Silver Ann Blackwell
James Blackwell is kind of a little bit of a Raiders fan.
How do we know? Well for one thing, in 1997 he named his baby daughter Silver Ann. That's Silver Ann Blackwell. As in the infamous Silver and Black of the Oakland Raiders. (Silver Ann is 9 now and loves her name, by the way.)
And just this week, when his house in Jackson caught fire in the middle of the night, embers cascading like a meteor shower, flames sailing off the roof like so many Hail Marys from hell, Blackwell — clad only in a robe (silver, with little black checks all over it) — charged into the burning building with the ferocity of a Marcus Allen. Did he want to rescue family photos? No. His clothing? No. His financial information? No.
His season tickets.
Oh, and the family and dogs got out, too, and everyone was fine.
"When we got out, I thought, 'What do we get out of the house?' And my wife said, 'James! Your Raiders tickets are in there!' So I ran in and grabbed everything off this one shelf where I keep important stuff, which was my wallet, my cell phone, some papers and my season tickets," he said. "I burned my feet on embers on the way out, but it was worth it."
Sadly, the house was heavily damaged and the family lost everything, including Blackwell's Raiders shrine, a collection the lifelong fan had built up since he was a kid. He had tons of autographed jerseys, lots of Jim Otto memorabilia, signed photographs and all things Raiders, from blankets and mini helmets to dishware and sofa pillows.
Everyone in the small community of Jackson knows the Blackwells. James is the main AT&T installation guy for the area and his wife, Wendy, owns a local beauty salon with a silver-and-black sign out front. She's a Raiders fan, too. Kinda has to be, don't you think?
So friends and neighbors are holding a benefit concert at the town's amphitheater tonight, and they even contacted the Raiders to donate some items for a fundraising auction.
"We know how big a fan James is," said friend Jake Woods, who is helping to organize the fundraiser. "He is such a fan that he converted me from a Niners fan to a Raiders fan. And he's a great guy, so we wanted to do everything we could."
Woods did reach the Raiders organization Friday. The Raiders were more than happy to help out.
"We are delighted to participate in the fundraising efforts to help the Blackwells get back on their feet," said Raiders CEO Amy Trask. "We're working on getting autographed memorabilia sent up there for the raffle, and we're putting together a package of clothing for the family.
"James is a passionate, passionate fan," she said. "He is a wonderful member of the Raider Nation, and we are so thrilled he and his family made it out safely."
She was a little alarmed that he would run into a burning building for his football tickets, however. "When I talk with him, I'm going to tell him, 'Do not risk your safety for tickets ever again!' We would have been happy to assist him with his seats," she said.
Trask called Blackwell on Friday. "I was pretty emotional about it, to hear from Amy Trask herself," Blackwell said. "I just thank them so much. And everyone here has been so great too. People have been donating bags of clothes and someone offered a kitchen table. We may have a place lined up that we can rent."
He even has a positive attitude about his Raiders collection. "After the fire was out, we were able to pull out the Jim Otto signed jersey," he said. "It was all smoky and water damaged, but I might be able to get it restored. I did lose all the autographed photos, signed helmets and stuff. But it'll be OK. I can start my collection again."
Friends have established a fund to help the family regroup. Checks made out to the Blackwell Family Fire Fund may be mailed to:
Bank of Amador
Box 908
Jackson, CA 95642.
Or gifts of clothing, Raider memorabilia, or other items can be sent to:
Blackwell Family
c/o Jake Woods
PO Box 1892
Jackson, CA 95642
Or help send the Blackwell family to Raider Mecca by clicking here.
Our family home burned to the ground when I was seventeen, so I know from experience this can happen to any of us.
I sent the Blackwell family this signed HOF card of Jim Otto - since he is James' favorite player - and one of my little eight-year-old girl's Raider T-shirts.
But this is not about me. The wounds I had as a teenager affected by a house fire have long since healed and left a few scars...
This is about Silver Ann Blackwell and her family, and how the Silver'n'Black family responds when one of our own is touched by tragedy.
What will you do to help? The Raider Way is to stick'em something in the mail and/or send your prayers.
How do we know? Well for one thing, in 1997 he named his baby daughter Silver Ann. That's Silver Ann Blackwell. As in the infamous Silver and Black of the Oakland Raiders. (Silver Ann is 9 now and loves her name, by the way.)
And just this week, when his house in Jackson caught fire in the middle of the night, embers cascading like a meteor shower, flames sailing off the roof like so many Hail Marys from hell, Blackwell — clad only in a robe (silver, with little black checks all over it) — charged into the burning building with the ferocity of a Marcus Allen. Did he want to rescue family photos? No. His clothing? No. His financial information? No.
His season tickets.
Oh, and the family and dogs got out, too, and everyone was fine.
"When we got out, I thought, 'What do we get out of the house?' And my wife said, 'James! Your Raiders tickets are in there!' So I ran in and grabbed everything off this one shelf where I keep important stuff, which was my wallet, my cell phone, some papers and my season tickets," he said. "I burned my feet on embers on the way out, but it was worth it."
Sadly, the house was heavily damaged and the family lost everything, including Blackwell's Raiders shrine, a collection the lifelong fan had built up since he was a kid. He had tons of autographed jerseys, lots of Jim Otto memorabilia, signed photographs and all things Raiders, from blankets and mini helmets to dishware and sofa pillows.
Everyone in the small community of Jackson knows the Blackwells. James is the main AT&T installation guy for the area and his wife, Wendy, owns a local beauty salon with a silver-and-black sign out front. She's a Raiders fan, too. Kinda has to be, don't you think?
So friends and neighbors are holding a benefit concert at the town's amphitheater tonight, and they even contacted the Raiders to donate some items for a fundraising auction.
"We know how big a fan James is," said friend Jake Woods, who is helping to organize the fundraiser. "He is such a fan that he converted me from a Niners fan to a Raiders fan. And he's a great guy, so we wanted to do everything we could."
Woods did reach the Raiders organization Friday. The Raiders were more than happy to help out.
"We are delighted to participate in the fundraising efforts to help the Blackwells get back on their feet," said Raiders CEO Amy Trask. "We're working on getting autographed memorabilia sent up there for the raffle, and we're putting together a package of clothing for the family.
"James is a passionate, passionate fan," she said. "He is a wonderful member of the Raider Nation, and we are so thrilled he and his family made it out safely."
She was a little alarmed that he would run into a burning building for his football tickets, however. "When I talk with him, I'm going to tell him, 'Do not risk your safety for tickets ever again!' We would have been happy to assist him with his seats," she said.
Trask called Blackwell on Friday. "I was pretty emotional about it, to hear from Amy Trask herself," Blackwell said. "I just thank them so much. And everyone here has been so great too. People have been donating bags of clothes and someone offered a kitchen table. We may have a place lined up that we can rent."
He even has a positive attitude about his Raiders collection. "After the fire was out, we were able to pull out the Jim Otto signed jersey," he said. "It was all smoky and water damaged, but I might be able to get it restored. I did lose all the autographed photos, signed helmets and stuff. But it'll be OK. I can start my collection again."
Friends have established a fund to help the family regroup. Checks made out to the Blackwell Family Fire Fund may be mailed to:
Bank of Amador
Box 908
Jackson, CA 95642.
Or gifts of clothing, Raider memorabilia, or other items can be sent to:
Blackwell Family
c/o Jake Woods
PO Box 1892
Jackson, CA 95642
Or help send the Blackwell family to Raider Mecca by clicking here.
Our family home burned to the ground when I was seventeen, so I know from experience this can happen to any of us.
I sent the Blackwell family this signed HOF card of Jim Otto - since he is James' favorite player - and one of my little eight-year-old girl's Raider T-shirts.But this is not about me. The wounds I had as a teenager affected by a house fire have long since healed and left a few scars...
This is about Silver Ann Blackwell and her family, and how the Silver'n'Black family responds when one of our own is touched by tragedy.
What will you do to help? The Raider Way is to stick'em something in the mail and/or send your prayers.
posted by Stick'em at 5:35 AM
3 Comments:
This is a great story, Stick'em. Triumph over tragedy! I'm sending them whatever I can, pulling for the family.
HCJ: Thanks for doing what you can. Raiders are family 'round here.
James Blackwell's positive spirit and the support of the Raider Nation will get the Blackwell family through this difficult time.
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