Good News - October 2018

COVER STORY 20 OCTOBER 2018 Good News • South Florida Edition (Continued from page 18) Offerdahl’s Gridiron Grill-Off Continued… specializing in just-grilled steak, chicken, salmon and shrimp on salads, sandwiches and entrees topped with signature dressings and sauces. “That’s when I went from the Bagel Boy to Grill Guy,” John chimed in. As they were developing these concepts, the Offerdahl family was going through their own “spiritual walk.” John went through Lifework Lead- ership in 2004 and served as Board Chairman for the National Christian Foundation from 2009 – 2014. “This planted a seed that was probably sprouting in 2008,” said John. Lynn has since gone through the Lifework Leadership class. Meanwhile, their son, Drew, had also became involved in a ministry called LoveBags that developed relationships with homeless people in Fort Lauderdale by bringing them sandwich bags of snacks and hygiene essen- tials as an icebreaker for conversation and prayer. “It’s founder, Bob Deni- son, a strong believer, was a huge mentor in my son’s life,” said John. “And as he was out there serving the homeless, I think God really put it on our hearts to find out philanthropically how we were going to put football and food together in the South Florida market for good.” Marrying their love for Football and Food, the first Gridiron Grill-Off was held in 2009 in the parking lot of their Weston restaurant, initially benefitting foster care and family homelessness – 4KIDS and Hope South Florida. They established Offerdahl’s Hand Off-Foundation (OHOF), which raises funds and hands them off to “feed the needs of those in crisis” in partnership with business, government, civic and faith-based organizations. Over the years the foundation has also given funding to the Miami Dolphins Foundation, Here’s Help, and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Educa- tional Fund. However, the primary beneficiary this year will be Home Team Advantage Restorative Housing (HTA), a Handoff Foundation subsidiary begun by John and Lynn that seeks homeownership victory through rela- tional restoration. They will also donate the first $50,000 to the Broward Col- lege Foundation to support its Offerdahl Scholarship Fund. Home Team Advantage John and Lynn started Home Team Advantage to address the low-in- come housing crisis through a unique approach that brings together com- munity and church partners to provide the services and relationship support some families need to achieve self-sufficiency and homeownership. They do this by taking advantage of unique government incentives to donate and rehab low-income housing. “We really liked the model Drew was using of leading and helping through genuine relationships” said Lynn. “We began to see that home- lessness, hunger and brokenness is a big problem, and it’s not just about throwing money or things at people which often ends up hurting them.” John emphasized, “The secret sauce is relationship. We provide homes, but our goal is restoring lives. We bring the support community of the faith-based community alongside private case management to incen- tivize self-sufficiency and homeownership victory independent of govern- ment subsidy. This year, we’re working with Broward College to offer $50,000 in scholarships to develop people educationally and lift their incomes towards self-sufficiency and homeownership victory. You can learn more about the charities benefitting from the Gridiron Grill-Off at handofffoundation.org or htadvantage.org . Attend the Grill-Off If you are planning to attend the Grand Grill-Off, here is Saturday’s Event Schedule at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater: BBQ Pit Masters 12 – 5 p.m., Grand Grill-Off 1 – 4 p.m., Closing Ceremonies and Cornhole Fi- nals 4 – 5:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at www.gridirongrilloff.com . General admission for the Gridiron Grill-Off is $85 per person, including all food and beverages at the Saturday event. Tickets to the BBQ Pit Masters event are $10 for adults and free for kids 4 and under, which includes (10) 1oz. samples of BBQ for voting (All other food and drinks are available for purchase and does not include access to the Grill-Off). VIP tickets, which include a gift bag and access to a private tent on-site with seating, shade, food and bev- erages, are $125 per person.