CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After William Roland died at the start of the new year, there was no shortage of support shown to his family. That support will continue this weekend in the form of a fundraiser in honor of Roland.
“I'm so grateful for the support which holds me up today. Without the support of the people, the community, I couldn’t stand like I'm standing today,” Nettie Roland said, Will's mother.
Support has been seen from social media, to his vigil, to his funeral.
Pete Trevino and Megan Chapa are two people who consistently step in to help put fundraisers on for the Corpus Christi Community. When they learned of Will, they immediately felt how important he was to people in the Coastal Bend.
“From everything that I know of his friends, family, players he’s just one of the most genuine baseball coaches probably in the history of Corpus Christi,” Trevino said.
“We get to meet the families and then we also get to see all the emotions that they’re going through. And, we’re trying to eliminate as much task from them so that we can take on what needs to be done,” Chapa said.
At noon on Saturday, Feb. 3, the community is encouraged to swing by the Corpus Christi Fire Fighters Association at 6104 Ayers St. There will be a fundraiser selling barbecue plates for $12. You’ll get a pulled pork sandwich, sausage, chips and a drink.
All proceeds of the fundraiser will go towards supporting Will’s family including his four children.
When Nettie learned Trevino and Chapa wanted to do this, she was honored. She said Will was a selfless man and dedicated his life to teaching young children. After his pro career he came home to open Roland’s Baseball Academy in 2004.
“He has given his life for kids more than anyone could ever know, but his mom and dad. So, I just appreciate everybody and everything that you do for the Roland Family, I’m so grateful,” she said.
Will’s best friend Mike Hernandez called Will a pioneer of Select Baseball. He said Will’s the reason they keep winning.
“We’re enjoying that success because of him and others that started this way back when in the early 2000’s. I just want to invite the Miller Buc Community, the Select Baseball Community and our community to come out here and support Will, his mother and his children left behind. A little bit will go a long way,” Hernandez said.
"I thank God that, when Will left, he left me a bigger family. So, now I'm in this big family and they're all grateful for what the community is doing," Nettie said.
Donations for the fundraiser are still needed to get everything up and running. If you're interested in helping you can contact Pete Trevino at 361-815-5199.
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