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.

When we begin to develop the habit to be aware of all that we can be grateful for the obstacles and challenges begin to appear meaningless in respect to the scope of the bounty of Life that we have before us.

Each one of us was given the same gift – 86,400 seconds in the day… how many of those seconds do you use to say “thank you”? Use a few of those seconds to reflect with a sense of appreciation on meaningful experiences you had during the day. You will be surprised at how many things we can find that are pleasing to us if we just take a moment to think about them.

As for myself, I am always grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Betsy is a mixed breed, about 6 years old, pregnant with calf. She’s feasting for two!

My grandfather was an incredible farmer, he not only had a sustainable farm but also took cattle raising to heart. He had cows for both milking and meat content.

So, whether it runs deep in my veins or it’s just the notion that one can’t have a farm without a cow grazing on the pasture – Betsy is now a proud THHF member. It will be a few weeks before Betsy makes it to her new home, as we still need to secure the perimeter and clear the field of weeds.

Our new farmer friend Jose from Deland, Florida was so accommodating with information. He took us on his 80 acre farm, showed us the different holding corals for the cows. Showed us the bails of hay he had stored in the barn – he said they weighed about 300 lbs each. Mostly for feeding during the cold season when the grass tends to slow its growth.

He told us that cows eat with their bottom teeth and the importance of clearing the field of weeds…as the weeds will get in their tongue and cause infection. He said cows tend to eat most about anything.

I was full of questions, because it’s my first time caring for a cow.. needless to say a pregnant cow. So I asked …where do they have the baby calf.. would I need to prepare a special area for her? Jose said that they’ll just pick a corner of the field and pretty much nature takes care of nature; What I found interesting was when he mentioned the placenta, so I said… what should I do with it? He said, not to worry the cow eats it.

>> Cow eating Placenta CLICK HERE

Daisy Says: The cow, a gentle creature.

What if you hunger for more than what your current circumstances dictate? Who would you turn to for guidance, who can you say this very minute in your immediate circle has attained the type of goal you are seeking?

And what if you could take your friends on the adventure so that they can join with you on the ride to success and self discovery?

I had that opportunity a few days ago. I attended an event where inspiring leaders convened under one roof to share their secrets to success. Tamara Lowe has done an extraordinary job in hosting one of the biggest motivation seminars across the country.. and who would have known that she started all this as a meeting planner… what heck of a meeting!

Great people such as:

Zig Ziglar: Embrace The Struggle (from the online blog)

Zig Ziglar, my father, is in a struggle right now—a struggle so profound and so real that by sharing it with you, I believe you will be filled with hope and encouragement. The gift that God has given Dad is the gift of encouragement and the ability to transfer hope to others so that they can rise above whatever circumstance they are in. As Dad has always said, “Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up, starting from where you are and moving forward, is a choice.”

On March 7, 2007, our family experienced what Dr. James Dobson calls “a suddenly.” I was out of town when I got the call. I went numb as I listened to my sister Cindy’s voice. “Dad fell down the stairs. He has a serious head injury.” Suddenly, our family joined millions of other families facing similar circumstances, and life became very different. Dad, at eighty years of age, lost the vitality for which he was renowned, he no longer moved with the energy and agility of even a sixty-five-year-old man. Almost overnight he aged fifteen-plus years and, thus, began his struggle to live with and overcome the effects of a brain injury.

Colin Powell: American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001-2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position.

Rudy Giuliani: Giuliani gained international attention for his leadership, during and after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Robert Shculler: Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s positive messages are a source of strength and hope, motivating and encouraging people of all nationalities, races, creeds and faiths. He is a pastor, speaker, motivator and author appreciated by countless millions worldwide for his ability to encourage and inspire.

Lou Holtz: “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.”

Krish Dhanam: A native of India , he arrived in the United States with nine dollars in his pocket and a vision of promise in his heart. The American Dream from an Indian Heart is the unfolding of that journey and its hidden promise. In a practical and informative way, Krish showcases how the American Dream is still alive and well.

Want to get more out of life? Find out what your Motivational DNA is: CLICK HERE

Daisy Says: You can go to all the great seminars and workshops but if you want to experience change it will not come for you until you make a decision to get motivated about discovering you!