Blewitt benefit aids Olympic hopes

The dinner is set for Nov. 25 at St. Charles.

BOARDMAN — There will be a “Blewitt Backer” spaghetti dinner for 2008 Olympic track and field hopeful Adriane Blewitt on Nov. 25 from noon-5 p.m. at St. Charles Church.

Adult tickets cost $8 and children tickets (ages 6-10) are $4. Children younger than 6 are free. Take-out dinners will be available.

There will be a Chinese auction with donated items from the Mahoning Valley community. Boxer Kelly Pavlik will make a special appearance.

Proceeds will go to the “Adriane Blewitt Olympic Fund,” which help defray her training, medical and living expenses.

Tickets may be purchased at the A&W Family Restaurant, 680 Boardman-Canfield Road.

Blewitt is a 1998 Boardman graduate who went on to become a seven-time national champion and 13-time All-American in throwing events at Ashland University.

After her collegiate career, she was well on her way to being an Olympic hopeful when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the fall of 2003.

After surgery and chemotherapy, she started training again in the spring of 2004. At the Olympic trials in 2004, she placed fifth in the shot put, missing a berth on the U.S. Olympic team by two places.

Blewitt is training to make the U.S. team that will compete next summer in China.

Donations also may be made by sending a check payable to the Boardman Booster Club to Denise Gorski at Boardman High School, 7777 Glenwood Ave., Boardman, Ohio 44512.