Featured image: (Left to right) Brian Nevinsky, Mike McKinney, MJ Whalen, Sheanon Williams, and Mike Nevinsky.  Photo: Earl Gardner

You already know this, but the awesomeness of the Union fan never ceases to amaze.

Back in March, a “Kick Cancer” fundraiser was held for Mike “Da Foot” McKinney, a local player for Spruce Goose FC in the Casa League. McKinney is battling brain cancer and needed help raising money to pay for gamma knife surgery. Assured by his doctor that the prognosis was good if he had the $68,000 surgery before June, McKinney needed to come up with a ten percent deposit but quick.

Mike McKinney and Sheanon Williams. Photo: Earl Gardner.

With the help of Mike Nevinsky, a friend and teammate, the Casa League, the Sons of Ben, and others, the Kick Cancer benefit was organized and took place at Jon’s Bar and Grille.

The fundraiser was a great success and the $8,860 raised was some $2,000 more than McKinney needed for the deposit on his surgery.

At the time, McKinney said, “I’m not the only person out there. I know that. I don’t want to be one of those guys who says, ‘oh you helped me out, now whatever’. It’s all about paying it forward. If there’s something I can do, I’ll do whatever I can. This is about paying it forward when you can.”

On Saturday, McKinney did just that, donating money he didn’t need from his own fundraiser to the Sheanon Williams-supported Miles 4 MJ charity.

Like I said, the awesomeness of the Union fan never ceases to amaze.