with caring people at all levels. Those people made a significant difference to me and my family.

The hospital receives many gifts and donations that are then given to the patients and families. This past week, my daughter spent eight days there as an inpatient guest due to complications of her BMT. While we were there, she received a fleece blanket from a group of teenage girls who made hundreds of them for the comfort of the patients. The symbolic and actual warmth provided by these blankets brought tears to my eyes. These young teenagers touched me deeply.

Several months ago, my daughter received four tickets to an Avalanche game given to us by The Children's Hospital. They were donated by an Av's player and they were his personal seats located two rows from the glass. Guess who donated these seats? Paul Stastny. I think HE is a great guy. 

Attached are two pictures of our Avalanche game. Lindsey, the BMT patient, is on the far left of the first picture. Her sisters are beside her. In the second picture, Paul Stastny is at center ice as seen from his seats. 

Like I said, I felt like I was in a "Pass It On" ad. Life is good... and you are part of it.

Thanks,

Jerry

Jerry Presley
City Council Member
City of Greenwood Village
6060 South Quebec Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
JPresley@GreenwoodVillage.com
303-804-4138