By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
It was a gorgeous sunny day on July 13, and the clear blue skies accentuated the vibrant colors of the fairways and greens of the Battle Creek Golf Course. Over 100 golfers tee’d off for a great cause that afternoon to help raise funds and highlight the efforts of a local nonprofit, Leah’s Dream Foundation.
Established in 2015, Leah’s Dream has made a huge impact for the special needs children and young adults of Tulalip and Marysville over the years. Through their work, they have built up a strong community for the kids and their families, resulting in many lifelong friendships, core memories filled with entertaining activities and events, and countless smiles as the kids are afforded the opportunity to simply enjoy being their selves in a safe and fun environment.
Leah’s Dream hosts bi-monthly activity nights, which are a big hit and something their families always look forward to. Leah’s Dream Foundation is a major advocate for inclusion for the students with special needs who attend the Marysville School District. The foundation utilizes their funds to provide supplies, learning tools, snacks, and curriculum for the special needs classrooms within MSD. During the 22-23 school year, the nonprofit also provided funds for sensory playground equipment, that is wheelchair accessible, at the Grove and Marshall elementary schools. And recently, the foundation established an activity club, where karaoke reigns supreme during their get togethers.
The majority, if not all, of the funds used for activity nights, school supplies, and their famous Christmastime gathering, are raised at the foundation’s annual golf tournament. Though it is their one and only fundraiser, the golf tournament continues to grow in popularity each year and generates donations in the thousands. From the sponsors to the golfers, and we can’t leave out the volunteers from the Marysville Getchell Native American and Friends Club, everyone chips in to make this summertime event a hole-in-one. And that of course includes the foundation’s namesake and star of the course, Leah Stacy.
Leah, who is diagnosed with apraxia, was just a toddler when the first tournament was held in 2014, and throughout the years, she has been very hands-on in preparing for the annual fundraiser. From the first to the eighteenth hole, there were yard signs placed alongside the tee boxes and greens, that displayed the names of each sponsor. Every year, Leah looks forward to riding in the golf cart with her parents and personally placing the signs all throughout the course.
Leah’s mom and the nonprofit’s founder, Deanna Sheldon, shared, “Every single sign she puts out, she’s running across the course and standing by it with a permanent smile. She gets so pumped up! She loves Battle Creek so much because she’s been around it since she was very little – we come from a family of golfers, my dad goes out here every single day, my husband is the head pro here at Battle Creek, my nephews golf, I used to golf. And it’s been so great because we have so many people who participate and volunteer, who come every year and have seen her grow up. And they’re always amazed because she was four when we first started it and now, she’s fourteen.”
In addition to the main competition, the tournament also features a number of mini games at select tee boxes where golfers can try their luck, for a small donation, for various prizes. This year, Deanna worked a mini game station, at hole 3, where she was able to connect with the golfers and share in detail about Leah’s Dream Foundation. Upon learning more about the nonprofit, one golfer donated $1000 on the spot, through the Venmo app. Deanna also witnessed history, as the very first Leah’s Dream Foundation hole-in-one shot occurred at hole 3 this year.
The event also features a silent auction, and several themed gift baskets go up for bid. This year, the baskets included items such as golf attire, official Leah’s Dream Foundation branded gear, snacks, dog toys/treats, wine, and a nights stay at Angel of the Winds.
All told, with the help of 63 sponsors, 136 golfers, and numerous volunteers, the 10th annual Leah’s Dream Foundation Golf Tournament raised a record breaking $51,000.
Said Deanna, “It was a very successful tournament. We had a total of 34 teams. Our sponsorships were really great this year. I ran the final numbers, and we raised over $51,000! It was a great way to celebrate 10 years. Our very first tournament, we had only 60 people sign up. Five years ago, we were excited when we had 100 players. It just really shows how far we’ve come, from raising $12,000 to now, it shows the importance in what we do.
“When we first started off, we just wanted to make a small impact, we never thought we were going to raise a lot of money. But as the years have gone on, I feel that in so many ways, by being able to give back to the community through our events and outreach, and our ability to raise awareness about autism and the special needs community, it shows everyone the importance of supporting each individual. The classroom feedback we got this year was great, we got cards from students and teachers saying how good it feels that they are being thought of. And we’re just happy that we’re able to do a lot more now. Because we are able to raise more money, we’re able to give back more than we were able to in the past. It’s a great accomplishment for a small nonprofit and it makes such an impact knowing that all the money goes to areas that are well-needed.”
To make a monetary donation, volunteer your personal time, or to simply learn more information about the nonprofit organization, you can visit their official site, www.LeahsDream.org. And to stay up to date on all of their ongoing events and activities, be sure to follow their two Facebook pages, Leah’s Dream Foundation and Leah’s Dream Activity Club.