Pictured from left are Dan Hocking, co-owner of ACME The Appliance Store; Steven Rodgers, who was able to attend a Buffalo Bills game thanks to the WOW Fund; and Marcos Figueroa, who was the driving force in creating the WOW Fund.
The pandemic has forced the cancellation of this year’s Mark Pacheco WOW Fund Lip Sync Battle fund-raiser, but area residents still have an opportunity to support the fund.
The sixth annual Lip Sync Battle had been scheduled to take place in August at the Celoron Legion. Because the popular event draws a standing-room-only audience of several hundred people, organizers decided to cancel this year’s contest to avoid the possibility of spreading the virus.
As a way to generate money to partially replace the revenues that will be lost by not having a Lip Sync Battle, there will be a drawing for a Samsung television. The TV was donated by ACME The Appliance Center of Jamestown.
“We are very thankful for The Resource Center and the positive impact they have on our community,” said Dan Hocking, who with his wife, Beth, owns ACME. “We are pleased to help in a small way with this 55-inch, high-definition TV donation to help raise money for the WOW Fund. The Resource Center makes a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis, and we are happy to support their efforts.”
The Mark Pacheco WOW (Working on Wonders) Fund awards money to people with special needs so they can do things they may not otherwise be able to afford, such as attend a sporting event or a concert, or take a vacation. The fund is administered by Filling the Gap, Inc., which works with The Resource Center to support people with disabilities in Chautauqua County.
The fund was created in memory of Pacheco, an employee of The Resource Center who died in 2010 of injuries sustained in an altercation on a Jamestown street. Pacheco’s family and friends suggested the establishment of the WOW Fund as a tribute to him and to create something positive from his death.
The drawing for the TV will take place September 15. For information on how to enter the drawing, phone 661-1477. Proceeds will be directed to The Resource Center’s Mark Pacheco WOW Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.
