There was a collective gasp of astonishment from the hundreds gathered in the large hall at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds Sunday afternoon when Marine Cpl. John Lockwood phoned from a military rehabilitation center in Florida and spoke to the crowd.
"I just want to say thank you to all of you," Lockwood said in a clear, strong voice. "It's wonderful how the community has come together to show support. I just want to say I love you all."
Applause and cheers erupted.
More than 2,000 people turned out from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday for a benefit dinner and auction organized to raise money for Lockwood and his wife, Lisa. The 26-year-old Marine reservist, who was a Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department deputy and once a part-time Saline police officer, was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq two months ago. He lost his left eye, broke his feet and legs, fractured his pelvis, and also broke his nose and thumb.
The benefit was organized by some of Lockwood's fellow law enforcement officers and area veteran groups to help the couple financially during Lockwood's long and difficult recovery process.
The response to the fund-raiser stunned its planners.
They figured to serve 1,000 spaghetti dinners over the course of six hours and raise additional money through an auction and raffle. But by 3:30 p.m., more than 1,800 dinner tickets already had been purchased and the steady stream of people arriving showed no sign of letting up.
"We can't make enough trips to Meijer for more supplies," said Saline Fire Chief Craig Hoeft. "We ran out of salad in two hours and had to get more."
Volunteers had to bring in more tables to accommodate the turnout. Shortly after 5 p.m., the food was gone, only a few spaghetti strands were left clinging to the side of the pot.
At the front of the hall, where people purchased $10 dinner tickets and $5 raffles, volunteer Donna Willbanks, wearing a white "Operation Lockwood" T-shirt, said the flow never let up.
"It's been amazing," she said. "Lots of people buying a couple raffle tickets give $50 or $100 and say keep the change or just come in and give $100 and leave."
Saline Police Sgt. Jay Basso, who helped organize the event, said one man purchased a dinner ticket with a $2,000 check.
"It's been like that all day long," he said. "This was not just a police or fire thing, it was a whole community thing."
Many of those who came did not know Lockwood personally.
Brian Zoner, a member of the Wolverine Chapter of the motorcycle club The Leathernecks and a resident of Redford Township, said he heard about the event through an e-mail distributed by a club member.
"We keep our ears to the ground for any Marine Corps news," he said.
The motorcycle club is made up of former Marines.
"Anything we can do to help a fellow Marine out, we do," he said.
Zoner served in the Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003, including six months in Iraq. He came to the dinner with three club members. Zoner said it didn't matter that none of them knew Lockwood personally.
"We all knew him; he's a Marine," Zoner said. "A Marine is a Marine."
Jami Grigal is a detective with the Pittsfield Township Public Safety Department. She came to the dinner with her 2 1/2-year-old son, Nathan. She said news of what happened to Lockwood rippled throughout the law enforcement community.
"Whenever something like this happens, we try to reach out the best we can," she said.
Savannah Butler, a student at Woodland Meadows, presented Lockwood's family with a check for $2,498 raised by the students and parents of the school. Lockwood's mother, Ruth Lockwood, is a retired Woodland Meadows teacher.
"We care about John a lot," said the school's principal, David Raft.
The auction began shortly after 4 p.m. Up for bid were items ranging from signed jerseys to a quilt made by Lisa Lockwood's grandmother.
Ted Miller, 19, of Milan purchased a framed photograph signed by Al Kaline for $125. He said as soon as he saw the picture, he knew he had to have it. His mother, Lisa Miller, purchased a World Series baseball autographed by Detroit Tiger pitcher Nate Robertson.
Miller said he learned about the benefit from his aunt, who is a police officer in Milan, and his uncle, who is an officer in Ann Arbor.
Organizers had hoped to raise around $30,000 for the Lockwoods, but early estimates were that they had well exceeded their goal. Other fund-raisers are being planned, including possibly a golf outing.
"John and Lisa still have a long and difficult road ahead of them," he said.
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