I have to be honest with you...I'm not a golfer. I don't know much about golf, except there was that one time my husband and I decided we'd try something new and went to the local putt putt place. Unless that counts as "golf knowledge" though, I come up pretty short.
Working with Larry Warren from Atlas Security and the others who have helped us on this year's golf tournament fundraiser has been an eye opening experience. From what I have seen, golfing is definitely an art form, and I have gained a whole new level of respect for those that make it look so easy!
But here's what I know...there's a REASON WHY we here at Bright Futures golf. And the reason is simple - our kids.
Every month holds a new set of stories to tell. One story that stands out to me above the rest this month is this one: We have a family in the district who had a tragic loss of the father in the family who took his own life in their home. Prior to this, dad was the only one working while mom stayed home with the younger children. The call that came into my office was a simple one. The older daughter of the family is an artist - that's how she works through hard things. However, her art kit was in the room where her dad had died...and nobody was ready to go in there yet. The Hope Team Counselor asked if we could help.
Immediately, Bright Futures sprung into action. We were able to provide the student with an art kit that day. Since then, we've worked together with the counselors to help meet the family's needs until they were established with community agencies that could help them get on their feet and attempt to put the pieces of their lives back together. Things like the mortgage payment and utilities were all covered until Social Security and insurance kicked in.
This is a tragic loss that nobody should ever have to go through, but certainly no child should have to go through alone. Together, we were able to meet this family's practical needs in a time when it was desperately needed.
This is why we golf.
I realize that during spring, there are many things competing for our time, attention, and resources - all good things! But let's remember why we golf. Let's remember why Bright Futures is here, and let's join together to keep taking care of our kids. It's not too late to sign up with your team here.
Thanks for being a community that walks through the good and hard days together!
Serving together,