A special tradition for a special cause

GREEN BAY – Cherry Starr is carrying on a tradition the way her late husband would want her to.

After he retired from his Hall of Fame football career, former Packers quarterback Bart Starr would write letters to other QBs and NFL friends around this time of year, wishing them well during the upcoming season.

Bart called these his “annual kickoff notes,” and he looked forward to sending them every year.

Now it’s Cherry who is filled with anticipation in late summer/early fall, as she’s become the author of the kickoff notes and is putting them toward a worthy cause close to the Starrs’ hearts.

The notes from Cherry, which she sends to all 32 starting quarterbacks plus some retired legends, come with a helmet that she asks the QBs to autograph and send back for the Starr Children’s Fund’s “Helmets for Heroes” fundraiser for pediatric cancer, an annual auction of these specially procured pieces of memorabilia.

“I am proud to draft these notes telling the players about our mission, why we need their help, and what their gift will do for the children,” Cherry Starr explained via email correspondence with packers.com. “I always hand write an additional message on each letter because I want these special gentlemen to know it’s really from me. We could not do this without their help, period.”

The annual auction is taking place through Sept. 14, and bids can be placed by logging onto https://www.lombardifoundation.org/helmetsforheroes. Helmet signed by all 32 starting QBs are available, and each comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Back in 2017, two years before Bart Starr passed away, the Starr Children’s Fund for pediatric cancer was established through the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation to honor and recognize the Starrs for their longtime support of the foundation.

Shortly thereafter, Chellee Siewert of Capture Sports and Entertainment brought the “Helmets for Heroes” auction idea to the Starrs, and the campaign is now in its fourth year. Most impressive, the letters have received a 100% response rate.

“When Chellee came to us with the idea of Helmets for Heroes, it was emotional for me because I felt it was just what Bart would want me to do in his place,” Cherry said. “For the last four years, during the second week of August, I am the excited one. I can hardly wait to get our ‘kickoff note’ in the mail because of how generous everyone has been to our cause.”

The outreach has included several quarterback legends, too, as this year’s auction also features…