Good News - February 2021

We've all attended a lot of charity functions through the years. This month Good News Wants to Know... What's themost memorable charity event you've attended in the last number of years? In past years we have been used to hosting about ten events per year in our showroom, and attendedmany oth- ers charity events as a guest. Unfortu- nately during this COVID Pandemic, events have all but come to a halt, other than a few that I have done on Zoom. However, just as things were starting to seem like the pandemic was going away and things were getting better to- wards the end of 2020, we hosted our first, combination live and virtual event in our flagship showroomhere onOakland Park Blvd. It was our first in person event since the pandemic started earlier in the year. We partnered with Memorial Healthcare Cancer Institute and did a live cooking competition called Chop Challenge, where all the doctors from the Oncology Dept. teamed up and competed against each other. The event was filmed live on Facebook, and surprisingly they raised over thirty thousand dollars for this incredible hospital and the great work they do to save lives right here in our community. Bill Feinberg, President, Allied Kitchen & Bath One of my favorite eventswas the "SpaLaLa" fundraiser for Elev8Lifewhere ladies enjoyed a night of being blessed with spa type stations! Multiple treatment areas were set up by an amazing team of women both inside and outsidemy friend’s beautiful waterfront home. Highlights were getting a therapeutic foot scrub, experiencing a paraffin hand treatment and lingering at the “pam- pered in prayer” station. Reminiscing about that favorite event sounds so relaxing, I think it’s time to plan another one! Dr. Andrea Hazim, President and Founder, Elev8Life Educational Foundation The most amazing and memorable event I have been to was the Operation Lift Hope event at the Broward County convention center held on September 25, 2015. This event focused on raising both money and awareness concerning homeless Vet- erans and families in Broward County. Every table had a veteran, the room was filled to capacity (approximately 1600), a military orchestra played for the evening, Admiral VernonClark, Joint Chief, was the headliner with the Seal Team6Gold Leaders –Rick Kaiser, Ken Carona and their dog Raven. The fund raiser used two floors of the convention center (500’x500’ ea.). The bottom floor had every kind of military and first responder hardware available.All of it on display including seal teamdogs climbing ladders and demonstrations of all kinds. The second floor held the evening event presentations and dinner. The setting was very patriotic and festive. Outside this roomwere booths representing a great majority all of the serv- ice providers focused on the homeless issue in Broward County. You could pick up their brochure and learn about what they provided and make a donation. Admiral Vernon Clarke spoke of being in the Pentagon and being part of the Joint Chiefs. He also announced that evening that he was going to tell us some- thing that he had never spoken about and emotionally indicated that his brother was homeless in Detroit and that he had not done enough to help him. The au- dience was moved with his frankness and the importance of this issue. Next, Master Chief Rick Kaiser spoke about the importance of being a Navy Seal and the toll it took on his family. You could just feel the sizzle in the air as he spoke about missions and his resolve to do whatever it took. At the end of the evening, Jack Seiler – Fort Lauderdale Mayor, Chip LaMarca – Broward County Commissioner and I made my our closing remarks. The orchestra played the final song and when they had finished. A pause…And then…A lightning bolt cracked and a big boom of thunder filled the entire auditorium. It was not raining outside, no clouds in the sky and we had not seen any weather warning. We all looked at each other and thought - Mathew25:23- His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. AndyMitchell, CEO, TheFairwindsGroup, andPresident, OperationLift Hope Themost memorable charity event that we have attended in the last few years was the 4Kids evening with Jimmy Wayne. Jimmy wrote the book: Walk to Beautiful—The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid who Found theWay, which is the story of his life. He became a successful country western singer and song writer but not until after a horrific series of years being homeless and in foster care. The evening left us all with a feeling of hope and renewed encouragement to pursue the goal of: AHome for Every Child. William “Bill” C. Davell, Director, Tripp Scott Attorneys at Law TheAmericanHeart WalkAssociation pulled off a virtual kick-off call to theirAnnual Heart Walk happening this March. It doesn’t get more “Do-I-Really-Have-To-Do-This” than a Zoom call to raise money for a gigantic organization…but they pulled it off. An- drew Koenig led it, and made the whole thing fun and inspiring. It’s a great event and theAHAis doingmore than anyone to help those affected by all kinds of heart disease. They’re trying to pull off a Virtual Walk in a fewmonths, and while that might sound bor- ing, they just might be the ones to make something like this worth waking up early for. Bob Denison, President, Denison Yachting There have been many memorable charity events that my wife Eileen and I have attended and supported. However, the one that sticks inmymemory as being themost memorable would be The Crockett Foundation “Derby Days” fundraiser supporting their youth empowerment programs. The reason for this is because my wife Eileen was the executive director, and she planned the entire event with her board of directors and volunteers. The honored guest was none other than two-time National Champi- onshipCoachBobby Bowden fromFloridaStateUniversity and the Fellowship of Chris- tianAthletes. The event was a tremendous success and I was proud of my wife for her hard work, but the message is what stays with me most. Former FSU and NFL stars Henri and Zack Crockett awarded Coach Bowden with a lifetime achievement award, but his speech had nothing to do with football. Coach spoke about the importance of investing in young people and the development of players as young men, not just ath- letes. He talked specifically about what he saw in both men and how that later trans- formed their lives. Thanks Coach! Chip LaMarca, State Representative, Florida House District 93 Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend the Taste of the NFL/Auction - it was a dinner auction that was held during Super Bowl week. It was super cool to see a lot of NFL legends, eat some really great food and witness some cool memorabilia get auctioned off.Although it was a really neat event, I have been tomanymoremean- ingful events for First Priority and other local ministries that raise funds for even greater causes like spreading the Gospel, foster care and sanctity of Life. Events are great but the cause is even more important! Chris Lane, President First Priority of South Florida Two come tomind: TheGathering andNCF Impact Eventswith speakers and pre- senters who are passionate about giving into the LORD’s work. These folks set the bar for the rest of us to emulate. H. Collins Forman, Jr., P.A. Bob Denison Chip LaMarca Chris Lane Dr. Andrea Hazim Andy Mitchell William “Bill” C. Davell Wants to Know… Bill Feinberg