The Platte County High School football team rallied around a coach in need last week, raising more than $2,000 and drawing tremendous support from the Platte City community.
Platte City Middle School teacher and football coach Wayne Baskerville II is battling multiple myeloma, and varsity player Sterling Wilson came to his parents about a month ago suggesting he and other players and parents help organize an event to help Baskerville with mounting medical bills.
“When (Sterling) was in middle school, he served as the PCMS StuCo treasurer and helped organize Culver’s Nights,” said mom Jennifer Wilson. “He thought maybe something similar could bring the community together to support Coach and raise money for his treatment. So he went next door and shared the idea with our neighbor, Dennis Gremillion, who runs The Hudson Project. Dennis was immediately encouraging and told him they could raise money with the charity and present it as a gift to Coach Baskerville.”
Thus, Platte City Culver’s and The Hudson Project, which was founded after the death of Gremillion’s wife, Phyllis, from cancer in 2014 and helps fund cancer patients in need of help, joined the cause. Jennifer Wilson thanked both Culver’s and The Hudson Project for their help, with the Wednesday, March 11 event raising $2,400 for Baskerville’s care.
Though he was only at the event for a short time, Baskerville said he is grateful for the support, of both the team and the community.
“I am humbly grateful,” Baskerville said of the support from the team and their idea. “First and foremost a player (Sterling Wilson) from the football team that wanted to take time to support me, then to hear kids talking about it at school, and the execution with more players volunteering their time to help is a feeling that is hard to describe. Gratitude, supported, grateful, spirit lifting, proud, and loved are just a few words that come to mind.”
Sterling Wilson expressed admiration for Baskerville, who still attended games after his diagnosis, and has two sons on the team.
“They are our friends and we know this must be tough on them, too,” Sterling said. “We wanted to be there for the entire family. Coach Baskerville has always been there for all of us and now it was time for us to show up for him.”
Sterling said he knew the football team would rally around Baskerville, and was pleased when so many coaches came out to support the event, including new Head Coach Derek Yost, who brought the entire family.
“So many players wanted to be a part of it we filled up the volunteer spots very quickly and had so many extra players that showed up just wanting to show support,” Sterling said.
Sterling, his mother, and Baskerville also all have high praise for the Platte City community and their support.
“When I was first making the arrangements, I just wanted to make sure it was successful enough to give Coach a meaningful amount of money,” Sterline said. “I hoped the Culver’s night reflected how much the community supports him. It was busy for the full three hours and at one point the cars were filled in the parking lot and all through drive-thru.”
Baskerville said the community support only solidified his feelings of gratitude to the community.
“Now we’re talking about members of the PC community that showed up because I am a part of a strong community that supports and appreciates what I try to do for others in this community,” Baskerville said. “As I struggle through rough times of pain and fatigue, this will certainly help me push through as the toughest part of this healing process is still to come.”
“Our community has always been so supportive of PC kids, and he hoped they would show up for this event the same way they showed up for the team all season long,” Jennifer said. “They absolutely did. It ended up being the most successful restaurant share night in Culver’s history.
“We are incredibly proud of all the boys who came out and volunteered for the event. They may be known for being great football players, but they are so much more than that — they are truly outstanding young men. I don’t think people always get to see that side of them.”