Houston Astros’ pitcher Dallas Keuchel signs his jersey that was auctioned off for $5,000 at Sunday’s Dining on the Diamond” fundraiser.
Nathan Granger, Ross’s father, thanks everyone for attending the first-ever Dining on the Diamond event Sunday night.
Ross Granger
Houston Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom talks to the crowd about his Major League experiences.
Coy Broussard (right) checks the price of an autographed picture of Brett Favre. The boy in the middle making his way to the table is Bo Lancon.
Grangers fulfilling son’s three wishes
LAFAYETTE - There is the saying, “Live your life like you are writing your eulogy and not your resumé.” Ross Granger of Erath was on this Earth for only 18 years and his eulogy outshines most of us.
Despite leaving this Earth a year ago, Granger’s eulogy also continues to be written.
The Erath High graduate lost his short battle with cancer after being diagnosed a month after graduating high school. His senior year at EHS, he signed a baseball scholarship at LSUE in Eunice.
On Sunday at the Cajundome Convention Center in Lafayette, the first-ever “Dining On the Diamond” fundraiser was held. The fundraiser, which had more than 450 people, was put on to raise money for the newly created “Ross Granger Memorial Fund.”
The four-hour event proved to be a success raising thousands of dollars to fund the memorial fund.
The guess speaker was Houston Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom. Strom met Ross years earlier when he attended a pitching clinic in Houston. Over time they became friends.
Also on hand to talk baseball were Houston Astros Will Harris, Dallas Keuchel, along with Major Leaguers Paul Bako, Jonathon Lucroy and New York Yankee great Ron Guidry.
Last summer, with Ross knowing his time on Earth was limited, he had things he wanted accomplished. He turned to his parents for help.
His parents, Dana and Nathan, along with his siblings, were instrumental in putting on Sunday’s fundraiser.
Ross’s three wishes for his foundation are: “Help someone go to college with a large scholarship,” “Donate money to charity” and “Help people who are ill and who need financial support.”
“One of the questions I get asked all of the time is, ‘Why are we here?’ and, ‘How did this all get started?’,” Nathan said at the beginning of the program. “This was Ross’ idea. He was very specific by what he wanted as always Ross was.”
Ross explained to his father that his wish was to start a foundation, that will grow larger than the Jimmy V Foundation. Some of the money in the foundation would be used for scholarships to be given to student athletes in Acadiana.
“He specifically stated a student-athlete,” said Nathan. “He wanted to award a student-athlete who works hard, plays sports and keeps their grades up.”
Ross instructed his father he wanted the scholarship to make an impact on the student-athlete’s life. In other words, Ross wanted the scholarship to be more than just a one-time gift.
“He wanted the scholarship to follow the student through college. I told him we could do that.”
Another request from Ross was to use the memorial fund money to help families who have to travel to Houston or Memphis for treatment to battle an illness. Granger explained how Ross met a man who traveled to MD Anderson Hospital three days a week for therapy and he would have to go alone. Ross told his father he wanted his memorial fund to help him and people like him who did not have the financial means for family members to be by their side.
The first-ever Dining On The Diamond raised enough money to begin making Ross’s three wishes come true.
Nathan named the five student athletes who were awarded the scholarship. The scholarship winners on hand to receive their award were Catherine Poché, Bailey Hebert and Gabe LeBouef.
