Time to film "Gamechanger: The Kenneth Harvey Story "

     Happy New Year to all, and a special salute to the people in Logansport, Louisiana -- one in particular -- because the first week of 2018 is going to be an exciting, interesting one there.

      It is time to begin filming the re-enactment scenes for Gamechanger: The Kenneth Harvey Story.

      Scene-shooting begins early Tuesday -- tomorrow, as this is being written -- and will continue through Friday.

      Starring -- who else? -- Kenneth Harvey. 

      Yes, more than 53 years after the football accident (brain stem contusion) that left him greatly paralyzed, he is still rolling through DeSoto Parish and Logansport, grateful for his long life, deeply devout, and about to play a huge role in the story of his life.
     And always an inspiration to all who know him.

      After a couple of years of community planning and fund-raising, Cynthia and Ben Freeman (the couple from Logansport now living in San Antonio) -- guiding forces for the project -- and producer/director Troy LeBlanc are ready for "action."

       LeBlanc is the founder and leader of Elyon Media, which -- as its website promotes -- is "a Christian, veteran-funded, Texas-based (San Antonio) multi-media production studio."

       They have the script ready. Last week LeBlanc was in Logansport for casting call meetings. The scenes will involve many people in the surrounding communities, etspecially for the crowd re-enactments (at a football game, at the "Kenneth Harvey Day" (October 30, 2009) and the dedication of the football stadium monument that honors him.

       Cynthia and Ben Freeman also were organizing leaders of that community endeavor, and -- with lots of help -- have pushed for this documentary.

       Kenneth, 70, has dealt with health issues that forced his move from his beloved longtime apartment in Logansport to an assisted living facility in nearby Mansfield. But he remains enthusiastic -- thankful for this attention -- and church-going. And now he's going to be a movie star.

       He, of course, will be featured near the end in the "Day" and monument-dedication scenes.

       But there will be several versions of Kenneth Harvey in the film, such as ...

       -- The 8-year-old learning to love basketball -- the Freemans' grandson Nico Senna (that's right, his name is Nico) coming in from where he and his parents live in California, can play that part because he is ambidextrous like Kenneth was early on;

       -- The high school student, a real star in basketball (his favorite sport) who decided to return for football in his senior year and was the Logansport Tigers' quarterback and a defensive back.

       -- The young Kenneth, going through a long, painful rehab process who, when he was reluctant, was goaded by younger brother Terry (who had physical disabilities) as "chicken."

       -- The middle-aged Kenneth, wheelchair-bound, a role that will be played by a 40ish Logansport man who also is wheelchair-bound and -- my opinion -- looks like Kenneth. 

       Ben and Cynthia Freeman will play themselves. John Russell, the Logansport bank executive who has been as much of a fund-raiser and organizer as the Freemans, has a role. 

       So does Linda Gamble, the late 1960s/early 1970s North Louisiana women's basketball legend -- a Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee -- who befriended Kenneth when they both lived near Longview, Texas, in the 1970s. She is going to be "Mom."

         Another key role: Gay Straus, Kenneth's aunt -- his mother's sister -- who has looked after him for many years.

         Scenes will be filmed at Rusty's Diner in Logansport -- where Ben Freeman first thought of the "Kenneth Harvey Day" idea -- and the old Frosty Shop  hangout in town will be re-created. So will Kenneth's old home place and the basketball goal which his stepfather Hank set up for him.

         Old Logansport High burned, but the Central school of Grand Cane (not far away) -- Lin Gamble's high school -- looks like Kenneth's old school, so it will be used. 

Kenneth Harvey:
ready for a starring role

         For the fateful football scene, they will return to the old field where Kenneth and his team played -- long since replaced by a new stadium. And in a neat development, neighbor rival Many -- the opposing team on the night of November 13, 1964 -- will bring a delegation of players and fans (cheerleaders, etc.).

         So some scenes call for 1950s dress and cars, and plans are for a 1960s look in football jerseys and helmets.

         The producers want to fill the stands with people from the community. 

         The documentary film will be narrated by Rick Rowe, the KTBS-TV (Shreveport) feature reporter who has done slices-of-life pieces for almost four decades.

         If all goes well, the documentary film should be ready for its premiere in March, planned for the Rio Theatre in Center, Texas, about 20 minutes from Logansport.

          LeBlanc and the Freemans also plan to submit the film to the fifth annual Christian World View Film Festival in Franklin, Tennessee, in mid-March, with hopes that someone will be interested in further developing the story in a full-length feature film.

            So good luck to all involved and, Kenneth, play the role like the star you always have been. It's going to be a good year.   

          

                       

A worthy cause: The "GameChanger"

        Two areas I usually avoid: (1) raising funds for a cause; (2) writing about Jesus Christ.
        Today is an exception.
        The cause is the ongoing fund-raising effort for a Christian documentary/film --  GameChanger: The Kenneth Harvey Story. We can use your help ... and your money.
         The part about Jesus? If you know me, and my family's religious heritage (Jewish), you know this is not our focus. So why today? Read on.
         If you have followed my blog and/or received my e-mails for the past three years, you will know that Kenneth Harvey -- a hero in his hometown, Logansport, La. -- is a person we greatly admire.
         Three years ago, I wrote a 12-part series on Kenneth and his life before and after the brain-stem injury he suffered during a Logansport High School football game late in his senior season (1964, also my senior year in high school).
          He had been a star athlete -- quarterback and safety in football, and an even better basketball player. He was a college basketball prospect -- a rangy (6-foot-3), skillful shooter.
          He never walked again; his legs paralyzed. But with only partial use of his hands and arms, he has lived on courageously and as an inspiration. Until two years ago, he lived in an apartment by himself and drove a customized van.
          He has since been in an assisted living facility in nearby Mansfield, but the hope is that he can return to live -- and live well -- in Logansport.
          Kenneth is a deeply religious man -- always has been -- and it is his faith, his Christian testimony in churches in Logansport and the area, that is the basis of this story.
          As the DVD and poster promoting the documentary/film idea proclaim: "I am quarterbacking for Jesus Christ now."
          His friends in town, and in DeSoto Parish, honored him on Oct. 30, 2009, with "Kenneth Harvey Day" and a statue/tribute next to the Logansport High football stadium. 
          The organizers of those special honors now are working on the documentary/film that will tell Kenneth's story. Ben Freeman, John G. Russell, Mary Mac Thompson and Sissy Morris are among the leaders of the effort and the "Kenneth Harvey Advisory Committee," which has been holding monthly meetings in Logansport over the past year.
           As you also might know, there is a Facebook page dedicated to the effort, a "Go Fund Me" page linked to it, and a web site (www.gamechangerthekennethharveystory.com).
           Through various endeavors, the committee has raised some $14,000 of the $30,000 needed for producer-director Troy LeBlanc of Elyon Media -- based in San Antonio, where Ben and Cynthia Freeman live -- to begin to do the actual filming they have planned.
           The committee currently is promoting a project with Logansport-area church pastors and deacons to help raise funds. They have a letter, plus the DVD and the poster, asking for help.
           In part, the letter reads: "The Advisory Team feels that Kenneth's life story is a powerful witness to the love of Jesus Christ and to those who hear Kenneth's story."
           So not only is the committee asking for contributions from churches and its members, the letter also says that "Kenneth is available to visit your church on a first-come basis."
           If you are reading this in Shreveport-Bossier or elsewhere in North Louisiana or East Texas, I hope that you will consider going to your church leaders and ask them to be part of this. And make a financial contribution.
          (And if anyone has a connection or input with the Duck Dynasty/Duck Commander organization, let them know about it. The Duck Commander leader, I hear, once was a 1960s quarterback in North Louisiana -- a year older than Kenneth.)             
          I'll say this with no reservation: Making a contribution to this is money spent a heckuva lot better than giving to one of the political parties. Not much Christian about the millions being spent there.
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          Checks should be made to "Gamechanger: The Kenneth Harvey Story" LLC. Mailing address: P.O. Box 791, Logansport, LA 71049
          All monies collected should be deposited at Community Bank of Louisiana to the account of "Gamechanger: The Kenneth Harvey Story" LLC.
          Those interested in having Kenneth speak at their church, should phone John Russell at 318-697-4303.