The Best Golf Outing of the Year

I have been involved with The Children’s Heart Foundation for a dozen years and acted as the National Board President from 2004 to 2008. I am currently on the Illinois Chapter Board which looks to raise awareness in Illinois and raise money to fund the most promising, cutting-edge research of congenital heart defects which affects nearly 1 in every 100 children. That is 40,000 children per year. Half of them will have their first invasive surgery in their first year of life. 20% of those will not see their first birthday.

The great thing is that through research like the projects CHF has funded (37 research projects totaling more than $3,400,000) over the last 13 years, the mortality rate has dropped 30% and many of the surgeries are less invasive so recovery is quicker. These kids are never “cured” or “fixed”. They live with their defect or heart disease for the rest of their life. Many require up to three or more different medications each day. Most cannot ride a roller coaster, take PE class in school, or even ride a bicycle. Some have learning disabilities. One thing is for sure and that is that all these kids are remarkable and seem to have something special. Maybe all they go through to stay alive makes them that way.

One of our events will be September 21st. It is the The Children’s Heart Foundation’s 10th Annual Golf Outing at Conway Farms in Lake Forest. This is the best golf outing you’ll attend all year on the North Shore’s premier championship course. Personally I find it is also the best food you’ll ever have at golf outing as well. We have many golfers who have attended this outing year after year. Our sponsors “re-up” each year as well. The Presenting Sponsor is The Exchange Group. The Exchange is an auto dealer that offers Porche, Audi and Saab. Each year they bring out four beautiful cars for the par three holes as “Hole-in-One” prizes.

The day begins with the outstanding driving range facilities which includes a large putting area as well as chipping and trap practice areas. There is a fabulous buffet lunch that you won’t believe. Golf is beautiful and challenging. After golf there is an open bar, wine tasting and a great silent auction. For dinner we set up a beautiful tent were you are served wine and a fantastic meal including a fish and beef. There is a live auction, a “Wine Lotto” and presentations from the Executive Director, a doctor whose research we have funded, MacKenzie Kline our National Spokesperson and it is all set up by our special emcee, Dave Eanet of WGN.

In order to build the excitement and increase our funding potential (last year we netted over $100,000) I need your help. Play golf with us. Take your three (or just one or two) best clients out for a day they will always remember. Sponsor a meal, the golf balls or a hole. At the very least place an ad in our ad booklet. You can have as much as a two page spread to as small as a business card size. If you are not a golfer but know someone who would be interested in playing please pass this on to them and let me know and I will contact them. If you cannot sponsor or place an ad in our booklet consider sharing the space with a vendor/customer partner.

See the attachments for “Save-the-Date” and the sponsorship brochure. If you have any questions at all please contact me. You can sign up for golf and learn more about CHF on our site at http://www.childrensheartfoundation.org/ .

Thanks for your consideration to participate.

Best regards,

Leo

Moving On: Graduation

May 13, 2009 and we’re sitting in the new Yankee Stadium on a beautiful Wednesday morning.  The field is transformed with staging, railing and flowers.  I can’t believe I am attending my daughter’s college graduation, as I am sure I just attended my own very recently.  Well it was 27 years ago it just seems recent.  At least it was just last week that I helped Jessie move into U-Hall for her freshman year and just a couple of days ago we visited her in Italy for that second semester of her sophomore year.  Yesterday Kevin and I were painting her room pink.  Man it was hot. 

 

Back to reality.  Back to today.  Sitting in the airport to return our Midwestern home I am reflecting on the last three days that were an exhilarating whirlwind of running and doing, packing and eating, walking and cabs, grad events and chilling.    Jessie is just beautiful and I swell with pride every time I think about her, see her or talk (brag) about her to my friends and colleagues.  She is sweet and smart and has completed a challenging educational experience in the most urban of settings in the world.  New York University is full of itself and for good reason.  I really don’t want to go into it as every speaker, at this well-established and self-proclaimed largest private university in the country, at her school’s ceremony and at the all inclusive ceremony today stated it over and over.  The list of Alumni and the city itself earned that right.  It doesn’t mean that we Big Ten grads need to hear it over and over as if we had an accident on the carpet and they are rubbing our noses in it.

 

May 29, 2009:  Whatever the experience Jessie is back in Chicago now and planning on going back to school to achieve a new goal.  I am glad she is doing it in Chicago.  NYU is a super school and so is Northwestern University where she plans to take some science courses she needs for her current avocation.  I’m sure 4 years from now when Kevin graduates University of Iowa and Jessie finishes grad school I will be thinking….it was just last week that I sat in Yankee Stadium, listening to Senator Clinton speak as my daughter graduated.  And the week before that I was sitting in Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois wearing a cap an gown.  

Service is Fun

Yesterday I was a Chicago White Sox Volunteer working with City Year to do a small makeover at the Valentine Boys and Girls Club on Chicago's south side. The White Sox, following President Obama's call for service, planned this day and I couldn't have been more pleased to be a small part of the team of volunteers whether just fans or with City Year or working for the White Sox. Christine O'Reilly his the head of Chicago White Sox Charities and she is really quite amazing managing some really big events all the while maintaning personal relationships with donors and fans, no matter the size of their wallet or availability of service.

Christine was my sales rep in 1983, my first year as a season ticket holder. The way we reconnected some 10 or 15 years later is interesting. My sister lived in Scottsdale. Once when she was coming to Chicago to visit family she sat next to a very nice and very attractive young women and they began a conversation. Christine said she worked for the White Sox and my sister said her brother is a big fan and a season ticket holder. When she told Christine the name there was, or so she said, a faint familiarity. Christine then told my sister, Michelle, to have me call her if there was anything she could do for me. Well, when Michelle told me about Christine of course I remembered her and called soon after. We had a nice conversation and truly appreciated her time.

Interesting thing is all that Christine has done for me, my family and the foundation I work with, I have very little way of repaying her. The big one was back in 2000 my daughter was being a Bat-Mitvah and we were having the party at the Stadium Club at Sox Park or Comiskey (those are the choices, not Cellular Field or The Cell). Ozzie has always been a family favorite and in fact back in 1988 we named our Tibetan Terrier, Ozzie, after then White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen. The other possibility for a name was Baines but I could sense they were going to trade Harold and I was right. My daughter wanted to invite Ozzie to her Bat-Mitzvah party and Christine who maintained a very good relationship with Ozzie, currently on the Devil Rays, sent him the invite. Of course, he was at spring training and could not attend even if he had an inclination to attend but Christine made sure that Jessie got an autographed baseball as a gift from Ozzie. She then said "I'll have to get you to meet Ozzie this summer".

We met at 5:30 one night when the Rays, then the Devil Rays, were in town.  Christine led us out onto the field from behind home plate.  The Devil Rays were taking batting practice and we stood off to the third base side near the Sox dugout.  Christine got Ozzie's attention and he waved.  After a stint in the batting cage he came over to say hello and gave Jessie a huge hug.  He said he has to hit again but he will be right back.  Jessie all aflutter and the rest of us with big smiles of amazement watched as Ozzie to a few more cuts in the cage.  After his turn he came over to us and brought the bat he had used.  He signed the bat and said "here Jessie, this is for you."  Very cool.  Ozzie was super but we weren't done.  Christine said "come on, let's go sit in the Sox dugout for a while.  I loved that.  Soon some players came out into the dugout.  My man, Harold came out and he took pictures with us.  I have a jacket with the #3 on it as Ozzie and Harold were always my favorites.  Well this is one of the best experiences in sports that I and my family ever had and Christine was to thank for it all.

Wrapping up, sometimes you can pay it back and sometimes you can pay it forward or you can just do for others to help.  Anyway you slice it, when you volunteer and get to work with others just being a part of the community you get paid big with a great feeling in your heart.  I felt good at the end of the day and I know Christine feels good all the time.  Volunteer.....your heart will thank you.

Pride and Sadness

My son, Kevin, and I went to climb Camelback Mountain via Echo Canyon Park this past Sunday. It is a path that can be challenging, especially for a fat old man like me. I have done it before but it has been some time. Kevin and I started out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon around 1:40pm. About 15 minutes in and a little more that 3/8 of a mile up the man in front of us sat down in an unlikely spot for a rest and fell back and began to seizure. At first, we and the guys ahead of him thought the guy was kidding. He made snoring sounds and then flatulated. But very quickly, one of the guys said, “oh no” or “oh shit” or something like that and we all rushed to the man lying on his back. He was at a part of the hike where there were no steps. It was pretty steep and just rock. In fact there was a railing to help you climb because of the steepness. I called 911 while Kevin and the other guys were trying to get a clear air passage. Within the next 3-5 minutes we had a crowd including a lifeguard, an EMT, an ICU nurse, an Army medic and a pediatrician. All people who happen to be hiking the mountain that day. In another 10 minutes or so 3 fireman came hiking up the hill responding to the 911 call. Eventually approximately another 5 firemen came to rescue this man. The helicopter could not get to us. Without going into too much detail, resuscitation efforts went on for about an hour all tolled but to no avail.

The man seemed in decent shape and looked to be late 30’s to early 40’s. I can’t get the picture of his face with half open eyes all glazed over or the cool, clammy and sweaty head I held trying to cushion it from the rock out of my mind. What I can say is how absolutely proud I am of my son as he stayed cool, helped wherever it was needed, looked through the guys blackberry for who he was (he was alone on the mountain), went down to lead the firemen up to the man, held the fireman’s feet so they would slip while tending to this guy. And in the end, said “I didn’t do anything”. Kevin is a great guy, a great son and my hero.

I took some pics of the rescue (not the victim) after it was very evident that this man was gone.

Live for today and hug your kids! I am "The Luckiest Man in the World".

What an Amazing Night

I'm sure there will be millions of blogs about the event that occurred tonight but I had to write. Since I am The Luckiest Man in the World I feel uniquely qualified to write about the election outcome and the spector of Barack Obama as President Elect.  He is the Number 2 when it comes to being lucky (because I am Number 1).  And Number 3 is the rest of our country and the world. Somehow I feel giddy and naive about this guy.  I believe him when he says he is going to be by-partisan, that he will fill positions with the best people not just the best democrat or the best African-American or the best persons from his campaign.  I know that many promises are made at this time, some for show and some truly believed to be true that never come to fruition.  So why do I choose to believe this man who's mantra is "Yes we can!"?  Because I choose to believe in what is good, what is right.  To be hopeful, not cynical.  To see how ideas can work, not how they will fail.  What is wrong with that?  I wake up each day and choose to be happy.  It may not turn out that way but I have a better shot at it than if I got up and chose not to be happy.  So I implore you to choose to be happy, to believe, to give this man a real chance to make your life and your children's lives a little better.  Help out.  Do your part. Who knows?  Maybe you will challenge me for Number 1.  Nahhh!  No chance but Number 3 ain't bad.  YES WE CAN!

Stadium Spectator Courtesy Rules

If you're a fan of baseball, I mean a huge fan of baseball like I am, then your gonna want to read this and maybe amend it as well.  

I have been a season ticket holder for 26 seasons now and I guess I feel some ownership or entitlement when I go to MY ballpark.  Spectators or "fans" should recognize some courtesy rules that allows them to enjoy the game without hindering the enjoyment of others, namely me. Drunken stupidity aside because after you made the mistake of drinking too much you have already stated that you couldn't care less about yourself so why would you be thinking about me and my good time.  So for those of you who are conscious here are some standard rules of spectatorship and fandom at the old ball game.....

No waving into the camera while on your cell phone to your mama at home so she can see you on TV.  You are a doufus on TV.

No standing and waving to someone somewhere else in the stadium.  You are blocking others from, oh I don't know, SEEING THE GAME!

If you come down the wrong aisle to your seats, you must go back up the aisle to the concourse and then back down your own where your seats are.  Just because you're an airhead and made that mistake I should not have to get up and miss the action while you cut through because you wanted dipping dots and a churro.

You can cheer as loud as you want.  You can even boo if you want, but shouting "your a bum" or " you suck" as loud as you can to a man doing his job while making millions makes you look like a bum and you DO SUCK for giving me a headache.

No smoking means no smoking.  If you need to hold your cigarette low by your feet or cup your hand around your mouth so no one sees your cigarette (we smell it), DON'T DO IT!

No smoking while herding out of the game when it is over.  Everyone is cramped and not everyone smokes.  You mean to tell me you can't wait until you are lawfully away from the stadium to light up.  Lightweight!  Pussy!  Loser!  YOU SUCK!

Do not gasp and scream every time the ball is hit.  It's a pop-up to the shortstop not a home run!  You must be a Cub fan!  Try to pretend you know something about baseball.

If you have little children, or even big children, who feel the need to constantly (or ever) kick the seat in front of them or stand and raise their seat up so they can slam it down over and over, STOP THEM from doing it.  It is rude and they don't know it but you do.  I may be forced to unleash the immense amount of gas building up in me from the polish sausage and nachos I just devoured.  Guess where I am going to unleash it.....

Never stop the beer man and stand up and wait to be served so you can pay him when the game is on the line or the star is up to bat or there are "ducks on the pond".

Hey Beerman!  Kneel down, please!

Maximum time limit on a pee at any one urinal is one minute.  Any longer than that and you should see your doctor for some flomax.

If there is a "celebrity" in the stands, good for them.  You should not stand up and point them out for your friends so that they realize that you have been out of job for six months and your favorite TV show host, Jerry Springer, is here.

There are many more and I want you to point them out for me as I am getting tired of this for now.  The fact that I get to go to games at my favorite ballpark, to see my favorite team, is part of what makes me "The Luckiest Man in the World". 

Welcome

"I am The Luckiest Man in the World!"

Every day it is more and more evident to me. Envy me? No. Be happy for me? Yes. All my adversities have been the least that adversity could bring a person. Crush my foot under one and half tons of lift truck and I didn't need surgery. I didn't lose my foot or my toes. I am completely healed with just time and complete luck. I injured myself being stupid and not thinking. That could get a person into all kinds of trouble. Trouble you don't recover from. But me, I drove myself to the hospital (stupid), got good drugs to kill the almost unbearable pain, got stitched up, crutches and went home. At home, I have a wonderful family led by my unbelievable wife who took care of me for the next several weeks.

I know this doesn't sound like all that lucky but stick with me and I will give much more evidence that in "the Luckiest Man in the World Contest" you suckers don't have a chance of winning against me!