Local man hosts a Chicago Cubs basement party to raise funds for a boy battling a rare muscular disease

Photo provided by Club 400

100% of proceeds from the Sep. 10 Club 400 event will go to benefit 6-year-old Ryker Colon who suffers from a rare muscular disease

LAKE IN THE HILLS – In 2009, Lake in the Hills resident and life-long Chicago Cubs fan Stewart McVicar set out on a mission to transform his family-home basement into the ultimate Cubs-inspired hangout spot for himself and his friends to enjoy when they are unable to attend baseball games.

McVicar completed his project in 2013, finally unveiling what would come to be known as Club 400.

The 2,300 square-foot basement contains countless pieces of memorabilia from the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field.

Notable items found at Club 400 include 50 baseball bats all signed by the 2016 Cubs World Series Champions and past Cubs legends, three walls built from bricks used at Wrigley Field, turnstiles, bases, an organ, seats, balls and much more.

According to an Aug. 16 press release, Club 400 has won a couple of National Man Cave Awards and has even been featured on the Netflix series “Amazing Interiors.”

However, what McVicar is most proud of when it comes to Club 400 is the fact that he was inspired to help Cubs fans in need after Tom Ricketts, owner of the Chicago Cubs, asked to come see his themed basement.

This led to an event hosted at Club 400 that raised $34,000 for a friend of McVicar’s who required new prosthetic limbs after a fight with bacterial meningitis.

“That was in 2014. It’s 2021 and Club 400 has [given] away over half a million dollars to the best fans in all of sports. Cubs fans helping Cubs fans…There’s nothing better than helping people out,” McVicar said during a Facebook live stream.

As of July 2020, McVicar has been inviting groups of four or less for private tours of his famed themed basement, where individuals submit their “story” via social media into why they should be selected to visit Club 400.

It was through one of these tours that McVicar met 6-year-old Ryker Colón from Muscatine, Iowa.

Ryker’s parents, Brandi and Eddie Colón, who drove three and a half hours for the tour, described Ryker as having been born with a myriad of medical issues. He has visited several specialists who have been unable to pinpoint an exact diagnosis but have narrowed Ryker’s condition down to the pulmonary and neurological areas.

While growing up, Ryker was slowly able to meet his milestones, though as of recent, his health has been rapidly declining. Ryker’s motor skills have also been significantly impacted as he went from dancing around his house to now hardly being able to walk.

Additionally, even with insurance, Ryker’s family will still need to pay $10,000 out of pocket in order to purchase Ryker a motorized wheelchair.

To make matters worse, Ryker’s home is not handicap accessible making it near impossible for the young boy to go to the restroom, his upstairs bedroom, and practically anywhere else around the house.

McVicar decided to team up with Ryker’s family to host a Club 400 party in hopes of raising as much money possible to alleviate the cost of medical bills, trips to the Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois Hospital, modifications to the family home and much more.

The event for Ryker is scheduled for Sep. 10 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Ryan Dempster, former Cubs pitcher, and current media star will be hosting the Club 400 event. The event will also feature an appearance by Ray Burris, another former Cubs pitcher.

McVicar stated that 100% of the proceeds from the event will go directly to Ryker’s family.

Eddie is extremely grateful for all of the support from the Cubs fandom.

He explained that his grandfather was the one to introduce him and his siblings to the Chicago-area baseball team since Iowa has no professional major league sports teams.

He has since passed along his love for the Cubs to his own family, which for those wondering, Ryker’s favorite Cubs player is Kris Bryant.

Ryker’s family hopes that the Club 400 event will bring more attention to Ryker’s condition as it could help with discovering better treatment options.

Individuals interested in purchasing tickets to the Sep. 10 event can do so at club400cubs.com/ryan-dempster/