pizza hut feature

By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
It was a family style gathering at the restaurant that’s famous for its red roof.
Steven Jaramillo was the waiter for this group of people who had a party of 12. Jaramillo grabbed the surrounding tables and slid them together as if he was playing a giant game of Tetrus. The customers sat down and he took their drink order. For Jaramillo, it was simple work between the football and baseball season.
For his dad, Steve, it was something new. “The first time I bussed or waited on a table was in December,” he said. “I have, oh, 35 hours of experience.” The Jaramillo family has teamed up with the Midkiff family in order to raise $4,600 for each of their graduating sons — Steven Jaramillo and Daine Midkiff.
The two soon-to-be high school graduates have been selected to travel to Australia for the 20th annual Down Under Bowl. The trip included 11 days in Australia and three days in Hawaii before leaving paradise and returning to the real world.
However, the entire time won’t be all fun and games. Steven Jaramillo said most of the practices are two-a-days. Not to worry though, the practices are on the beach.
On July 3, the two former-Outlaw players head for the land down under with their fathers — Steve Jaramillo and Glenn Midkiff. For Glenn, he said his feelings are torn. “When Daine got the letter in the mail I was so excited, at first,” he said. “Then I realized how much money we had to raise and I got a little less excited.”
Fortunately, the two families teamed up to start fundraising right away.
“We chose Pizza Hut because one of Steven’s baseball friend’s mothers suggested it to us,” Steve Jaramillo said. “And they’ve taken us in and have been a real big help.” Pizza Hut gives the two athletes almost 20 percent of the gross intake for the three hours the families help out, according to Steve Jaramillo.
In addition to receiving a cut of the day’s income, Glenn Midkiff said there is a raffle as well. He pulled a booklet of green tickets from behind the counter and sat it beside a booklet of white tickets. “The green ones are from us personally,” he said, while the white ones come from the International Sports Specialists Incorporation, or ISSI. The ISSI is the main incorporation behind the Down Under Bowl. Its raffle is for a round trip to Australia at the same time as the athletes.
“Our raffle is for either $500 off a gun from Bi-Rite Sports or $500 off riding gear at TNT Motor Sports,” he said. “The ticket book itself was donated by Jackalope Printing (Hobby & Office) Supplies.” The booklet came with 500 tickets in it, and Glenn Midkiff said about 50 remained as of Wednesday evening.
After seating a family of three in the corner, Glenn Midkiff returned to say he appreciates the entire communities support. “The way this community gets behind its kids is unreal,” he said. “And I need to thank everyone who made this happen.”
As of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the two athletes were three-fourths of the way done, according to Steve Jaramillo, and Pizza Hut has offered to let them work every Wednesday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. until the money is raised.