Creighton AD’s speech kicks off United Way campaign

Officials with the Heartland United Way announced during Wednesday's campaign kickoff luncheon that donors have pledged nearly $421,000 or 34 percent of the campaign's $1.2 million goal.

The luncheon was held at Fonner Park, where Creighton University Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen was the guest speaker.

Rasmussen recalled how his first game as coach of the seventh- and eighth-grade boys basketball team at Murray, Iowa.

He was supposed to be coaching an eighth-grade team against other eighth-grade teams, but Murray had only four eighth-graders that year, so it used seventh-graders to fill the roster.

Rasmussen's team lost its first game, 32-2, to Creston.

His team scored its only points as the result of a long, half-court shot at the end of the first half.

"It would have been a lot closer if they'd had the three-point line back then," Rasmussen joked. "It would have been 32-3."

The game was officiated by a single official, who was from Creston. Rasmussen knew his team wasn't as good as Creston's team, but he didn't think the officiating was unbiased, either. He let the ref know his displeasure throughout the game.

The ref finally came over and said, "One more word from you and I'll kick you out of the game."

Rasmussen said he responded by calling time out and assigning a player -- all of 5-2 and 90 pounds -- to follow the referee in a defensive crouch wherever the official went on the court. He warned the player never to abandon his defensive crouch or the ref at any point.

The player ended up in his crouch by the ref, who was standing under the basket during a foul shot. That prompted the official to come over to Rasmussen and ask the coach what was going on.

"If you're going to play for them (Creston), then we're going to guard you," Rasmussen said.

He was kicked out of the game.

That caused Rasmussen to do some reassessing.  He brought in each of his young players and asked them what they wanted from the season. He discovered that they were passionate about basketball and really wanted to play the game.

But he also discovered that many didn't have time to practice on their own, or a place to practice on their own, or they had received bad coaching earlier.

So Rasmussen made them a promise. He would be there before school for any player who wanted to practice from 7 to 8 in the morning. He made the same promise for players coming in over the school lunch hour, or at 6 in the evening, or on the weekend.

Instead of the players serving him, Rasmussen said, "I was serving the players."

He said the same principle applies to the United Way and communities.

The best communities aren't the wealthiest or the ones with the most talented people, Rasmussen said. They are the ones who recognize the talents already in place and make use of them.

Those who have benefited from a community shouldn't be considered "nice" if they give back to the community, he said. "If you have benefited from a community, then you are obligated to give back to the community."

Rasmussen said he thought he was preaching to the choir during the luncheon. He noted that he didn't have to say anything following the testimonials that had been given by three persons earlier.

One woman told how a woman with two small children had come into the Central Nebraska Council on Alcoholism and Addictions saying her marriage was over because of her husband's addictions.

The agency worked with both the woman and the children, who went through the Kids Power program. With the wife and children getting help, the husband decided he needed to reform his behavior. The marriage ended up being saved.

A Sudanese man told how he never had the opportunity for education as a young child because he and his family were always refugees.

They finally were able to come to America and to Grand Island, where an uncle urged him to enroll in the Adult Basic Education program and English as a Second Language program.

After earning his GED, the man is now enrolled at Central Community College, where he wants to earn a degree in business administration. Everything he does is for his family and to be an example for his children.

"That's how I live united," he said.

A woman talked about the help she received from Central Nebraska Community Services. The best help she received was on how to budget, a skill she can teach her children. The woman said she also volunteers at CNCS.

"That's how I live united," she said.