BROTHERS' BOND SIBLING'S DYING WISH LEADS TO CREATION OF LEUKEMIA FUND.Byline: Sharon Cotal Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Mitch McMullen sat in a hospital room in 1987 with his dying brother, Corey, watching the Lakers work their way toward another national championship on television and talking about Corey's life and Mitch's own remarkable basketball career. Corey, a tall, good-looking athlete who had played basketball at Arizona State University Arizona State University, at Tempe; coeducational; opened 1886 as a normal school, became 1925 Tempe State Teachers College, renamed 1945 Arizona State College at Tempe. Its present name was adopted in 1958. with friend and future Laker Byron Scott Byron Scott may refer to:
v. rav·aged, rav·ag·ing, rav·ages v.tr. 1. To bring heavy destruction on; devastate: A tornado ravaged the town. 2. by the effects of leukemia leukemia (l  kē`mēə), cancerous disorder of the blood-forming tissues (bone marrow, lymphatics, liver, spleen) characterized by excessive production of immature or mature . Facing death at the young age
of 24, Corey looked up at his brother with tears in his eyes, saying
that all he wanted was to be remembered.
Mitch, along with his brother Kyle, have made sure that Corey's dying wish was honored, establishing the Corey McMullen Leukemia Fund, which is financed mainly from a percentage of all sales from their business, the Newhall Coffee Roasting Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is integral to producing a savory cup of coffee. Co. ``We can't bring Corey back, but we can keep his memory alive so that his life wasn't in vain,'' Mitch said. ``It's the least we could do. I just wish we could honor him more. He meant everything to us.'' As a result of his fund-raising efforts, Mitch was named the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Los Angeles' Man of the Year at the organization's annual dinner on Nov. 23. In a telephone interview, he downplayed the honor, saying that others were more deserving of recognition. ``It's a great honor to be involved with a great cause, but I don't deserve a pat on the back. It's the children who are sick in the hospital and the doctors who are fighting the disease who should be honored,'' Mitch said. In Corey's memory, the Newhall Coffee Roasting Co. donates a percentage of all sales of its coffees, whether they are sold at retail outlets or at the brothers' coffee house, Java 'N' Jazz, in Valencia. In addition, donations are made from corporate sales programs, and, in a collaboration with Smooth Jazz This article has multiple issues: * Its quality may be compromised by peacock terms. * Its neutrality is disputed. * It needs additional references or sources for verification. radio station KTWV ``The Wave,'' the brothers hope to organize a jazz festival Noun 1. jazz festival - a festival that features performances by jazz artists festival, fete - an organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place); "a drama festival" for 2003 with all proceeds going to the Corey McMullen Leukemia Fund. ``We're fighting - we feel like it's a war. It's too late for Corey, but if we can help one family, then that's something,'' Mitch said. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Mitch McMullen, right, shown with his brother Kyle, was honored for his work with the Corey McMullen Leukemia Fund they created. |
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