A Noble Deed That Changed Lives: Tree’s Story

In 2002, Bill Rountree, affectionately known as “Tree,” was an early member of The Robin Hoods of VB, now known as The Noblemen.

Each holiday season, we host our Trolley Ride, where members sponsor families with terminally ill children through Edmarc, bringing gifts and holiday cheer to everyone in the household. That particular year, as families were being assigned to individual members, only two remained. It came down to Tree and fellow member Pete Reuss to decide which family each would sponsor. Pete gave Tree the opportunity to choose first. Members are randomly assigned to families, often knowing very little about them beyond basic family information and the fact that a child in the household is terminally ill.

To ensure members can spend meaningful, quality time with each family, the group is divided between two trolleys traveling in separate directions. Members never know exactly which family they will visit.

For Tree, the 2002 Trolley Ride would become an experience he would never forget.

When Tree arrived at the home he was visiting that evening, he was stunned to find himself looking at what appeared to be a smaller mirror image of himself in the face of a young boy waiting there.

Like Tree, the young boy was battling cancer and had lost an eye, along with all his hair, to the disease and chemotherapy.

There they stood, literally eye-to-eye, before breaking into knowing, conspiratorial grins. Without exchanging a word, they shared an understanding that spoke volumes.

It was a powerful moment of connection, one that would leave a lasting impression on Tree, the family, and The Noblemen.

The experience impacted Tree so deeply that he included this picture in his book, published in 2011.

This is just one of the exceptional stories that has helped shape The Noblemen, who we are, and what we do.

Moments like these remind us that while our mission is to make a difference in the lives of children and families facing extraordinary challenges, the impact often goes both ways. Sometimes, the lives changed are our own.

Helping Kids. And Changing Lives.