Living United

A quiet work week…or is it?

It seems that many folks have taken advantage of a Monday holiday to take this week off. Our phone is pretty quiet, and our staff has far less than the usual number of meetings scheduled.

 However…

 Our staff is simply digging in to prepare for:

• Our annual financial audit with the good folks at the Hantzmon Wiebel accounting firm
• One Fine Day for the United Way on July 25th
• The creation of our annual report, and
• The 20^th anniversary of United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring on September 21^st. Jessica Snyder’s phone is the busiest as she fields several phone inquiries a day from nonprofits wanting to register a Day of Caring project or businesses wanting to register a team.

 A summer slowdown? Only on the surface.

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

Good Times for a Good Cause

Last night we have the privilege and the pleasure of holding our kick-off registration party for “One Fine Day for the United Way” at Keswick Hall, Club and Estate. Once again, our good friends at NewsRadio 1070 WINA, one of the event sponsors, had a live broadcast of Jay James’ “Best Seat in the House” show, and once again, UVA baseball coach Brian O’Connor was the featured guest on the show.

We wish that he could have been in Omaha coaching in the championship of the College World Series instead of sitting on the (lovely!) patio at Keswick Hall, but it was not a bad way to spend the evening. This year, we were fortunate to have his assistant coaches, Karl Kuhn and Kevin McMullan, join Jay for the show, as well as pitcher Tyler Wilson. And, many of our friends joined us for refreshments on the patio as well.

 

You have the chance to partake in the gorgeous venue and outstanding hospitality of Keswick Hall, Club & Estate if you join us for either the Keswick-United Way Golf Classic or An Afternoon at the Estate on July 25. You won’t regret it!

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

Join us for Live Radio on the Patio at Keswick

As part of our promotion for One Fine Day for the United Way, a day at Keswick Hall, Club & Estate, our wonderful radio partner NewsRadio 1070 WINA will be broadcasting LIVE from the patio at Keswick Hall on Monday, June 27. Join us for a special broadcast of Jay James' "Best Seat in the House" with special guests UVA Head baseball coach Brian O'Connor, his assistant coaches, and pitcher Tyler Wilson.

The always accommodating staff at Keswick is offering $15 drink and appetizer specials for our friends joining us for this fun evening. Last year’s radio event was especially memorable because it was one of the evenings we had a severe weather microburst and the power went out at Keswick.  The party went on, and we ended up listening to an extended version of Coy Barefoot’s show as he fielded listeners’ phone calls reporting in damage around the area. Jay James was able to go on live later with an in-person interview with coach O’Connor. This year will be our third year of doing this special broadcast with Coach O'Connor.

Come by after work at 5:30, you are guaranteed to enjoy wonderful Keswick hospitality and some radio fun.

Everyone who registers at the party for either the Keswick-United Way Golf Classic or An Afternoon at the Estate is eligible for prizes.

Overall event sponsorships as well as hole sponsorships are available. The tournament fills up quickly, but now non-golfers can also enjoy An Afternoon at the Estate.

For more information or updates, call Caroline Emerson at 434-972-1701, follow us on Twitter as @UnitedWayTJA or “Like” us on Facebook as United Way TJA

Does it Count?

It is like that old saying, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?". In yesterday’s UVA baseball game cancelled in the second inning due to bad weather, John Hicks hit a home run. The Daily Progress has the story. According to officials, the run does not count in the statistics.

But for the purposes of the United Way Home Run Club, we think it should count. After all, we are doing this to help our community.

What do you think?

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

Car Wars: The Revolution at JPJ this Week

Tuesday kicked off the five day extravaganza known as Car Wars: The Revolution. Our friends at the UVA Community Credit Union created this event, which features the four largest car dealers in the area: Battlefield Ford, Brown Auto, Colonial Auto and Jim Price Auto. They bring their inventories of new and used cars to the John Paul Jones Arena so that the public can come in and compare, test drive and get a great financing deal from the credit union, all in one location. No driving up and down Route 29 or Pantops trying out all the car models you are considering.

So what does this have to do with the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area? We are the beneficiaries of the car sale. The more cars are sold, the bigger the donation we will receive at the end of the sale. So if you are in the market for a new or used car, come on down! You'll get a great deal and the community will get a helping hand.

We had a lot of fun with Chewbacca, Princess Leia and C-3PO, who will be making appearances at various times during the sale this week. Eric Pritchett of NBC29 did live interviews during the evening news, and Caroline Emerson, our Vice President and Campaign Director, had some fun with Chewbacca during her interview.

Enjoy the slide show!

   

Home Runs, Perfect Games and a Great Cause

The United Way Home Run Club is in full swing, having officially started on the first of April. Many thanks to David Coleman who hit a three-run home run in Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech.

 On Monday night, representatives from our Team Captain, CenturyLink, and our all Star Players, The Daily Progress, Union First Market Bank and WINA, gathered at Cheeseburger in Paradise for the Coach’s  Corner show on WINA, featuring UVa Baseball Head Coach Brian O’Connor.

(From left to right: Fred Greer, The Daily Progress; Rod Gentry, Union First Market Bank; Coach Brian O'Connor; Caroline Emerson, United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area; Simone Alley, CenturyLink; Mike Bisceglia, WINA.)

Coach O'Connor was clearly enjoying the moment and appreciative of the extraordinary week the team had experienced: being ranked #1, Will Robert’s perfect game, and then sweeping the Hokies. Will, a young man whose academic credentials (he is graduating from UVA this year after only 3 years) are equally as impressive as his athletic ability, also did a live interview. 

We are looking forward to an exciting series this  weekend against Georgia Tech.   

Come on and join the Home Run Club! We’ll be running quarter page ads in The Daily Progress every Sunday tracking the home runs and prominently recognizing our Team Members.

Listen for our ads on WINA during the games.

And, while we are having so much fun, let us remember that all of the funds raised through this effort will go to help local families and individuals struggling with many challenges. So, we all win.

 

Posted by Kim Connolly

The United Way Home Run Club

Do you love UVA baseball? We do. And we appreciate the work ethic and sportsmanship of Coach Brian O’Connor and the high standards he sets for his athletes.

We also love our community and do our best every day to help children, families, at-risk elderly, those with health problems or disabilities, and the many working families struggling to be self-sufficient.

So we thought, “Why not combine our community’s passion and support for the baseball team with an equal passion for reaching out to help others in need?” And so, the United Way Home Run Club was born.

For every home run the UVA baseball team hits between April 1 and the end of the 2011 season, Home Run Club team members pledge $10 to the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. (Of course, this is the first year that composite bats are not allowed, so we doubt the team will hit close to last year’s season–long total of 61 home runs.) But just to be safe, we have capped the amount at no more than $450.

Several area businesses have already signed on as team members:

Battelle Memorial Institute

BB&T

Beer Run

Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport

Clean Cut Mowing Service

Colonial Auto Center

CVille Tickets

Evergreen Real Estate & Construction

Frys Spring Station

The Law Firm of LeClair Ryan

Mane Assets Hair Salon

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company

Roy Wheeler Realty

Select Speciality Products

Volvo of Charlottesville

 

CenturyLink enthusiastically endorsed the Home Run Club and immediately signed on as our Team Captain. They will be hosting a tailgate party using Cavalier One for our team members before the May 15 baseball game. Each team member business will receive 2 tickets to that game as well.

Union First Market Bank also stepped up to the plate as an All Star Player sponsor, as did WINA 1070 and The Daily Progress. We are running weekly ads in the Sunday paper listing the team member businesses and keeping a tally of the home runs. We find ourselves listening closely to each game broadcast on WINA, or following online, and the Home Run Club does not officially start until April 1! If you listen to WINA broadcasts of the baseball and lacrosse games, you will hear these sponsors voicing radio ads urging you to join the club!

We will be recording more ads naming the businesses who are team members and running those through the rest of the season.

 Can we add your business name to the list? Individuals are welcome as well. If you know of a local small (or big!) business that loves UVA baseball and also wants to support our community, tell them about the United Way Home Run Club. They can publicly show their support of both, plus get print and radio exposure for their business. Win-win. Click on the link on our sidebar to learn more.

Swing, batter, batter! GO HOOS!

                       

                                                  
        

 

Stay Tuned for Some Fun!

We often write about the many needs in our community. United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area runs several programs and is involved in several partnerships and initiatives that help kids, families, other nonprofits, and so on.

Of course, to make all these wonderful things happen, funds are needed to pay for staff, materials, program outreach via advertising, and so on. We also like to have fun while doing good, and also like to make business support be a win-win situation.

Did you know?

According to the 2008 Cone/Duke University Behavioral Cause Study:

• A full 85% of Americans say that they have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about.
• 79% would be likely to switch from one brand to another brand ... if the other brand is associated with a good cause.

This is called “Goodwill Marketing” and we are poised to introduce an opportunity for local businesses to have some high-profile fun.

 We will be announcing this opportunity soon, so stay tuned!

Keswick-United Way Golf Classic

What fun we had during the Keswick-United Way Golf Classic on Monday! The teams were sold out, and we had many generous sponsors, including Keswick Hall, Club & Estate, NewsRadio 1070 WINA, and The Daily Progress. The entire event was presented by State Farm Insurance, and ably spearheaded by Tom Barnes of State Farm. BB&T sponsored the wonderful dinner, and once again Volvo of Charlottesville offered generous Hole in One contests at four different holes, with the grand prize being a new Volvo XC70. As the person who got to pick up the car from Volvo and drive it to Keswick for the day, I was impressed by the neat warning lights on the front door pillars that blink when a car is passing you on either side – no more blind spots! Of course, Volvo is known for its safety standards.

Every year we try to make the tournament a little more special, and this year, we were helped by First Systems and Resources, a family-owned print and promotions company here in Charlottesville. They provided us with very nice golf-themed picture frames, and our very able staff photographer, Leah Valentine Hill, took photos of each team at the 18th hole with beautiful Keswick Hall in the background. Each golfer received a framed photo of their foursome. (Staff and volunteers made that happen by printing and framing the photos on site all day long.).

Many thanks go to our Special Projects volunteer, Margo Szeliga, who put in several months of work in signing up sponsors and soliciting raffle prizes. Thanks as well go to volunteers Jim Kennan, board member, and Sean Connolly, who each put in their third year at the tournament.

The good folks at NewsRadio 1070 WINA once again out-did themselves in their support and promotion of the tournament – from PSAs to three live broadcasts from Keswick, they truly put all their resources into helping us make this tournament special. And this year we welcomed The Daily Progress as a tournament sponsor; they ran a month’s worth of ads with entry forms that  also helped raise awareness. Thank you, all.

And what more can we say about the wonderful people at Keswick – over and over we said to ourselves and others what a pleasure it was to work with them. They consistently make you feel like you are the most special person in the world.

We hope that the golf, spectacular scenery, great food and outstanding service from Keswick staff made all our golfers’ day fun.

We are already brainstorming on some new, clever twists for next year. Stay tuned.

Checkout our event album on Facebook.  And "Like" us while you're there!

Posted by Kim Connolly.

Car Wars Benefits the United Way

We had a lot of fun as the beneficiary of the gigantic Car Wars event last March at the John Paul Jones Arena. UVA Community Credit Union and four area car dealerships hosted Car Wars, Charlottesville's largest auto event in history, at the John Paul Jones Arena in March. The event was a huge success for the community, attracting thousands of people to the family-oriented, four-day event that featured great deals on new & used autos of 21 makes and models with a portion of every sale devoted to helping the central Virginia community through a donation to United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area.

Yesterday, representatives from the dealerships and the credit union came to our office to present us with a check for $3,500, which we will put to good work helping those with the greatest needs or at the greatest risk in our community.

Thank you to the wonderful folks at the UVA Community Credit Union for organizing everything, and for including us as the beneficiary. And thank you to Jim Price Automotive, Brown Automotive, the Colonial Auto Group and Battlefield Ford for working together for the common good.

Posted by Kim Connolly.

Car Wars is here!

If you are even thinking about purchasing a new or used car, you need to get down to the John Paul Jones Arena today through Saturday March 27. The area’s four largest car dealers, Battlefield, Brown, Colonial and Jim Price, have brought their inventories of new and used cars to the John Paul Jones Arena for Car Wars. UVA Community Credit Union conceived this mega-car sale, and is offering terrific financing terms on the spot.

Why are we blogging about this? Because United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area is receiving a small donation per car sold at this event, and we are hoping that hundreds of cars are sold, adding up to several thousand dollars that we can put to work helping those in need in our community.

Caroline Emerson and I assisted at yesterday’s preview for UVA Community Credit Union members, and it was amazing to watch people come in, trade in their own cars and drive off with a new one, all within the space of an hour or two. What a terrific opportunity to test drive all the car makes and models you are considering, all in one place. Prices are marked down and interests rates are low, and the dealers would rather not have to move a lot of cars back on to their own lots.

Stop by the JPJ sometime before the end of the day on Saturday. Used cars are in the main lot, and each dealer has a floor of the parking garage for their new car inventory. If you see a United Way staff member wearing their Live United shirt, please come by and say hello. We are taking turns helping with the door prize registrations. I’ve already scoped out my sporty red mid-life crisis car, my practical commuter car and spotted my husband’s dream car. What will you find?

Check out our photos!

Posted by Kim Connolly.

What a week we have in store for us!

Our office is humming with activity this week. Megan Liddle and Martha Trujillo have several free tax preparation appointments to help residents earning less than $49,000 per year receive the Earned Income Tax Credit if they qualify. Leah Hill has at least five meetings with parents to renew their United Way Child Care Scholarships. Our new Children’s Health Insurance Program outreach worker, Jennifer Zadory, started work today. We’ll have a full blog post on that program soon. Miriam Rushfinn is working on creating public awareness of local kindergarten sign-up dates and finishing up a grant application for Smart Beginnings.

Several staff members are attending the Chamber of Commerce’s re-scheduled Quadruplicity conference this Thursday; Cathy Train is a presenter for one of the workshops. Plus, our board meeting is at the end of the day on Thursday. Deadlines for nominations for the United Way Awards of Excellence and the Student Service Awards are also this week.

To top it all off, Car Wars, Charlottesville’s largest auto event ever, is being held at the John Paul Jones Arena, thanks to the coordination of UVA Community Credit Union and will feature the area’s four largest car dealers: Brown, Colonial. Jim Price and Battlefield. The event will benefit United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, with a small donation per car sold, which we anticipate and hope will add up to a significant sum to help us meet the growing needs of our community. Many of our staff will take turns helping at Car Wars this week, so look for us in our Live United t-shirts. If you are even thinking about buying a new or used car, the JPJ is the place to be this week. It truly will be one-stop-shopping, with the ability to test drive every car you are considering all in one place.

Find out more on our Facebook Event Page.

We’ll post photos and video from Car Wars later this week.

All Around Town Auction Extended

Snow, snow, go away! Since Mother Nature blessed us with yet another snow storm this past weekend and another is expected today, we have extended the All Around Town Auction through February 17. Sunshine and warmer weather is expected for the weekend and in to next week, give bidders time to visit participating businesses to place their bids.

There are so many amazing, unique (insert adjective here) items up for bid: a 3 piece outdoor bistro set at Blue Ridge Builders Supply in Crozet; a $150 gift certificate from the newly opened Crozet School and Office Supply; a radio controlled helicopter from The Place for Comics, Games, Hobbies and Toys; special event cupcakes from Cappellinos Crazy Cakes; an antique pearl brooch from Hebblethwaite’s Jewelry and a handblown glass vase with handwrought metal roses from Vivian’s Art to Wear. And that is just a small sampling!

Shop Local. Bid Local. Give Local.  Shop for birthdays, anniversaries, yourself, or even start early Christmas shopping.

Check out the complete list of auction locations and items by clicking on the link to the right of this blog. 

Mentors and Auctions

The past seven days have been a whirlwind here at the United Way. Last Thursday we held our second annual Mentor & Tutor Opportunity Fair at the Omni Hotel. This was a joint effort of the Volunteer Center and a group from last year’s Leadership Charlottesville class, who had initiated the Mentor. Tutor. Pass it on! campaign.

This year, we coordinated the event to coincide with National Mentoring Month, and were fortunate to have wonderful sponsors: MichieHamlett Attorneys at Law, Omni Hotel, NBC29, Monticello Media Radio Stations (NewsTalk WCHV 1260 Am and 94.1 FM, Sports Radio 1400, Country WCYK, Hot 101.9, Tom@107.5 and Generations 102.3) and The Daily Progress. The month-long media campaign paid off, because we had just over 50 very motivated people attend. The feedback we got from potential volunteers and the 15 local agencies attending the fair was quite positive. We were thrilled that so many people were able to meet face to face with local programs that work with kids to find the one that is right for them. Many thanks to the attorneys and staff from MichieHamlett Attorneys at Law who helped out during the event.

The very next day, we shifted gears to get the final preparations ready for the All Around Town Auction, which started Wed. Feb. 3. There were TV ads to approve, flyers to finalize, following up with merchants, printing of posters, updating donation spreadsheets and all those small details that go with a special events to make sure it runs smoothly.

On Tuesday, volunteers and United Way staff spread out to bring the bid sheets, brochures and posters to the various businesses all over the county. It was nice to hear the merchants say what a great idea this is and how they were looking forward to participating. To the right of this blog is a link to the complete list of merchants and locations, plus descriptions of the items or services donated and their values. There truly is something for everyone: A fully furnished dollhouse, a kayak, many beauty packages, $150 certificate for school or office supplies, UVA baseball tickets, ballet tickets, a high quality car seat and baby stroller system and on and on.

Whether you live in Crozet or Charlottesville, visit one of these businesses, place your bid, pick up a flyer

Posted by Kim Connolly.

and start making your rounds. Bid. Buy. Better your community.

One Enchanted Evening

We appreciate the irony that our mission is to serve community members with the greatest need, or at the greatest risk, yet Caroline Emerson and I spent several hours last evening in the world class, storybook environment of Keswick Hall helping to further that mission.

We are privileged to have Keswick host and sponsor our Keswick-United Way Golf Classic, which is on July 27 this year. Last night NewsRadio 1070 WINA, another tournament sponsor (along with State Farm Insurance) broadcast its signature sports show, “The Best Seat in the House” with our favorite sports host, Jay James, live from the terrace of  Fossett’s bar. We called it our tournament registration party.

You would think it could not get any better than sitting on the terrace overlooking the Arnold Palmer designed golf course and infinity pool on a beautiful summer evening, but it did. Jay’s special guest was University of Virginia head baseball coach Brian O’Connor, fresh from his team’s amazing journey to the College World Series.  He sets the example of class, sportsmanship, drive and determination for coaches at all levels of sports. I admit to asking him to sign a baseball for my family, as we have followed his teams for several years and stayed up way past our bedtimes several nights during their post season run.

Chef Craig Hartman also stopped by for an interview and brought with him some amazing crab cakes – Jay James certainly won’t forget this remote broadcast anytime soon! Coy Barefoot, host of “Charlottesville Right Now” is next in line for the royal treatment as he will also be broadcasting live from Keswick, probably on July 9. Then Rick Daniels and Jane Foy will get their chance the morning of the tournament.

We joke about what a tough job we have when we have the opportunity to “work” at Keswick, but we are serious about doing whatever we can to bring together the resources to bring about positive changes in people’s lives. The funds raised through this golf tournament will help children and families, individuals needing access to health care and prescriptions, those working toward self-sufficiency and many others in our community. Won’t you join us on July 27 at Keswick as a golfer and/or a Hole Sponsor?

Posted by Kim Connolly.

Glam Golf: Announcing the Second Annual Keswick-United Way Golf Classic

I am EXCITED. The second annual Keswick-United Way Golf Classic, presented by State Farm, will be on July 27, 2009 at the absolutely gorgeous Keswick Hall, Club & Estate. After meeting yesterday with our partners, I can promise that it’s going to be a fantastic event. I know you hear that about every event, but trust me…

Our United Way planning team met yesterday at Keswick with our Golf Classic partners from State Farm, Keswick Hall, and WINA. The Keswick folks are always tremendously gracious, providing amazing hospitality in a breathtaking setting. It is becoming increasing difficult for me to attend meetings anywhere else: I am spoiled. But, I LIKE it.

Rick Daniels and Amy Lambert from WINA are a blast to work with. They have great ideas and enthusiasm, and WINA is a perfect partner for this tournament. Listen for upcoming live broadcasts from Keswick, coming soon (we’ll blog/Tweet/etc. the dates and times). We’ll be talking about registration, sponsorship opportunities, the stunning golf course, and the wonderful dinner that Keswick will whip up for our hungry golfers. Come by Keswick during the broadcasts to register for the tournament, and you just might get a little something special! Stay tuned…

Tom Barnes from State Farm Insurance founded this tournament last year and it raised nearly $10,000 for the United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area. This year, with Tom’s continued guidance, we’ll do even better. State Farm is always there for the United Way.

So, have you got the tournament on your calendar yet? Well, get on it! For more information click here.

Last year's State Farm team:

 

 

Posted by Caroline Emerson.

All Around Town Auction Comes to an Exciting Close

Bidding for the United Way’s The All Around Town Auction came to a close yesterday. Today was chaotic but fun: staff and our wonderful volunteers Brandon Oliver and Margo Szeliga rushed all around town (!) to every bid site, gathering the items and auction materials. We then jammed the phone lines to contact the winning bidders, calling just in time for them to give their auction treasures as Valentine’s gifts. My office is Auction Headquarters, and looks like a wonderful boutique filled with beautiful things (not counting my desk and its usual messy contents). It’s been really fun to meet the winning bidders as they rush in to collect their prizes.

Thank you to the many businesses who donated items/services, thank you to the many bidders, and thank you to the volunteers for making this a success! Thanks especially to these tremendous volunteers: Lisa Cannell, Tom Quinn, Brad Ramsey, Phil Garland, PK Kamath, Margo Szeliga, and Brandon Oliver.

Posted by Caroline Emerson.

Going Once...Going Twice...

I was out and about this weekend and stopped in several of the businesses participating in the All Around Town Auction. Some places had multiple bids, and some did not. I think the location of the bid sheets and signs may have something to do with it. Anyway, there are some amazing items to bid on – you could be a hero (or heroine!) for Valentines Day.

There are some bargains to be had on some very high quality goods and services in some of these locations, but you’ll have to see for yourselves. Check out the complete list at http://tinyurl.com/UWAuction09.

Posted by Kim Connolly.

All Around Town Auction, February 2-13, 2009

This is the second year that I have been involved with the United Way’s “All Around Town Auction.” It’s such a fun and different event (click here for details).

Right now, my team of volunteers is busily talking with local merchants and businesses about participating. They are having a blast because the merchants are always surprised that we are thinking about them, too!

You see, we’re not just asking businesses to donate something. Unlike regular silent auctions, bidders have to go to a participating business to see the item and place a bid. That’s why it’s the “All Around Town” auction- it happens all over our community. The Auction actually drives customers into businesses. Like all auctions, donor businesses will be listed in materials and advertising, too.

All sorts of things are being offered: artwork, ice cream for a year, hiking gear, jewelry, dinners, and even a carpenter-for-a-day! I love the inventiveness of our local businesses.

We’re partnering with WINA radio and the Charlottesville Newsplex on creating some cool advertising to promote the auction and to recognize the businesses which are taking part. We’ll also do print ads. Our deadline to sign up businesses is next Wednesday, January 14 so we can get our advertising together.

Business owners! Join us now. Show your customers and prospective customers how you "LIVE UNITED." Help those in need in our community while increasing traffic to your business during the slow winter season. Click here to sign up.

Posted by Lisa Cannell, United Way Board Member.

A Classic Show of Support

It may seem incongruous at first – a day at Keswick Hall, Club & Estate to help United Way- Thomas Jefferson Area meet its mission of serving community members with the greatest need, or at the greatest risk. But that is exactly what the first annual Keswick-United Way Golf Classic, presented by State Farm Insurance and sponsored by Keswick Hall, Club & Estate was all about. It was a great day at an amazing venue in support of reaching out to those in need.

When Tom Barnes of State Farm approached us about a golf tournament, we were a little wary of how much work it would entail for our already heroic staff. But Tom and the folks at State Farm, along with Matthias Smith and the staff at Keswick, took care of everything, from sponsors to prizes to extra golf carts. We provided marketing support and helped staff the event on July 28. The opportunity to play a round of golf at Keswick meant that the teams filled up very quickly. Even the weather cooperated, with lower humidity and some cloud cover that filtered the harshest sun rays.

It is safe to say that it was a group of happy golfers--happy to be playing golf at Keswick and enjoying the hospitality there, and happy to be supporting the United Way’s work in our community.  A warm congratulations to the winning team: Tim Johnson, Mike Mills, Ronnie Durham and David Thompson.

As for our staff, Caroline Emerson was everywhere – coordinating all the details with Tom and Matthias. I had the enviable assignment to pick up the Volvo C70 hardtop convertible that Volvo of Charlottesville was offering for a hole-in one prize and drive it to and from Keswick – top down of course! Shaele Wood and Leah Hill got to tour the course setting up sponsor and information signs and then go around again taking photos. It is hard to take a bad picture at Keswick – at every angle there is a beautiful view or the gorgeous Keswick Hall as background. Alaina Schroeder, Martha Trujillo and Lisa Frazier were our cheerful and efficient greeters and signed in all the golfers. Jon Nafziger and Jim Kennan (board member and honorary staff member) were jack of all trades – helping set up our canopy tents and check in area, and staffing Hole 16 to act as witnesses for the Hole-in-One contest for the Volvo. At some point, each of our staff members got to spend some time at Hole 16. (Alas, no one won the car.)

Back in Charlottesville, Miriam Rushfinn stayed behind to hold down the office, and Helen Frye headed off to her scheduled hours at the Charlottesville Free Clinic and Region Ten to facilitate prescription assistance applications. Our fearless leader, Cathy Train, also had many matters to attend to – including her car breaking down as she was about to head to Keswick! She did work her magic to get there for the dinner and awards.

The man of the day was Tom Barnes of State Farm –his presence was ubiquitous, and we benefited from his attention to detail in planning the event. He and Matthias Smith of Keswick made a great team. So often, first-time events are learning experiences – you learn from your mistakes, but this one ran so smoothly that we can all say in hindsight that we would not change anything, just think of some new things to add to make next year’s tournament even better.

Thank you Tom Barnes and State Farm, Matthias Smith and the warm and friendly Keswick staff, all of our hole sponsors, and the lucky golfers, for demonstrating that we can have fun while also helping others.

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED.

Submitted by Kim Connolly.