Where to start. So much has occurred in the past year. Lets begin with the charitable actions of our residents and members.

Doubletree resident Kathy Hruby founded the Shekinah Home for Women & Children to assist women and their kids who are homeless or lack adequate housing due to a variety of life circumstances. Her organization entered a contest to compete for a $50,000.00 grant. Many Doubletree residents voted daily for the cause.  In the end, they did not win the grant. But, Kathy says the organization will continue and added "Thank you to the residents of Doubletree for your support".

Doubletree sponsored a food drive for the local food pantry collecting bags and bags of food at the guard house. A drop-off station was assigned at the guard house on Randolph making for a convenient 24-hour drop off station for residents. It proved very convenient since so much food was received. Rollie Brauer, Winfield Township Trustee, sent a personal letter to the POA saying "Thank You" for being so generous.

POA Manager Terry Pingel went behind bars to help raise funds for MDA. Terry was escorted by police to jail where he met with the judge and was officially charged. His bail was set at $1,000.00. With help from several caring and good-hearted Doubletree residents bail was raised and exceeded. Over $1,600.00 was raised to help provide expert care for those affected with neuromuscular disease. Terry was later released and returned to the POA office. At days end MDA crowned your POA manager "Top Jail Bird" for exceeding his goal and being this year's event #1 fundraiser. 

Firefighters enter Doubletree and collect food for the hungry. You may have heard the sirens blasting through the neighborhood. Many of you did because a lot of food was collected.

Residents, Don & Leslie Samburg, organized a holiday party for underprivileged children and their parents. The event was held at the Elite Academy and hosted by the Winfield Township Trustee with funding from Doubletree, Picasso's, and others. The day provided fun and gifts for over 60 children experiencing hard times and might otherwise not have celebrated the holiday. The event was flawless and fun. Special thanks to Picasso's staff who donated their time. Double the special thanks to resident Don Samburg for organizing the event. You know you had a very successful event when parents and children are tear-eyed and hugging you as they depart.

Picasso's collects for the hungry. Picasso's sponsored a food drive where a discount was given if food was donated. Terry Pingel offered to "Double" each donation with a donation of his own. Unfortunately for Terry several boxes of food were donated forcing him to take a field trip to Cosco to settle up his offer.

Support for the Winfield Community Foundation with a Kentucky Derby Party. The event was held at Picasso's and raised a significant amount of funds for the Winfield Community Foundation. The event featured a raffle, silent auction, best hat contest, food, drinks, and of course the great Kentucky Derby race on Picasso's big screen TV. The space for the event was donated by Picasso's Restaurant. Doubletree Resident Annette Williamson organized the event. Annette put forth several hours and days of her time to make the event successful. Special "kudos" to Annette for pulling it off and raising funds for our community foundation, making life better for the community.

This was only a drop in the bucket of how charitable and caring the residents of Doubletree can be. Be proud of your community and keep in mind the guard house is a designated "drop zone" for canned goods. These goods will be delivered to the food pantry on a weekly basis.

Breakfast with Santa was sponsored by the Doubletree Special Events committee. The event featured breakfast for kids, parents, and grandparents with a special visit from the man himself "Santa". Each had ample time to take pictures and visit with Santa.

Valentines Night Dining. Picasso's featured several romantic entrees for love birds on Valentines Day.

St. Patty's Day Corned Beef & Cabbage. Apparently word got around how good the special Corned Beef & Cabbage meal was at Picasso's . Several enjoyed and left with a full belly.

Easter Egg Hunt. An egg hunt was originally planned for the clubhouse lawn. But, mother nature insisted on moving it indoors. So, the eggs were hidden throughout Picasso's. Over 1000 eggs filled with coins and candy. Five of the eggs contained a special gold coin representing a special gift for the lucky finder. These Doubletree kids won special Easter baskets packed with delicious goodies. Thank you to your Doubletree Special Events Committee for organizing the fun-filled day.

Easter Brunch presented by the Doubletree Special Events Committee. A bountiful buffet of all things imaginable was presented on Easter Sunday.

Kentucky Derby Party. A special event organized by the Winfield Community Foundation was held at Picasso's. The event raised significant funds for the foundation.

Mother's Day Brunch. As usual Picasso's featured a Mother's Day Brunch. Several moms were treated by their families to a terrific brunch which ended with a special gift for each mom.

Doubletree Garage Sale. In 2010 the Special Events Committee tried something different by organizing the Doubletree Garage Sale coinciding with the Winfield Community Sale. In the end the event was all too successful. The comments received by both Doubletree residents and bargain hunters were terrific. In 2011 the committee is considering "2" garage sales. One in the spring and one in the fall.

Kids' Fishing Tournament. The Doubletree Lake Committee hosted another Kids' Fishing Tournament in the spring. A combination of great weather and 42 participating kids made the event a huge success. Catfish, bass, and bluegill were caught and released back into the lake. Special thanks to resident Lou Rinaldo and his committee for organizing the event.

Winfield Community Foundation 5k Race thru Doubletree East. The inaugural race was organized as part of the foundation's Octoberfest, later coined "OctoberFAST" by those who attended. The event was perfect and those who participated  had much fun and gave high ratings. Doubletree resident Jim Jungles chaired and organized the event. Doubletree staff donated a tremendous effort to help make the event successful. The residents of Doubletree East showed their support by lining up on the street and cheering on the runners.

Special Events will continue in 2011. Many will be organized by the Special Events Committee chaired by Doubletree resident Deb Laverty. Her committee can use help. Please email tjpingel@doubletreelake.net to get involved.