Next Saturday, people and families in Warner Robins will have opportunities to engage in fun and do some serious work at the same time.

First off, there is the “Middle Georgia’s Greatest Athlete Event” at Jimmy Perkins Park from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. to help Jacob Cuellar realize his wish, and then in the evening there’s the ninth annual “Les Still Big Band Concert for Literacy” at the Homer J. Walker Civic Center to benefit the Houston County Certified Literate Community Program.

‘Jacob’s Cause’

Jacob Cuellar has less than a year to live, but you wouldn’t know it by meeting him.

The 19-year-old is suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a condition that progressively destroys the body’s muscles. It’s characterized by an absence of dystrophin, a protein necessary to bind muscles together.

It affects boys almost exclusively, but in rare cases can affect girls.

Boys begin to show signs of muscle weakness as early as age 3. The disease gradually weakens the skeletal, or voluntary, muscles, those in the arms, legs and trunk. By early teens or even earlier, the boy’s heart and respiratory muscles may also be affected.

“The disease will not allow muscles to contract,” said Lisa Dixon, a pediatric nurse from Cochrane who’s been with Jacob almost daily since February. “Jacob cannot move his extremities and he’s totally dependent on others.”

His heart is working at 67 percent capacity right now, she continued, and it’s affecting other vital organs such as his lungs.

“He’s breathing harder because there’s not enough oxygen going to his lungs,” Dixon said. “The disease is not reversible.”

Jacob is the son of Gerald and Joann Cuellar, originally from Victoria, Texas. Gerald Cuellar, in the construction business, got transferred to the area and the family has been here about a year, Dixon said. Jacob has a younger sister, 9-year-old Haleigh.

Roughly 1 in 3,500 boys in the United States suffers from the rare genetic disease; none is expected to live far into adulthood; most won’t see their 21st birthday.

Earlier this year the young man and his family were told he has less than one year to live, Dixon said.

“We both cried when he was told,” she said, “but he’s been taking it like a champ.”

Jacob has one wish, to be able to take his family for a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

That’s a tall order, but the young man has some tall people in his corner.

Stephen Rodgers of Warner Robins, a veteran fund-raiser, is chairman of Jacob’s Cause and is spearheading the family fun day next Saturday at Jimmy Perkins Park, and he’s enlisted help from area businesses and students.

Individuals, teams or families can compete in events such as the football throw, baseball throw, basketball shoot, soccer kick, horseshoe toss, dart throw and other athletic endeavors to score points and a chance at a trophy, Rodgers said.

In addition, an all-day car wash is set for O’Reilly’s parking lot at the corner of Watson Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road, and Precision Tune is donating $3 for every vehicle that gets an oil change, he said. Precision Tune is conducting its $3 donation throughout the month.

Admission to the event is $5 for children 12 and younger, $10 for those 13 or older.

Rodgers is offering a couple of package deals for the day. For $20, any firefighter, police officer, sheriff’s officer, city employee, emergency service person, military personnel or teacher in the school system can get a car wash and oil change.

For $25, any of the above can get the car wash, oil change and sponsor or participate in the sports events at Perkins Field.

“They can get the oil change any day during September and the car wash from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.,” he said. “If we have a huge amount of people to participate, we will have a car wash every Saturday until we get them all washed.”

For more details, call 960-5838 or e-mail hotrod31014@hotmail.com to make a ticket request. On the day of the event, just show identification to verify you’re an honored guest, he said. Rodgers added he would like to get requests by Sept. 17 to make arrangements to have enough volunteers on-hand to handle the crowd.

Other businesses participating in the event are Johnny G’s, which is donating $3 for every unlimited wristband sold Sept. 19, Cool Beach, which is offering door prizes, and Balloons-N-Parties, which is donating a large bouncing house for use at Perkins Field. A dunking booth and concession stand will help round out the fun and frolic.

Rodgers said he had talked with Mark Scott, Northside High principal, and some students about participating, and “they were the most receptive bunch of kids I’ve ever seen.” He also enlisted the help of head football coach Conrad Nix who’s been making public service announcements during home games at McConnell-Talbert Stadium.

“I would like to build up competition among the county’s four high schools,” Rodgers said. “I want the students to come out there. The competition’s there but nobody’s a loser because it’s for a good cause. I’m also trying to get some local churches involved as a way for them to show God’s love.”

In addition to the “greatest athlete” trophy, Rodgers is offering a “community spirit award” trophy for the school with the most participants.

“Wear your colors; we’ll know who you are,” he said. “I really believe that as sports-minded as this county is, if we can get 25,000 people to attend a Northside-Warner Robins High football game we can 2,000 people to show up and help with this boy’s last wish.”

Rodgers is a member of the Modern Woodmen of the World, and the group is sponsoring the event as a community outreach project. Furthermore, they will match dollar-for-dollar the first $2,500 raised at the event, he said.

Jacob is excited about the event, Rodgers said, because people he doesn’t even know are helping him find his dream.

Dixon said Jason harbors no illusions about what’s facing him, and even though he does have some bad days physically he nonetheless can make light of it.

“He’s a natural clown and can find humor in many things,” Dixon said. “He’s got strong faith and doesn’t want people to treat him differently because he’s dying. He says the future will be better for him and his mother. He knows he’ll have a better life in the hereafter and tells me, ‘I’ll be able to run and jump.’”

Dance for literacy

The doors will swing open at 6 p.m. and the band will swing out at 7 p.m. next Saturday.

The event is the Les Still Big Band Concert at the Homer J. Walker Civic Center, the ninth annual benefit for the Houston County Certified Literate Community Project.

Project coordinator Joe Bishop said the event will feature not only the mellow and swinging sounds of the Atlanta-based orchestra, but also the harmonizing vocals of Swing Shift, a quartet that regularly performs with the band.

As an added attraction, members of ASEDA, the Atlanta Swing Era Dance Association, will be on hand to give free lessons and pointers for those wanting to do 1940s-style foxtrot, jitterbug and other popular dances. Door prizes help round out the evening’s entertainment.

Bishop said the CLCP’s focus on literacy is an endeavor that has beneficial implications to both a person and the community at large.

Since its inception in 1998, the Houston County CLCP has helped cut the numbers of illiterate persons by about one-half but anticipates helping the remainder free themselves of a condition that cuts them off from a rewarding life.

Bishop calculates that the 7,000 or so illiterate persons in Houston cost themselves and the county about $105 million annually in lost wages, benefits and tax revenue, a sobering thought.

“If you can’t think of the crises of illiteracy with your head, or feel its devastating impact with your heart, then at least consider it with what you sit on – your wallet,” Bishop said Friday, as he has said many times before.

Cost for the concert and dance is $10, and tickets are available at the door.

One of the many local supporters of the project is Harold “Bubba” Edwards, mayor of Centerville.

“I’m going to distribute these tickets to city employees,” Edwards said earlier this month at a City Council meeting after the council agreed to purchase an ad for the event’s memorial program. “This is a good cause.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, call Bishop at 478-550-2363.