"Wayne and I became good friends over the years. I was quite pleased to see that Wayne's memories will live on through this foundation. I know he would be pleased with the foundation, and its mission. My family and I were overwhelmed when we received the very generous gift from the Foundation. We thank you, the businesses , and the individuals that contributed to this very wonderful and worth while foundation. Thank you. Thank God. May God bless all of you for your very noble and honorable dedication to a very wonderful cause. May God keep you and all of yours safe and healthy in this new year and exciting year." -The Kenneth M. Velpel Family

"I wanted to write you again and tell you about the many times I have thought about your incredible generosity, and to thank you again for that wonderful donation. I cannot tell you how much easier that gift has made our lives, after all the expenses we incurred with Matt's illness. Thanking you once is hardly sufficient, so I wanted to send a note and tell you again.  We think of you often, and how incredibly kind you have been to us." - Marsha Wisniewski

"I had never heard about you before. I can assure you now that I know all about the good work you have been doing....Since it (my illness) has been attributed to all of the various diseases that I have been fighting, it stands to reason that it has affected my brain (Parkinson's) as well as my arms and legs. Eventually it will attack the heart muscle which will make me extremely weak and confined to a wheel chair. Many have asked if I am scared of this and my response is always: Of course I am but I also know that I have my Lord and Savior carrying me through this and I also have friends and organizations such as you to help me through this. To me that sole statement aids me daily in keeping my sanity and knowing that there are people out here there such as yourselves that are always there to help others. I have always been extremely proud of the profession I chose but never more so....God has blessed me in so many ways and your Foundation is but one of the better blessings bestowed upon my family and me.....I would like to offer my most humble appreciation with a simple thank you and God bless you all." - Mr. Thomas Lavrenz

"I am writing to thank you for the very generous check that we received in January from your organization. I was not even aware of your organization, but we surely were in need of help at that time. My husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer shortly after we moved to Arizona following his dream of becoming a golf course superintendent. He lost his battle against cancer after a one year struggle. One of the last times he was able to leave our home was when of his co-workers took him to lunch and presented him with your check. He was so grateful for that. Please accept this donation in memory of my dear husband. I hope that you can continue to help others during their most difficult times."- Carrie Duerr

The Tysons quest for bone marrow matches seemed to be similarly daunting as no immediate family members, including their oldest sons, Jesse (17) and Jason (14), were deemed to be suitable donors. Bone marrow drives were organized this past fall at their church in Capac and at a golf outing at The Wyndgate as the couple tried to remain optimistic.

“I just felt that if the odds were more than a million to one that they got XLP, why couldn’t they be the ‘one in a million’ with a bone marrow match,” Erin reasoned.

While the family awaits details on the transplant process, they continue to be regular visitors to Children’s Hospital in Detroit.  Since any illness or fever could be potentially fatal, the boys are monitored regularly and receive transfusions and injections to boost their antibody levels and help them fight off infections.

The donation from the Wee One – which was somewhat surprising to the Tysons since the Foundation typically has not provided assistance to equipment technicians or mechanics -- will help offset their ongoing and significant medical expenses.

“Jason has been very active in the turf industry and I think the Wee One board just felt that helping him out was the right thing to do,” said Steve Cook, superintendent at Oakland Hills Country Club and a member of the Wee One Board of Directors.

Tyson, whose career in the turf industry started in 1998 and who has been the head Equipment Technician at The Wyndgate since 2008, has been instrumental in helping the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association (MiGCSA) form a Technicians group within the association.  He has organized and hosted several educational seminars for the MIGCSA’s Equipment Technicians group and has been a presenter at the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation (MTF) Annual Conference and Spring Seminars.

Cook noted that Tyson’s case was also aided by the support that the Wee One Foundation has received from the Michigan turf industry.  Nearly $60,000 has been raised from outings that were held at Indianwood G&CC in 2010 and Oakland Hills CC in 2011.  Cook, John Cooney (Tam-O-Shanter CC) and Mike Plague (Great Lakes Turf, LLC) have spearheaded the organization of these outings.

“It is nice to know that people in my profession care so much about their peers,“ said Jason.  “My family and I could not even begin to express the amount of appreciation we have for the generous donation.” - Jason Tyson