OK, so you may have heard Whetstone Boys Ranch was struck by a tornado.  Why then, you may ask, are you doing a golf fundraiser?  Don't you have better things to do?  

Well, I'm glad you asked.  Here are a few answers to my own hypothetical questions:    

#1 - While shut down for rebuilding, we are without a source of revenue to pay bills that continue to arrive in our mailbox (which actually survived the tornado), despite the fact that we currently have no residents - things like utilities, staff salaries, mortgage, etc. Insurance covered a lot, but there are plenty of other costs that must come out-of-pocket.  

#2 - Whetstone is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.  Fundraising is a year round thing.  I'm not overly fond of double negatives, but we're never not fundraising.  

#3 - We have raised $100,000 for Tornado Relief in the last 2 months.  This has been an incredible blessing and we are inexpressibly grateful.  However, it's time for an "annual" fundraiser that actually helps us to make progress towards our budget instead of just climb out of a really big hole - a hole almost as big as the divots I'll inevitably make.  

#4 - Is there ever a bad time to play golf?  

#5 - Golf spelled backwards is Flog, which is what might happen to me if I didn't participate in our biggest fundraiser of the year.  Not to put too fine a point upon it, but it really is my "duty" to play golf.  Guess I'll have to "take one for the team." 

So please, if you haven't already given to the tornado relief fund, or were meaning to and just didn't get around to it, or if you'd like to give even more, take a few moments to visit my fundraising site and donate on line.  Which leads me to one last answer...

#6 - My playing partner, Rick Plumlee, and I, are "Lord of the Pings."  I think we deserve a little something for such a creative team name.   

Thanks!