BE PERFECT 3RD ANNUAL EVENT

WOW! WHAT A NIGHT! I AM LITERALLY LOST FOR WORDS, AND SPEECHLESS WHILE I WRITE THIS. WE DID IT AGAIN GUYS. ANOTHER PERFECT NIGHT, ANOTHER PERFECT EVENT, FOR THE PERFECT CAUSE! ONCE AGAIN YOU ALL BLEW ME AWAY AND EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. 900 HUNDRED PEOPLE, WE EXPECTED 600. PERFECT! 300 SILENT AUCTION ITEMS ALL DONATED, WOW..WE RAISED $210,000 WOW, NOT BAD IN A SO CALLED DOWN ECONOMY.. PERFECT! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, THE DONORS, THE SPONSORS, THE SUPPORTERS, THE CONTRIBUTORS, THE COMMITTEE, MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, COMMUNITY, BEST FRIENDS…..YOUR ALL THE REASON I GET OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING. THE EVENT TOOK PLACE AT THE BEAUTIFUL HAFIF ESTATE, THE AMAZING NIGHT STARTED WITH A COCKTAIL HOUR, WITH LIVE MUSIC BY TEQUILA SOUL(MY COUSIN ALEX AND HIS FRIEND MATT)THANKS GUYS, WITH DRINKS AND A SILENT AUCTION TO TOP IT ALL OFF. PEOPLE THEN TRANSITIONED
DOWN TO THE LOWER PART OF THE PERFECTLY LIT AMPHITHEATER. THE PROGRAM THEN BEGAN WITH A TOUCHING, AND HEART WARMING INVOCATION BY BETH BINGHAM, THEN SHORTLY AFTER FOLLOWED A MOVING VIDEO, OF THE SCI CLIENTS THE FOUNDATION HAS SPONSORED THE PAST YEAR. NEXT FOLLOWED A PRESENTATION I GAVE, HONORING COURTNEY STEWART, WHERE JON WILHITE, (THE SURVIVOR OF THE ACCIDENT WITH COURTNEY STEWART, NICK ADENHARDT, AND HENRY PEARSONS), PRESENTED A CHECK ON BEHALF OF THE NICK ADENHARDT MEMORIAL FUND, IN THE NAME OF COURTNEY STEWART. NEXT I PRESENTED BIRDBATHS TO, RICHARD AND CARRIE DIXON, TO CHRIS STEWART, AND TO THE WILHITE FAMILY. THESE BIRDBATHS WERE OF THREE BASEBALL BATS, THAT SUPPORTED A MIT AND BASEBALL. TO ME THIS SYMBOLIZED HENRY, NICK AND COURTNEY, SUPPORTING JON(THE MIT), THE BALL SYMBOLIZED ALL OF THEM. WE GOT HENRY, NICK AND COURTNEY’S NAME ENGRAVED ON THE BATS AND GAVE THEM THE BATHS. THIS THEN LED INTO A VIDEO WE PLAYED, OF THE ONGOING THERAPY AND CARE THAT IS BEING GIVEN, OVER AT OUR SCI CENTER AT THE CLAREMONT CLUB. THE VIDEO WAS VERY UPLIFTING AND EXPLAINED HOW WE HAVE A ISSUE OF OUTGROWING OUR SPACE AT THE CLUB. DURING THE VIDEO, WE HAD A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST PAINTING UP ON A STAGE IN THE BACKGROUND. HIS NAME IS TOM CLARK . HE WAS PAINTING A MURAL OF MY FOUNDATIONS LOGO, AND IT SAID THE PERFECT STEP.  THIS CONFUSED MUCH OF THE AUDIENCE NEVER HAVING SEEN THIS LOGO BEFORE. THE NAME THE PERFECT STEP WAS AN IDEA I HAD A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN WE WERE CONSIDERING EXPANDING TO A 3,000 FT. SCI AND HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTER, AT THE CLUB, BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. AT THE END OF THE VIDEO MY FAMILY AND I ASKED TAMMY AND TED DARDINSKI, FROM PROJECT WALK, WHO IS PROVIDING THE TRAINING OF OUR TRAINERS, AND DR. LEVORSO AND DR. PATTERSON OF CASA COLINA, AS WELL AS MIKE ALPERT OF THE CLAREMONT CLUB, ALL UP TO THE STAGE. WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EXPANDING OUR CENTER, WE WERE IN NEED OF FUNDING TO BUILD IT. I WENT TO MY PARENTS AND SAID WHAT IF I GIVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MY MONEY AND WILL YOU AND MOM MATCH MY DONATION? THEY SAID YES, SO WE ISSUED THE SCI CENTER A FAMILY DONATION OF $300,000 TO GET THE BUILDING BUILT. I THEN SPOKE FOR 10 MINUTES OF MY JOURNEY FROM THE PAST YEAR, AND HOW YOU ALL HAVE AFFECTED MY LIFE. MY SPEECH THEN LED INTO 4 OF MY SCI FRIENDS WALKING UP IN FRONT OF THE STAGE, AFTER THEY WERE ONCE TOLD THEY NEVER WOULD AGAIN. THEY HOPEFULLY INSPIRED EVERYONE. THE THEME OF THE NIGHT AND MY SPEECH WAS HOPE. IF THIS WASN’T HOPE I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. IT BEGAN WITH TOM HAMPTON, AN EX FIRE FIGHTER WHO GOT HURT HANG GLIDING. NEXT WAS JENNIFER BOULAHOUD, A LOCAL ST. LUCY’S GIRL WHO GOT HURT SLEDDING. THEN AFTER THAT WAS AMANDA VAN ESCH, A FRIEND I MET AT CASA WHO GOT HURT DURING SCOLIOSIS SURGERY. LASTLY WAS MY DEAR FRIEND NATALIE BUCHOZ , WHO GOT HURT TWO YEARS AGO WHEN SHE WAS SNOWBOARDING AT BIG BEAR. HER GOAL WAS TO WALK ACROSS THE STAGE AT GRADUATION NEXT MONTH, AND SHE IS GOING TO DO IT. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE INSPIRE ME AND MANY OTHERS. DURING THE WALKING PART OF THE PROGRAM, THE ARTIST TOM CLARK PAINTED TWO MORE BEAUTIFUL MURALS TO TOP OFF THE AMBIANCE. THIS NIGHT WAS ALL NARRATED BY ME AND OUR TWO GREAT MC’S, TOM CERAFICE AND DOUG BROOKS. THIS ALL LED INTO OUR GREAT LIVE AUCTION, CONDUCTED BY DAD AND OUR TWO MC’S. WE AUCTIONED OFF THE THREE PAINTINGS, LAKERS TICKETS AND A TOBY KEITH SIGNED GUITAR. AT THIS TIME WE OPENED UP OUR SILENT AUCTION FOR 15 MORE MINUTES, WITH THE USE OF OUR GREAT TECHNOLOGY SAVY AES TABLETS. THEY WERE VERY CONVENIENT AND EASY TO USE. THE NIGHT ENDED WITH SOME REALLY FUN AND ENJOYABLE DANCING TO SMOOTH TOUCH.PERFECT! WHAT AN AMAZING NIGHT, AND YOU ALL MADE THIS POSSIBLE. I PROMISE YOU ALL, YOU ARE DONATING TO A GREAT CAUSE AND GIVING BACK HOPE TO MANY PEOPLE. I LOVE YOU ALL AND REMEMBER THAT LIFE IS NOT ABOUT HOW FAST YOU GET THERE, OR GET THROUGH IT, BUT MERELY HOW MANY LIFE’S YOU CAN TOUCH ALONG THE WAY. LIFE ISN’T ABOUT WORRYING ABOUT WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE, BUT MERELY REALIZING AND APPRECIATING THE THINGS WE DO HAVE. CAN YOU BE PERFECT?