Nothing could be more exciting than having others join in on your adventure.

This adventure is one of the chapters from our nonprofit organization The Helpful Hands Foundation. One of the focus of the foundation is helping youths via sports and our young entrepreneur program. A subsidiary of The Helpful Hands Foundation is Community Youth Development Association which is overseen by its Director – a dynamic gentleman, David Shannon.

David came up with the great idea of a Golf Tournament Fundraiser. Of course… neither he nor I have ever initiated a ‘fund-raising’ event. (Now we have something to add to our resume).

We learned a lot, had a lot of fun and are looking forward to doing it again!

Now comes the lesson. The lesson comes in the experience, in the doing and the journey. To embark on a mission for the sake of the mission means nothing. Yet the excitement of the adventure, the possibilities of a positive outcome, the relationships forged, the inner spirit is revealed as the passion behind the mission comes forth. The why.

Why do anything? Why go forth onto untrodden territory? Why step out of the comfort zone?

Embark on the journey beyond your comfort zone and you’ll have the answer to your ‘why’… and with that you’ll discover your passion.

Your ‘why’ and your passion will become one in the journey.

This combination will spawn you onward making the journey alive with purpose. The challenges that present themselves will be but like pieces of a puzzle that with time will find its match.

THHF CYDA Annual 2010 Golf Classic was our first fundraiser of this magnitude… what could we have done better for the next one? More volunteers, more time!!

If you would like to create Golf Tournament Fund Raiser (A great warm-weather fund raising event) here are some tips:

-Promote with quality posters at golf stores, high-traffic, high-visibility locations. Use newsletter and email lists, and online social networks to get the word out.

-Distribute a press release about your golf fundraiser to all your local media outlets.

-Most golf courses will give you a substantial discount for a large group, you can charge the regular price and do quite well.

-Contact local businesses and ask them to sponsor a hole. Show a mock-up of the signs that will be placed for each sponsor and your event program where you’ll list all your sponsors.

-Contact corporations and ask them to sponsor your event.

-Have a sponsorship request on your letterhead and offer: prominent signage at the event, corporate logo golf balls for all golfers, newspaper coverage, etc.

-Player sponsors, ask each player to raise at least $100 in pledges.

-Silent auction: Solicit items from local businesses.

-Hold a raffle: Increase sales, sell tickets to the general public and not just to your group of supporters. You can even set up a sales table at high-traffic locations like shopping centers – this will get your event more recognition.

-Cater lunch: Offer a boxed lunch of sandwich, chips, and a cookie. Depending on what you’re offering, markup your costs by $3 to $5 per person and you’ll do well.

Daisy Says: Step out of comfort and into excitement.

Halloween 2009 …and I look back fondly at the pictures.

My little Geordan is not so little… we didn’t even carve a pumpkin this year.

We had a delightful weekend with Zach who came to spend the Halloween with us; he grew up too! I remember previous Halloweens Zach would come over with his dad Lee and we’d all pile in the car — drive to a pumpkin patch and have the boys pick a pumpkin each.. then we’d carve it with the boys.

This year Zach was so sweet to come up to central Florida and spend it with us… I had prior plans to do some community work up at Lake Mary with Rosezetta — we had already registered a booth to give out candies at their annual Spooktakular event. We had over 700 kids stop by our booth…right up to the last minute… we were able to give out all our treats!

Rosezetta and I decided to celebrate our Goodwill and stopped at Chilis for a little R&R …we thought the patrons would enjoy us in our costumes and it was quite delightful laughing and smiling with total strangers.

While at the home front Geordan was having a blast with his friends, this year he had his friends come over he had a party of his own.

Daisy Says: Treasure every minute for the dynamic eternity in it; that eternity is the memory that will for ever remain in your mind and your heart.

Daisy Says: Some monsters are FUN!

Come, I invite you to peek into my California experience.

Daisy Says: When your heart meets nature it remembers Peace.

Even though we may be apart in that place called forever we’ll always be together.
Your essence will stay with me forever.

You and Me = We, forever and ever. (my favorite Poem):

Pooh, there’s something I have to tell you
Is it something, nice?
Not, exactly
Then it can wait
It can, for how long?
Forever and ever

Forever and ever
Is a very long time Pooh
Forever isn’t long at all
When I’m with you

I wanna call your name, forever
And you will always answer, forever
And both of us will be
Forever you and me
Forever and ever

I wanna stay like this, forever
If only I could promise, forever
Then we could just be we
Forever you and me
Forever and ever

Forever and ever
Is a very long time Pooh
Forever isn’t long at all, Christopher
When I’m with you

I wanna be with you, forever
I want you right here beside me, forever
One thing you should know
No matter where I go
We’ll always be together
Forever and ever

Daisy Says: Live and Love with PASSION… thank you my darling friends for allowing me to love you …my way.