KATE BLANEY
Kate is the owner and operator of the Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. Until 2009, Kate ran the Speedway with her racecar husband, the late Lou Blaney. Their son Dave Blaney is a NASCAR driver.

As a member of the Hartford United Methodist Church, Kate has played the organ and piano there for the past 30 years. She also teaches hand bells to the 5th and 6th graders.

In the past, Kate's been very active in local charities like the the Children's Rehabilitation Center in Howland, the Second Harvest Food Bank in Youngstown, the Warren Family Mission, and the Home for unwed mothers in Vienna. She used to physically help at various organizations, but due to demands of the business and family needs, Kate has limited what she does now. Now Kate focuses on supporting the Samaritan's Purse, the Victory Junction Gang Camp, and the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir.

Kate's work with the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir combines her love of music, children, and faith. In recent years, Kate has invited the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir to sing the National Anthem at the races at least once a season.

Kate Blaney is shown below with the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir in 2006 when the choir opened the races with the National Anthem.

Courtesy Joe Secka/JMSProPhoto

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PHILIP BADEN
I’ve lived all my life in Westerville, Ohio. I’ve been with Robin Enterprises commercial printing ever since high school and through my time at The Ohio State University where I graduated in 1990. I have also been a youth leader and Sunday School teacher for that same time period at St. Paul Lutheran in Westerville.

I enjoy singing in the choir, playing golf, riding my bike around town, and I especially savor listening to music on my iPod at work, in the car, or wherever I can.

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"Every once in a while, you meet a person who makes you smile.

A friend to the world around,
a leader to all with courage found."

-- Brenda Rider

From "De Yor" poem about Denise DeBartolo-York on R.O.C.c.K. CD jacket (2007).

DENISE DeBARTOLO-YORK
With nearly 30 years in the fields of sports management and real estate development and operations, Denise DeBartolo York is owner of one of the most successful sports franchises in history and one of the most successful businesswomen in the United States.

Denise’s passion for sports has deep family roots. Since her father, Edward DeBartolo Sr., purchased the 49ers in 1977, she has been an integral part of three decades of 49ers football, including 30 playoff contests and five Super Bowl victories. Denise, owner of the San Francisco 49ers with her husband, John York, is dedicated to building and maintaining a winning organization. Under Denise and John’s ownership the 49ers are building a competitive franchise based on great coaching, solid player development and strong additions of key veterans and draft choices.

Denise’s dedication to the game of football extends to the top levels of the NFL, where she is an active member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee. Before she became owner of the 49ers, Denise combined her passion for sports and her executive acumen by serving for several seasons as president of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, one of only a few female executives in the NHL. She was instrumental in revitalizing a dormant franchise into a championship team, and becoming the first woman to have her name engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Today, Denise serves as chairman of The DeBartolo Corp. and oversees the company’s portfolio, which includes the San Francisco 49ers. She also was Executive Vice President of Personnel and Corporate Marketing/Communications for The Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation (EJDC). Based on her accomplishments, she was elevated to the position of Vice Chairman in April 1994. Denise was named Chairman after the death of her father in December 1994.

Denise has been nominated annually since 2002 to San Francisco Business Times “Most Influential Women in Business” for heading one of the largest women-owned businesses in the Bay Area. Denise has been nominated to Business on Leadership since 2000. For her numerous achievements, she was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

When she’s not making decisions in the boardroom, Denise spends much of her time with philanthropic pursuits in the Bay Area and the communities near her childhood home of Boardman, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown. She has been instrumental in the erection of athletic fields throughout the Bay Area, including a new football field and facility in Crocker-Amazon Park in South San Francisco in 2002; the installation of a synthetic sports playing surface at Burton High School in San Francisco in 2004; and most recently in 2005, a newly renovated surface at the 49ers Academy – Ronald McNair Field. In 2002, Denise received word of the condition of the athletic program at San Francisco’s Mission High School and immediately provided uniforms and funding for several of the teams. In November, 2006, she participated in the school’s third annual Denise DeBartolo Award that recognizes individuals who have made a difference for the Mission High students.

Continuing her father’s strong belief in education, Denise has awarded more than $350,000 in scholarships to high school seniors in Mahoning Valley, Ohio, through the Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which was established upon his death in 1994. Additionally, she is the campaign chairman and major donor for the Youngstown Diocese Catholic Education scholarship league, and chairman of “Operation Education,” a fund-raising effort by Youngstown’s Catholic High Schools.

Denise graduated from Notre Dame’s sister college, St. Mary’s College

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"His gifts are many, including patience and hope."

-- Brenda Rider

About Mike Talanca from jacket on R.O.C.c.K. CD (2007).

MIKE TALANCA
Mike Talanca owns Tune Town Recording Studios where he provides recording time, bass guitar and vocal accompaniment, and sound engineer expertise to the A Way With Words Foundation and the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir recording projects.

After high school, Mike learned the basics in electronics school. For the next seven years, he operated a small recording studio in his television repair shop. In 1980, Mike relocated the studio to the Newton Falls, Ohio Grange Hall and did recording work for many local bands including The Godz and Philip Michael Thomas of "Miami Vice" fame.

Mike became dissatisfied with his own studio, wanting to know if he could work with the world's best recording professionals. He moved to New York City and was hired at Right Track Recording, where he became the Chief Technician. While at Right Track he worked with the likes of: The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen. Mike received record awards for his work with Foreigner, David Sanborn and David Bowie. During this time he also operated his own 24-track recording studio in the Soho district of Manhattan.

When Mike returned to Newton Falls in 1990 he opened a studio at his home, and was hired by CAD, an audio manufacturing company in Conneaut, Ohio. There he commissioned recording consoles, installed console automation and was a technical recording consultant. While operating his home studio and working for CAD, Mike custom built an 80 channel recording console. At the same time he renovated the building which is now Tune Town Recording Studios, a modern digital and analog multitrack facility.

Mike has more than 30 years experience in the recording business. He is not only an excellent engineer, producer, song writer, but is a fine musician as well. Mike's most recent project was writing the "Dumb as Dillon" song with Brenda Rider and Alan Matavich. Mike sings the song on the single CD they released December 2007. He donated his time, expertise, and talent on this CD to the A Way With Words Foundation, Inc., where it is still available.

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Stan Woomer with members of the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir at a 2007 Barnes & Noble performance and race car appearance.
The lady in pink is
Choir Director
Charlotte Labuda

STAN WOOMER
A stock car owner and driver from Warren, Ohio, Stan first won the popular 20-lap Tom's Sewer & Drain Pure Stock Car race September 2006 during the Trumbull County Fair. During the summer season you usually can find Stan racing his stock car at the Sharon Speedway dirt track in Hartford, Ohio. In June 2007, Stan won the Pure Stocks race.

Off the track Stan owns and operates Stanco Manufacturing, a built-to-order stereo stand equipment company. Growing from a shop in his home, Stan's new company facilities can fabricate, weld, package, and paint his products. Local funding assisted the company in purchasing a powder paint coat line as well as related equipment, to be used for Stanco’s product line as well as for other clients.

In addition to proudly carrying the name of the A Way With Words Foundation, Inc. and the R.O.C.c.K. Children's Choir names on his race car, Stan enjoys making personal appearances with his car at Foundation functions. The children thrill at being able to sit in his car and spend time with a caring celebrity.

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Artist Chris Yambar as he sees himself.

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