The Wine & Gold called on Cavs fans to submit nominations of deserving unsung heroes to be named the 2018 Cavs EveryFAN and they delivered! From hundreds of nominations, Tequila Pennington-Calwise of Cleveland has been selected as the sixth annual recipient of the Cavs EveryFAN honor and will be celebrated at halftime during the Cavs vs. Indiana Pacers game tonight, Friday, January 26th at 7:30 p.m.
Pennington-Calwise will experience an unforgettable night at Quicken Loans Arena. A special halftime recognition will honor her in front of thousands of cheering Cavs fans for the significant role she plays in making her community and classroom a better place. Honorary EveryFAN Chair Jane Boylan, wife of Cavs Assistant Coach Jim Boylan, as well as Senior Vice President of Operations at Speedway, Steve Solomon, will present Pennington-Calwise with special prizes including a giant Speedy Rewards® Card for Free Gas for one year.
As part of Pennington-Calwise’s VIP Cavaliers gameday experience, she will enjoy an unforgettable evening which includes halftime recognition on The Q’s Humongotron scoreboard and FREE gas for a year courtesy of Speedway. Pennington-Calwise and her guest will also enjoy dinner prior to the game in the exclusive Court Club at The Q, benchwarmer passes and more!
Pennington-Calwise, a third-grade teacher at Euclid Park School, was surprised with the exciting news earlier this week in front of her students, peers, and Principal Jennifer Woody. Cavs in-arena host Ahmaad Crump, Cavalier Girls, Cavs Scream Team and Cavs Mascot Moondog helped deliver the exciting news. Pennington-Calwise was filled with emotion when she learned her co-worker, Parthenia Croskey, had nominated her to be recognized as the 2018 Cavs EveryFAN. Croskey describes her friend as a beacon of support to everyone around her and someone who truly exemplifies the characteristics of an EveryFAN: work ethic, high moral values, community pride, Cavaliers pride and everyday heroism.
In addition to being a teacher, wife and mother, Pennington-Calwise volunteers at countless organizations and founded her own mentoring and leadership non-profit for girls in grades 6-12. As the founder and CEO of Lady Bound, Pennington-Calwise has given hundreds of teenage women experiences outside of their urban neighborhoods. Pennington-Calwise empowers women to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle by providing violence prevention, drug and alcohol prevention, self-esteem building, positive decision making, academic tutoring, community service and much more. Additionally, Pennington-Calwise serves on the Advisory Board of Cleveland State University's Office of Field Services for the Department of Education as well as the YMCA Hilcrest Advisory Board in South Euclid, Ohio. Among her many inspiring accomplishments, she's a member of the State of Ohio Board of Education Range Finding Committee for Third Grade and the State of Ohio Board of Education Third Grade English Advisory Committee.
The Cavaliers received hundreds of nominations for the 2018 EveryFAN and thank ALL fans who shared stories of local heroes who are making the difference across Northeast Ohio!