Charity Trap Shoot Supports Carousel Ranch

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Last week, the fourth annual How the West Was Won Charity Trap Shoot was held at the Newhall Pass in support of Carousel Ranch. The event, filled with 18 teams of 4, raised $21,000.

“We were only budged to raise $15,000, but we raised $21.000,” Carousel Ranch’s Denise Tomey exclaimed. “We were really excited at the turnout. This is a unique event and we are so happy to have sold out this year. The weather is perfect, today, too.”

Carousel Ranch is an organization that works to provide therapeutic and recreational riding lessons to disabled children. The non-profit currently helps over one hundred children and teens.

The Charity Trap Shoot is an annual shooting event that attracts benefactors and donations through outdoor, team-focused activities. All event participants are provided with massages, opportunities to shoot shotguns (often for the first time), shoot buckshot at bowling pins and shoot from the back of a fake horse.

“We try to keep everyone entertained and busy so we have a lot of other activities to participate in between the rounds of shooting,” explained Eric Stroh, chairman of the event.

Six of the eighteen competing teams had never held, let alone shot, guns before the event, Stroh said.

“This is a great charity and a great cause. How can you now support Carousel Ranch,” said Jeffrey Hacker, one of the inexperienced participants.

Stroh also thanked Benelli, the gun manufacturer, explaining that the charitable event would never be able to take place without the company’s help.

“Benelli sends us thousands of dollars of material each year, including all the hats and shooting prizes we rely on in order to complete the event. We couldn’t raise the money we do without their help. We are very grateful for their assistance,” he said.

Topper’s Pizza Teams Up With SickKids Foundation

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Topper’s Pizza, a Foodservice and Hospitality Top 100 Company, recently announced its new partnership with the SickKids Foundation in an effort to support children’s health. According to Keith Toppazzini, president and CEO of the company, the new relationship fits into their corporate social responsibility program.

The new program will have several different branches, including in-store donations, corporate matching and promotions. In-store donations will be dedicated to family education resource AboutKidsHealth, while other campaigns will benefit the Possibility Fund for the Hospital for Sick Children.

“We’re proud to select SickKids Foundation as our corporate charity,” Keith said. “As a family-run business with strong family values, it makes perfect sense to support a charitable organization that does so much for so many families across our province, Canada, and around the world.”

Kelly Toppazzini, also of Topper’s, added: “By partnering with SickKids, we are making a considerable commitment to support children’s health and we couldn’t be happier to do it.

Adrian Horwood of SickKids Foundation also expressed excitement. “Topper’s Pizza has a wonderful, loyal following of families as customers and we’re looking forward to having them on board as one of our newest corporate partners to help promote awareness about children’s health, as well as to provide us with another way to raise critical funds,” he said.

Laura Bush Keynote Speaker for the Star Executive Summit

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Laura Bush

Laura Bush

Laura Bush is coming out of the woodwork to be the keynote speaker at the third Star Executive Summit on May 24th at the Embassy Suites Frisco Conference Center.  Star Children’s Charity financially supports non-profit organizations in Collin County, Texas that focus on the wellbeing of children. It was founded by Michelle Brennan Hall and Linda S. Paulk in 2007 to focus on assisting children medically, educationally and more.

As of January of 2012, Star Children’s Charity has distributed more than one million dollars in funds to support many worthy organizations including: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County, City House, Children’s Medical Center Legacy, Plano Children’s Medical Clinic and the Samaritan Inn and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano.

Now, Laura Bush will speak at the Star Executive Summit, a yearly fundraising event that brings together business executives, fundraisers, leaders and individuals who will work together to support Star’s mission of raising the level of philanthropy in the community.  For the past two summits, Newt Gingrich and Lee & Bob Woodruff came to share their stories of service.  This year, The Honorable Senator Florence Shapiro will introduce former First Lady Laura Bush while Shelley Slater, WFAA-TV news team member and Plano native, will be the Star Summit emcee.

A co-chair of the event, Cheryl Massey of Michael W. Massey & Associates, said,

“We are honored to represent Star Children’s Charity as we bring one of America's most inspirational leaders to Collin County, First Lady Laura Bush.  Her dedication to advancing education and promoting the well-being of children and families worldwide will definitely be motivating to all who hear her speak."

Fellow co-chair Sandy Golgart of Bentley Premier Homes continued, “The theme, “Be Inspired, Be Inspiring!” is perfect as we know guests will leave encouraged to contribute in making Collin County a place where children come first.”

All proceeds from the evening will go to City House, a location that offers emergency shelter and transitional residential services for both children and young adults who have experienced abuse, neglect and homelessness.

Becca’s Closet Provides Prom Dresses for Teens

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Prom season is arriving and with it the excitement, dreams and stress involving the perfect, often too expensive, dress. Becca’s Closet, a charity organization working to provide teens with their ultimate dress at a lower budget, helps thousands of women every year.

The organization was established in memory of Rebecca Kirtman, who started a community dress drive in her freshman year. Her motto was “Little things can make a big difference.” The foundation now “provides formal attire to high school students who otherwise would not be able to attend their prom/homecoming.”

Ever since the tragic accident in 2003, Becca’s Closet works to continue her mission and fulfill her dream of letting teens have the best prom experience.

This past Saturday, Becca’s Closet provided numerous girls with their dream dresses for this year’s proms.

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Derek Jeter Awarded Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree

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A recent press release revealed that Siena College is awarding baseball wizard Derek Jeter with a Doctorate of Humane Letters degree. Jeter has long been devoted to youth development and service work, and his charity Turn 2 Foundation has helped hundreds of adolescents stay on the right track.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Richardson, Ph.D., said: “We all know that Derek Jeter is a tremendous athlete, but this is an opportunity for the Siena community to honor and share in his commitment to young men and women.”

She added, “Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation encourages our youth to remain in school and to stay healthy. Siena will support out joint mission of academic excellence by providing two full grants to academically-qualified students who have participated in one of the many Turn 2 Foundation Signature Programs.”

Jeter is thrilled to gain additional support for his efforts. Though he will be playing against the Marlins on the day of his award, his sister will replace him at the ceremony.

Jeter said, “It means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family.”

Tim Tebow Holds Weekend Event and Charity Auction

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This weekend featured the Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic, including a Friday night gala and an auction to benefit the Tim Tebow Foundation.

One bidder put $100, 000 towards a personal meeting with the Jets’ new quarterback.

“It was incredible,” Tebow said. “It’s humbling. You don’t feel worthy, but when people care about your cause and know that you’re trying to do something for other people it’s amazing to see what can happen.”

According to the official website, The Time Tebow Foundation exists “to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.”

The organization has four main outreach programs, including the W15H program, partnerships with CURE, Timmy’s Playrooms, and support of Uncle Dick’s Orphanage.

This weekend’s event and auction proceeds were aimed at supporting the foundation. Still, Tebow’s recent draft to the New York Jets was a popular topic of discussion as well.

Tebow mentioned his excitement to working alongside QB Mark Sanchez next week. “I’ve been in contact with Mark and he’s a great guy, we’ve got a great relationship. We look forward to seeing each other on Monday,” he said.

He also addressed the Jets fans, after noticing that many had attended his charity event. “Obviously the Jets fans are very passionate,” he said. “and then to also have some of my fans out here who were incredibly supportive was just great.”

 

Billy Gilman Organizes Song for Soles4Souls Charity

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Billy Gilman from Nashville, Tennessee, was famous for his voice at only 12 years old. As he grew older, however, he took a break from his music career to focus on volunteer work and charity.

His first album “One Voice” sold over two million copies, and now he has co-written a song called “The Choice” as he eases back into the industry at age 23. All proceeds from the song, which features top artists such as LeAnn Rimes, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban and Reba McEntire, will be donated to Soles4Souls. This non-profit organization works to provide shoes for both children and adults in need across the globe.

Gilman explained the importance of this organization, saying “I couldn’t imagine not having a pair of shoes, not just for the sake of being comfortable and looking cool, but I never thought until I got really involved that shoes enable you to get a job.” He added that it is forbidden to walk into a school, restaurant or other building without shoes. “It really is more than giving a pair of shoes so that kid can look hip and cool. It’s a way of life.”

Gilman said music celebrities were enthusiastic to participate in the project. He wrote to Rimes on Twitter and received a reply immediately, and Urban and Reba both said “Tell me when.”

“It’s amazing to see the camaraderie,” Gilman said.

Gilman explained that the project hopes to provide 500,000 pairs of shoes to people in need through sales of the track. He also expressed his excitement of getting back into the industry.

“Singing is what I am, so when it was gone, it was very hard. But it was a good time to go back home and rekindle friendships, be with my family and get my head straight, and figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” he said. “As my voice started to come back, I said, ‘this is what I am.’ Coming back to Nashville and writing, doing projects like this, it’s what I am.”

Matthew’s Mission’s Easter Eggstravaganza

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Yesterday morning, hundreds of children participated in the Easter Eggstravaganza, which benefits a charity called Matthew’s Mission. Held at the South Scranton’s Harmon Field, the event included 25,000 Easter eggs, prizes, treats, face paint, games and much more.

Matthew’s Mission is an organization that works to fund special needs programs in memory of Matthew James Newell, who die suddenly from a seizure at the age of 24. The young man had Down syndrome and was known for his generosity.

“My brother Matthew always donated his own money to, say, St. Joseph’s Center of the Friendship House,” explained his sister, Kathleen Haikes. “When he passed away unexpectedly we thought, we’ll keep his name going and do his work for him.”

Ms. Haikes added that the charity depends on the community’s help in order to continue with its mission. For example, the preparation for the Easter Eggstravaganza included an egg-filling party, where volunteers filled almost 20,000 eggs in two hours.

The prizes within the eggs included candy and small toys, while 125 tickets for giant stuffed animals were also among the items found.

Matthew’s Mission also donated additional gifts, including a service dog for 9-year-old Melanie Berardelli. The dog, named Buddy, is trained to sense and deal with seizures like those that plague Melanie.

Melanie’s mother Traci said: “The things that Matthew’s Mission does are just unbelievable.”

Jackie Kaufman Honored by Boys and Girls Home and Family Services Inc.

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Jackie Kaufman

Jackie Kaufman

Jackie Kaufman recently became the most recent recipient of the Boys and Girls Home and Family Services Inc. Jeff Dible Volunteer of the Year Award for 2011. Jackie first became involved with the Boys and Girls Home after a lunch date with a friend years ago.  As she recounted,

"One day right before Christmas, she told me about a girl who was terrified even thinking about the holiday. I could not understand that, as Christmas has always been such a special time for me and my family," she recalled. "It seems this little girl was abused by her father and her uncles before she was allowed to open her one gift. She associates the holidays and gifts with abuse. How terrible is that? Right then and there I asked what I could do to help."

The volunteer award is giving each year during the annual meeting and recognition program to recognize one volunteer whose leadership and commitment are outstanding.  She has primarily focused on fundraising for the organization.  As Terri Dooley, executive vice president of development said,

"Jackie is driven by planning Boys and Girls Home and Family Services events that each year continues to raise more money to support programs and services for the clients. That's her motivation."

She continued to explain that the best part of volunteering, from her point of view, is in helping children who have experienced trauma. As she said,

"I am involved because there is such a need. These kids will really tug on your heart strings. Some of them have gone through so much in their short lives, and they just need help dealing with the bad situation that they landed in. Boys and Girls Home is that place. It is a loving and protective environment for the kids."

Dooley added, “Her boundless creativity, passion, selfless dedication and amazing contributions best describe why she is so treasured."

 

Car and Truck Show Benefits Walk for the Fallen & Food Bank

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Concerns of the Police Survivors

On St. Patrick’s Day the Southwest Florida Corvette Club Benefit Car and Truck Show took place at Victory Layne Chevrolet. Admission was free and it was $25 to register a car. As Graham Reedy, the president of the Southwest Florida Corvette Club explained, they host this event twice a year.

Organizers expected to have 125-150 entries which included cars of all types, years and models.  Entrants all got a goodie bag and a plaque and more than 100 trophies were expected to be handed out for Best of Show, Best Overall Show, Most Original and more. There was even a trophy for the car that showed the most St. Patrick’s Day spirit.

In addition to the fun of the event, it’s a chance to support two very worthy causes: the Harry Chapin Food Bank and Walk for the Fallen.

As Reedy said,

"Everything we do, we do for charity. We enjoy our Corvettes, but everything we do goes to charity."

Part of the money from the event would be going to Walk for the Fallen, a fund-raiser created by Sgt. David Drum, of the Lee County Sheriff's Office. Drum has plans to walk 390 miles in May to raise money for C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors). This national non-profit helps survivors of officers who are killed in the line of duty.  The Benefit Car and Truck Show looked forward to helping Drum and Walk for the Fallen in their efforts.

The Harry Chapin Food Bank would be a recipient of part of the money raised as well.  As Mark Baldassarre, general sales manager at Victory Layne Chevrolet, said,

"When times got tough here a few years back, we started thinking about ways we could help families that were around. We've just continued on with that and the public seems to absolutely like that idea."