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CRO-­‐Vineyards    Amazing  Race  &  Party  in  the  Outback  

Fundraiser  August  7-­‐8,  2015    

Total  Profit:  $43,000  +    Cliffs  Residents  Outreach  Vineyards  (CRO-­‐V)  has  not  held  a  major  fundraiser  since  the  highly  successful  fall  2011  “Homecoming  at  the  Lake.  “  Our  mission  of  serving  underprivileged  children  and  families  at  nearby  Holly  Springs  Elementary  has  taken  on  a  dramatically  new  role  since  then  with  education  being  its  first  priority.      For  the  last  several  years  CRO-­‐V  has  assisted  Holly  Springs  in  reaching  its  1:1  technology  goal  by  purchasing  classroom  tablets.    Thanks  to  Vineyards  residents,  Holly  Springs  will  be  the  first  school  in  the  School  District  of  Pickens  County  (SDPC)  to  reach  this  1:1  technology  goal.      This  upcoming  2015-­‐16  school  year,  CRO-­‐V  will  partner  with  SDPC  and  United  Way  through  a  community  Parents  As  Learners  (PALS)  grant.  Pickens  County  parents  are  seeking  more  knowledge  and  skills  in  monitoring  and  supporting  their  child’s  education.  Funding  was  needed  to  support  the  upcoming  2015-­‐16  school  programs,  thus  the  stage  was  set  for  a  fun,  new,  unique,  and  large-­‐scale  fundraising  event.      A  fundraising  committee  was  formed  in  late  2014.  Rick  &  Lyn  Puskas  “sort  of”  volunteered  or  were  rather  coerced  to  chair  the  event.  The  newly  formed  fundraising  committee  decided  to  break  out  of  the  same  old  cocktail  party,  dinner,  dance  mode  and  open  the  Vineyard’s  gates  inviting  community  members  to  a  real  “Party  With  a  Purpose”  summer  spectacle  at  the  lake.  The  Amazing  Race  &  Party  in  the  Outback  theme  was  resurrected  from  a  previous  fundraising  recommendation.  Literally  two  fundraisers  were  going  on  at  the  same  time  which  took  lots  of  coordination  and  meetings,  many  of  which  were  quite  social  in  nature.      The  first  order  of  business  was  to  contract  a  great  band  out  of  Columbia,  SC  called  the  Men  of  Distinction  and  to  investigate  the  renting  of  an  air-­‐conditioned  tent.  Then  in  February,  Vineyards  resident  Lin  Cannon  began  an  assembly  line  of  beautiful  succulent  table  arrangements,  which  were  then  sold  for  profit  after  the  event.  In  March,  a  Save  the  Date  was  mailed  followed  by  personal  “snail  mail”  invitations  and  a  fundraiser  website.  Auction  Chairperson  Char  Burgner  took  to  the  streets  of  Greenville  with  assistance  from  fundraiser  committee  members  and  Vineyards  residents  for  silent  &  live  auction  donations.  Ken  Smith,  CRO  Board  member  and  his  wife  Sharon  were  instrumental  in  soliciting  nearby  Seneca  donations.    

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Anne  &  Gary  Christensen,  chairpersons  of  the  Amazing  Race,  for  months  met  weekly  with  their  sub-­‐committee  preparing  unusual  and  fun  race  challenges.  The  excitement  built  when  immediately  10  teams  were  formed.  Generous  Vineyards  residents  sponsored  a  team  of  firefighters  from  the  Vineyards  Fire  Department,  a  team  of  teachers  &  principal  from  Holly  Springs,  and  a  team  of  educators  from  our  friends  at  nearby  Tamassee  Salem  DAR  School.  Our  very  first  team  entry  came  from  the  east  coast  who  called  themselves  the  East  Coast  Gang.  These  crazy  teams  traveled  to  Lake  Keowee  on  a  mission  of  FUN  and  were  the  eventual  winners  of  the  entire  Amazing  Race.  The  Cliffs  organization  sent  their  “young”corporate  folks  while  five  other  residents  &  family  teams  rounded  out  the  entries.  The  Beverly  Hillbillies,  many  of  who  were  from  California,  were  the  second  place  winners.    Friday  evening  August  7th  was  the  beginning  of  a  fabulous,  fun-­‐filled  weekend.  A  kick-­‐off  cocktail  party  was  held  in  the  Vineyards  pub  with  Greg  &  Jan  Mann’s  Amazing  Race  Squares  bringing  in  almost  $1000  followed  by  a  spontaneous  “Ice  Water  Bucket  Challenge”  with  council  member  &  emcee  Bob  Giblin  and  the  whole  gang  of  Holly  Springs  teachers.  An  Amazing  Race  team  briefing  was  held  with  team  captains  receiving  beautiful  leather  bound  race  notebooks,  a  compass,  and  the  Amazing  Race  map  of  the  Vineyards.      Early  Saturday  morning,  over  50  team  members,  resident  volunteers,  and  more  than  30  community  volunteers  from  all  over  Pickens  County  met  for  breakfast  at  the  Vineyards  Clubhouse  to  receive  instructions  on  manning  their  Amazing  Race  stations.  Volunteers  were  given  special  Amazing  Race  t-­‐shirts.    The  Amazing  Race  challenge  was  on.  Race  participants  had  to  decipher  clues  to  find  out  their  actual  challenge  location  and  then  race  by  automobile  to  unusual,  creative,  and  mostly  FUN  challenges  throughout  Keowee  Vineyards,  all  the  while  the  clock  was  ticking.    Sample  Amazing  Race  challenges  included:      

• The  Fire  Brigade  Challenge  (at  the  Lakehouse)  consisted  of  a  crazy  exercise  of  putting  on  and  taking  off  firemen’s  clothing  followed  by  using  an  actual  fire  hose  squirting  a  bucket  dangling  from  a  rope,  ensuring  that  at  least  two  members  would  be  absolutely  soaked.    

 • The  Great  Barrier  Reef  Challenge  (at  the  Clubhouse  Gazebo)  had  4  team  

members  in  two  kayaks  kayaking  into  the  lake  to  find  2  beach  balls  (out  of  30)  labeled  with  their  teams  names  and  a  clue  word.  The  race  was  then  on  to  return  to  the  challenge  master  with  the  correct  2  words.  

 • The  Sydney  Opera  House  Challenge  (at  the  Marina)  consisted  of  the  team  

singing  their  choice  of  3  Australian  songs  with  Tie  Me  Kangaroo  Down  being  

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the  overall  favorite.  The  Cliffs  team  was  by  far  the  most  pitiful  singers  along  with  their  hilarious  face  plants  into  the  swimming  pool  floating  mats.  

 • The  Dingo  Lingo  Challenge  (at  the  Clubhouse)  involved  brainwork  by  

assembling  an  Australia  wooden  jigsaw  puzzle,  deciphering  Australian  slang,  and  completing  a  word  search  of  Australia  territories.  Geography  skills  were  minimal  at  best  for  all  the  teams.  

 • The  Waltzing  Matilda  Challenge  (in  the  Vineyards)  was  a  three-­‐legged  walk  

through  the  grape  vines.  Aging  retired  adults  suffered  on  this  activity.    

• The  Outback  Challenge  (at  the  Children’s  Playground)  consisted  of  two  parts:  the  up-­‐back  included  a  walk  on  the  balance  beam  and  a  race  through  the  playground  equipment.  The  down-­‐back  required  hip  coordination  (hula  hoops)  and  well  as  prehensile  toes  to  pick  up  clothespins  out  of  a  wading  pool.  

 At  noon  the  race  concluded  with  volunteers  &  team  members  attending  Chef  Francis’  Australian  gourmet  celebration  luncheon.  Everyone  was  tired  but  not  too  tired  to  chow  down  before  going  home  to  rest  for  the  Party  in  the  Outback.    Saturday  evening  over  175  people  returned  to  the  Party  in  the  Outback  dinner  and  dance  in  a  beautifully  decorated  tent  complete  with  chandeliers  and  a  gorgeous  CRO-­‐Vineyards  ice  sculpture.    Dr.  Danny  Merck,  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  from  Pickens  County  welcomed  everyone  in  attendance  and  validated  that  the  work  of  CRO-­‐V  was  making  a  difference  in  both  student  performance  and  in  community  relations.    Chef  Francis,  who  never  ceases  to  amaze  his  fans,  composed  a  true  Party  in  the  Outback  dinner  menu  highlighted  with  grilled  Australian  lamb  chops,  shrimp  on  the  barbie  and  a  boomerang  chocolate  decadence  dessert  bar.  At  7PM  sharp  the  Men  of  Distinction  had  everyone  grooving  on  the  dance  floor  followed  by  auctioneer  Krok  Keelor’s  live  auction  talents.  The  live  auction  included  gourmet  dinners  and  destination  vacations  on  the  east  coast,  Big  Sky  Montana,  and  Anna  Maria  Island  Florida.  The  clubhouse  silent  auction  concluded  at  10:30  PM.    Even  after  a  long  hot  day  of  racing,  setting  up  auction  areas,  and  preparing  for  the  big  Party  in  the  Outback  there  were  still  over  20  people  on  the  dance  floor  at  11  PM.      The  tent  is  down,  the  ice  sculpture  melted,  the  auction  items  delivered,  the  invoices  sent  out,  the  thank  you  notes  have  been  mailed,  and  everyone  agrees  that  our  premier  Party  with  a  Purpose  was  a  huge  success  and  numerous  goals  besides  our  Holly  Springs  educational  mission  were  met.  Inviting  Holly  Springs  Elementary,  Tamassee  DAR  School,  the  Vineyards  Fire  Department,  and  Pickens  community  volunteers  was  a  lofty,  fun,  and  rewarding  experience  for  all  participants.    CRO-­‐V  is  proud  to  announce  that  over  $43,000  in  profit  will  enable  CRO-­‐V  to  complete  Holly  Springs  educational  programs  for  the  2015-­‐16  school  year,  provide  

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emergency  nutritional,  medical,  and  dental  assistance  to  area  families  in  need,  and  introduce  a  new  PALS-­‐Parents  as  Learners  program  helping  Pickens  County  parents  promote  their  child’s  education.      The  CRO-­‐V  council  wishes  to  thank  the  amazing  fundraiser  chairpersons  and  sub-­‐committees,  the  Cliffs  organization,  Chef  Francis  &  his  Keowee  Vineyards  staff,  United  Way,  the  numerous  community  &  resident  sponsors  and  donors,  and  the  community  at  large  for  an  incredible  summer  weekend  on  beautiful  Lake  Keowee.    We  will  always  cherish  this  Amazing  Race  &  Party  in  the  Outback  memory!