After 57 years of devoting his voice to support the efforts of athletes, Harold Welter is transitioning his efforts to support area kids with the Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation.
Harold has painted the picture of the action in football, basketball, softball and baseball – even some volleyball and wrestling before WKVI went on the air in 1969.
He stated, “I’ve probably done over 3,000 ballgames, traveled over a half-million miles in Northwest Indiana – from Whiting to Richmond, from Fort Wayne to Lafayette, from South Bend to Indianapolis. I’ve broadcast from 147 different locations in Northwest Indiana. It has been a great run. The biggest thing for me has been the people I’ve met and the young people that I’ve been able to promote.”
Harold has now decided to focus his energy on extending the legacy of his daughter, Cheryl Lyn, who passed away October 12, 2000 as the result of a car accident.
“Cheryl was a people person,” Harold commented. “She had been accepted at Purdue University to go into child and family counseling so she was going to make a career out of helping people. We feel like she’s helping people all these years later.”
Harold wants to help promote the Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation which is a not-for-profit organization that strives to change the lives of underprivileged kids in local rural schools. Teachers may apply for grants to help students in giving them the chance to go on field trips, receive school supplies, go home with books to read, and other needs to enrich the lives of children.
To date, over $60,000 has been distributed to help students since the Foundation began taking donations in 2017.
There’s a way to donate to help students in need.
“Anyone who wants to contribute can do just by texting CHERYL to 71777,” said Harold.
Harold added that the need to help students may branch out statewide from the Knox office.
“We’ve been asked by the Small and Rural Schools Association to go statewide because nobody else is doing what we’re doing. I talked with Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch a few weeks ago and told her about the Foundation and she says, ‘I want to know more.’”
For more information on the Cheryl Lyn Welter Charitable Foundation, visit https://www.cherylskidsfund.org/.
