It was a pleasure to host a kick off party for The Out of Door Academy's annual fundraiser, The Banyan Ball.

The Banyan Ball is a huge gala put on by the school in March. David Mahler, headmaster of ODA, asked if my wife and I would open our home to have sponsors and committee members over for a "kick-off" celebration of the event coming in March. We were glad to do so, as ODA is a special place to us as our grandkids attend the school.

Kim Gitler, chair of the event, is such a generous person and our community is so blessed to have people like her and her husband, Charles, who give back so much of their time and energy.

My daughter,Terri, is also on the committe and did a tremedous job speaking to the crowd informing them of the importance of contributing to the Banyan Ball and why ODA is such a wonderful place for our youngsters.