Reid, Chesnut take to air for local Special Olympics athletes

Posted

Jump is at 4 p.m. on Oct. 12 just west of Cobblestone Inn & Suites

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - Bobby Reid is taking a leap for local Special Olympics kids.

Reid, and local pilot Bob Chesnut, both have ties to Special Olympics and have partnered with the Fort Madison Eagles Club in an exciting, somewhat outside-the-box fundraiser for athletes.

Reid will be jumping out of an airplane on Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. in a "Dive for Dollars" and will land in the field just west of the Cobblestone Inn & Suites at 4901 Avenue O.

The field will be littered with large, numbered, carpet squares, and the person with the number Reid lands on will win $500 if in attendance, and $250 if not present.

Local skydiving expert Bobby Reid comes in for a landing at the Tri-State Rodeo earlier this month. Reid and pilot Bob Chesnut will be donating a jump on Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. to a fundraiser for area Special Olympics athletes. Ticket are being sold throughout the county and are $10. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

The jump will be followed by a dinner at the Eagles featuring a dinner beginning at 5 p.m. featuring a buffet choice of country fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans, or a big hand-breaded tenderloin and potato salad, each $8.

All proceeds from the jump will go toward local Special Olympics athletes. The Eagles will also split the proceeds from the dinner.

Tickets are available at the Eagles' Club, Tina's Tap, Turbo Wash-West end, Palm Bowl in West Point and J.J. Nichting in Pilot Grove and at all Fort Madison home football games prior to the jump.. Tickets are $10 each and there are 750 available for the jump.

There will also be a raffle at the Eagle's club.

Brad Benge, the coordinator for area Special Olympics efforts said the idea is so cool that the state CEO of Special Olympics is trying to get to the drop.

"He thinks this is probably one of the coolest things and don't be surprised if this isn't pirated in the Des Moines area," Benge said.

"That's fine. That's just fine," Reid said. He donates the jump and Chesnut donates the airplane ride.

The numbers and who has each number will be posted on a spreadsheet on the wall at Eagles prior to the jump.

Reid said he his mother Gladys Reid was involved with the Partridge Workshop in Montrose in the 60s and she had a place in her heart for people with special needs.

"Not only would she kick my butt if I didn't get involved with it, she just bred into me it's the right thing to do," Reid said.

Chesnut said his son Robbie is a special needs son at Hope Haven and his family likes to contribute to those efforts.

"We do some things for PAWs and other deals, but that's my connection to Special Olympics and handicap efforts in general," Chesnut said.


Bob Chesnut, Bobby Reid, Brad Benge, Eagles, fort madison, Pen City Current, Special Olympics

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