Saturday fundraiser to help Dayton girl

A chainsaw competition Saturday in Mark Twain will benefit a Dayton girl battling brain cancer.

Organizer Glenn McFadden said participants should bring their saws and compete to see who has the fastest time sawing through a log salvaged from the Lake Tahoe Angora fire. The event begins at 10 a.m. at the East 50 Bar, 211 Frontage Rd. just west of the Carson Plains Casino, 6996 Highway 50 E.

There is a $20 entry fee for saws 30 inches and longer and a $10 entry fee for saws 29 inches and shorter.

Devree Hamblin, a Dayton High School freshman, was diagnosed in January with medulloblastoma, a common form of brain cancer with a 50 percent survival rate.

Devree underwent surgery in the Bay area in January. In February Devree moved to St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Tennessee.

Devree's mother, Shana, has been at her side, while father, Todd, stays in Nevada to care for the couple's three sons, Noble, 17; Shay, 11; and Dane, 7.

The fundraiser will help the family offset medical bills and travel expenses associated with Todd's trips to see his daughter.

At Saturday's event there also will be chili, cornbread, apple cobbler, vanilla ice cream and ample non-alcoholic beverages available for a donation.

"I know there's people out there that are hurting because of the economy, but we're not hurting like these people are," said McFadden, a fellow member with the Hamblins at Dayton ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

McFadden said everyone who participates in the chainsaw competition will be given a commemorative "gold" bar.

"It's not about first, second, third or last, its about giving and having a golden heart," he said.

On March 11 the Dayton High Spaghetti Feed at 6 p.m. also will benefit Devree. The high school is located at 335 Old Dayton Valley Rd. and cost is $5 adults, $3 children, $12 per family. For more information call Ashlee at 220-7193.

Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.