By Anna Guido
Enquirer contributor

Robin Tharp, 36, and her son, Justin, 15, both of Delhi Twp., are recipients of money raised by the Delhi Skirt Game Committee's St. Patrick's Day Dance. The Cincinnati Enquirer/JEFF SWINGER

DELHI TWP. - A charity group called the Delhi Skirt Game Committee will hold a St. Patrick's Day Dance Saturday to help local families with medical expenses.

The dance is one of several fund-raising events hosted by the group, named for its first and most successful event to date.

"It's amazing to live in a community that actually cares," said Robin Tharp, 36, one of the beneficiaries.

Tharp, a single working mom, fell at home Nov. 19. She suffered a head injury and went into a coma.

Tharp is now recovering at home, but is unemployed because she wasn't able to return to her job as a medical assistant. She's still under several doctors' care for memory and vision problems.

The Delhi Skirt Game Committee has been helping her with living expenses since December.

It's not the first time Tharp has been helped by the group. When her son, Justin, had brain surgery for a birth defect, the group helped Tharp with expenses.

Her situation exemplifies the type of unfortunate incidents that prompted the charity group to host more than its annual skirt game, a popular Tristate event in which men dress in drag to play softball.

"People need help more than one time a year, and we do what we can to help," said committee co-chairman John "Satch" Coletta, a lieutenant with the Delhi Township Police Department.

The police department, fire department and Delhi Athletic Association started the skirt game 26 years ago. The Price Hill Lions Club later joined the effort.

The Skirt Game Committee has generated close to $750,000 for nearly 100 families, Coletta said.

If you go

What: St. Patrick's Day Dance.

When: 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday.

Where: Delhi Township Park Lodge, 5125 Foley Road.

Cost: $15, $25 per couple.

Information: Cindy Kober, (513) 451-1197; Billie Pangallo, (513) 451-1913.