Faces of the APA:
Member Faces Tragedy, Team Supports Above & Beyond

Left to Right: Kevin Hardler, Mary Cunningham, Rob Rooney following the charity event.

During the 2003 Fall Session, right around Christmas, St. Louis-area APA member Mary Cunningham lost her home in a fire. The fire happened to take place on her regular League night. After the fire, Mary’s team made a decision to help her out during this tragedy.

“Everyone stepped up to the plate,” said team member Rob Rooney. “Everyone really hated to see such a bad thing happen to such a nice person. Everyone chipped in.” To help her recover, the players supported her with donations of clothing, household goods, gift cards, and toys for her children.

A charity tournament was also held to raise funds for Mary. “A friend had access to the trophies, which were donated. The tournament did pretty well, considering that we organized and held the event within a week of Mary’s misfortune. There were about 20 participants, and we raised over $300, and our Host Location, Hotshots, doubled the pot,” said Rooney. “We just wanted to show Mary that we cared and help her get back on her feet again,” said Rooney.

This article orginally appeared in the FAll 2004 issue of The American Poolplayer Magazine produced by the American Poolplayers Association.