Lake Youth Foundation

The front entrance pond was the site for the 15th Annual Children’s Fishing Tournament held on Saturday, May 21st.  The Lake Youth Foundation would like to thank all of the participants at this event.  We had 92 children participate and 370 people in attendance.  More than 300 fish were caught and released!  Each child was treated to two hours of fishing, a free lunch prepared by Clearwater Grill, a rod and real, and a bag filled with coupons, fishing supplies and educational pamphlets.   Trophy winners in each age group are as follows:

Ages 5 – 6
Longest Fish         Abigale Quinlan
Heaviest Fish        Abigale Quinlan
Most Fish               Conor Stearns

Ages 7 – 8
Longest Fish         Isabelle Edmunds
Heaviest Fish        Rebecca Arnold
Most Fish               Grayson Woods

Ages 9, 10, 11
Longest Fish         Bethany Blake
Heaviest Fish        Jonathan Powell
Most Fish               Preya Agam

Ages 12, 13, 14
Longest Fish         Tristan Summer
Heaviest Fish        Aaron Hillary
Most Fish               Sara Agam

The longest fish was 15 inches, heaviest fish was 1 lb. 10 oz. and the most fish caught by one person was 53!  What a great day it was for fishing!  Thanks to all of the volunteers who made this a wonderful day!

The Lake Youth Foundation would like to thank our sponsors:  LOWA, Clearwater Grill, LOW Lions, LOW Lioness, Orange County Moose Lodge, LOW Bass Anglers, Eleni’s Restaurant, Suzanne Brady of Coldwell Banker Elite, LOW AARP,  The Car Doctor, Bloom, McDonald’s, Sheetz, Lessly Eye Care, Jack Kelley Insurance, and Gander Mountain.

 

On April 23rd, Easter Saturday, 129 children accompanied by parents, grandparents, friends and relatives showed up for the Lake Youth Foundation Easter Egg Hunt at Sweetbriar Pavilion. The weather looked threatening as the “bunny helpers” hid eggs, but during the hunt the sun came out and the rain clouds disappeared. The Easter Bunny even came to pose for pictures of all the children who visited with him. This was our most successful hunt with over 1,800 eggs hidden and found.

We owe many thanks to Mary Lou McFarland and family who took phone or email reservations, and to Hank Lewis who chaired the event. Our many helpers included Connie Buttimer, Chris Carr, Lee & Pierce Crowell, Diane & Terry Hileman, Lois Powell, and Katie Yarrow. We were also pleased to have teen helpers Danielle Amador, Danielle Amaruso, Elle Hayes, Jason Hileman, and Nathan Hileman.

On December 18, sixty-nine children had the opportunity to visit with Santa. The Lake Youth Foundation had made sure that there was a special room in the Community Center to welcome Santa for the day. He listened intently to every boy and girl who came to visit. Parents and grandparents were able to capture the moment on their cameras.

In the Community Room cookies and juice were available for snacking while they waited their turn. We thank the LOW Lioness for providing some of the cookies. Also Heidi Karns of the Lake Co-op Preschool, constructed a large gingerbread house for the youngsters to play in. They were also invited to help decorate the roof with colorful circles. And added to the fun was Mary Lou McFarland’s band of young magicians. Periodic shows of magic tricks delighted the children.

In the teen room, Orange County Deputy Sheriff Jamee Hearn and her assistant Tina Benner were able to process 25 children in the Safe Assured ID program. A picture, voice recording and fingerprints were taken for each child processed and placed on a disc. This disc was then given to the parent for safe keeping. The information on this disc can assist in identifying and locating a missing child if that should ever become necessary. Lake Youth Foundation plans to have this service available at all their functions this year.

Saturday, July 24th was the hottest day of the summer, but that didn’t keep the crowd away from the Lake Youth Foundation’s 6th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta.  We had fourteen awesome boats registered in five different categories this year.  Our biggest turnout yet! Below is the list of participants and their rankings.

Ages 10 & Younger   
1st Place                         Tanker 20                                    Cristo and Corrado Apostolakis, Andrew Geracoulis
2nd Place                        Boat R Fly                                    Emma McFarland
  
Ages 11 - 14   
1st Place                         G. I. Joe                                       Jason Hileman and Anthony Albrecht
2nd Place                        Whatever Floats Your Boat        Amanda and Brian Stuchel
  
Ages 15 - 18   
1st Place                         Bombs Away                               Mark and Joe Albrecht, Nathan Hileman
2nd Place                        Chang Jing Lu                            Jessica Osceola, Maggie Walker
  
Parent and Child   
1st Place                         Soggy Bottom III                     Brent, Ethan, Natalie and Charlotte Pettyjohn Rob,
                                                                                          Tonie, Allison, Robbie and Kamryn Pittman
2nd Place                        Titanic                                      Timmy Barr, Rob and Max Yarrow
3rd Place                        Watermelon Sunshine              Toni and Brian Tribble
  
School/Civic/Scout/Club/Business 
1st Place                        Pingu II (AARP)                          Bobbie Prees
2nd Place                       USS LOW Veterans                    Eric and Dennis Kramer, Shae Boggs, Michael Krug
3rd Place                        Luau (Fun Bunch)                      Hank Lewis, Rachael Stephens

Pre-Race Awards
Best in Show                 Titanic
Most Likely to Float       USS LOW Veterans
Titanic                            Whatever Floats Your Boat
People’s Choice             Luau (collected $176 for the LYF Scholarship Fund)

We would like to thank the following businesses: Clearwater Grill for preparing lunch and donating a portion of the proceeds to LYF, Cool Zone for selling ice cream and the talented Norma Hix-Macht of “Colored In Disguise” for her outstanding face paintings! 

A special thank you to our judges Bernie Oravec (Lions), Janet Berge (Lioness) and Rob Martin (LOW AGM of Operations) for selecting the boats for our pre-race awards. We also appreciate the kayaking services of Terri Karfgin and Kathy Dunn for manning the races from the water in case any mishaps occurred.  Jimmy Lee and John Gamble for supplying the kayak and buoys and Melanie Philipp for placing the buoys in the water for the race course.  An additional thank you to Mary Kramer for her yearly help with the business logo designs on the regatta shirts.  Lastly, let’s not forget our regatta MC Otis Adgerson (a.k.a. Captain Jones) for the wonderful excitement he generates during the event.  

A final thank you for the financial support from our sponsors LOW Lions and Lioness Club, Clearwater Grill, Orange County Moose Lodge #2198, LOW Players, LOW Bass Anglers, The Car Doctor, AARP, Coldwell Banker Elite-Suzanne Brady, Cool Zone, and Spiro’s Pizza and Subs.  Hope to see you all next year!

It was a beautiful day for an Easter Egg Hunt.  Over 100 children, tugging along their parents and grandparents attended the Lake Youth Foundation Event.  Areas were set up for the three different age groups of children.  Excitement was high as they all viewed the field full of eggs for the youngest of the hunters.  The children were also delighted to be able to meet the Easter Bunny and pose for pictures.  As with all LYF events, parents and grandparents are allowed to take their own pictures at no cost.  We also had complimentary snacks available for the youngsters. 
 
We are currently looking for volunteers to help with our many events and activities.  If you can spare an hour or two to help out at the Fishing Tournament, Cardboard Boat Regatta, Super Sitter Class or A Visit With Santa, please call Connie Buttimer at 540-972-0083 or send an email to info@lakeyouth.org.

It was the perfect afternoon for a Visit with Santa. Big fluffy flakes were falling from the sky and the temperature was chilly enough to bundle up in warm coats and hats. Parents and their children, with some Grandparents and friends in tow, began arriving to have their annual visit with Santa at the Community Center.  Threatening weather didn’t scare away most families and over 60 children had an opportunity to visit personally with Santa in his magical room.  Many came dressed in their finest Christmas outfits and some families came dressed alike for a family picture. One family has been attending for the last four years and uses these pictures as a visual history of their children's growth.  Many thanked us for this opportunity to use their own camera to catch this special moment in time.  Everyone was treated to cookies and juice as their waited for their turn.

The children were also encouraged to participate in the coloring contest being held at the Community Center by Operations Assistant, Sylvia Zelinsky.  These works of art are on display at the Community Center.

This event closes another successful year for Lake Youth Foundation. The LYF Board is making plans for 2010. An Easter egg hunt, Children's Fishing Tournament, Cardboard Boat Regatta and a visit with Santa are in the planning stages. When the LOWA Youth Activities Committee sponsors the Battle of the Bands, we will again help with that event. We will also team up with the LOW Players for a one-day drama workshop. In addition, we will train super sitters later in the summer. At our Scholarship Brunch we will award several scholarships to LOW graduating seniors.  Applications are already in the area high schools. We really need extra hands to help with these events and programs, so please call Connie at 972-0083 to volunteer a few hours.

Even though the regatta had to be rescheduled, there was still a tremendous turnout to watch ten boats compete in four different categories on Saturday, August 15th at Sailboat beach. Below is a list of the participants in each category:

Ages 11 & Younger
1st Place	Zcar5	Jared Hoerner, Cristo and Corrado Apostolakis
2nd Place	Mario & Luigi Battle Boat	Tommy Bowers & Nathaneal Bove
Ages 12 - 17
1st Place	Pi-Yak	Sam Churchill
2nd Place	BoatRFly	Andi Hochenberger
3rd place	Space Invaders II	Jason Hileman & Emily Malacane
Parent and Child
1st Place	The "Sale" Boat	Thad and Zachary Sale
2nd Place	U.S.S Virginia	Terry and Nathan Hileman, Laura Malacane
School/Civic/Scout/Club/Business
1st Place	Fun Bunch	Hank Lewis & Rachael Stephens
2nd Place	AARP "Gray power"	Carla Wascalus
3rd Place	Pingu (NARFE)	Bobbie Prees
Pre-Race Awards
Best in Show		U.S.S. Virginia
Most Likely to Float		BoatRFly
Titanic		Mario & Luigi Battle Boat

We would like to thank Robinson’s Tavern & Grill for volunteering to prepare and serve lunch for the event. Route 3 Diner for selling Hershey ice cream treats and the talented Norma Hix of “Colored In Disguise” for her outstanding face paintings!

A special thank you to our judges Carol Curry, Jeff Flynn and Carol Greeney for selecting the boats for our pre-race awards and the Wilderness Model Yacht Club for demonstrating their remote control sailboats. We also appreciate the kayaking services of Terri Karfgin and Kathy Dunn for manning the races from the water in case any mishaps occurred. Let’s not forget our regatta MC Otis Adgerson (a.k.a. Captain Dreadlock) for the wonderful excitement he generates during the event.

A final thank you for the financial support from our sponsors LOW Lions and Lioness Club, Clearwater Grill, Orange County Moose Lodge #2198, LOW Players, Teller Dental, The Car Doctor, AARP, Getty & Associates, P.C., and Locust Grove Variety Store. Hope to see you all next year!

The front entrance pond was the site for the 13th Annual Children’s Fishing Tournament held on Saturday, May 30th.  The Lake Youth Foundation would like to thank all of the participants at this event.  We had 123 children participate and 400 people in attendance.  Each child was treated to two hours of fishing, a free lunch prepared by Clearwater Grill, a rod and reel, participation trophy, and a bag filled with coupons, fishing supplies and educational pamphlets.   Trophy winners in each age group are as follows:

Ages 5 – 6                                                                       Ages 7 – 8
Longest Fish - Bethany Blake                                        Longest Fish - Ryan Stephens
Heaviest Fish - Ben Letarneur                                      Heaviest Fish - Cody Karns
Most Fish - Chris Stanton                                              Most Fish - Genevieve Blake

Ages 9, 10, 11                                                               Ages 12, 13, 14
Longest Fish - Taylor Strain                                         Longest Fish - Jessica McQuaid
Heaviest Fish - Kyle Kerlikowske                                 Heaviest Fish - Josh Nowacki
Most Fish - Preya Agam                                                Most Fish - Mallory Davis

The Lake Youth Foundation would especially like to thank LOWA and Clearwater Grill for donating and preparing the food and to all of our wonderful VOLUNTEERS who made this event possible.

The Lake Youth Foundation donated $100 for the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Battle of the Bands. On Saturday, May 30, a crowd of over 300 transformed the Lake of the Woods Community Center into a venue for one of the best local rock shows in the area – The Battle of the Bands! Eight incredible bands competed, putting on the best show yet. Their talent was even more impressive given that all the performers were under 21 (The youngest was 11). The only thing that could have made the show better was the return of two-time BoB winners and local favorite Dilemma Uncovered, and they were there! Big thanks to Chris, Ben and Dominic for wrapping up the night with a great set. All of the bands were very talented – talented enough to keep a full crowd excited to the very end! But, the votes were tallied, the judges gave their scores, and hundreds of fans voted for the People’s Choice. We would like to extend hearty congratulations to our winners, the competition was intense:

Judges’ Choice
1st place: Caught in the Quiet, 2nd place: Numb Incision, 3rd place: Bullet to Black

Lake Youth Foundation’s People’s Choice: Numb Incision

We owe a big debt of thanks to our judges: Jordan Medas, (songwriter and bassist), Ritchie Amaruso (local musician and member of the Soul Retrievers) and Stephen Amaruso, a young, local musician who came to our rescue and stood in as the third judge. Due to the overwhelming interest in local music, illustrated by the fantastic support of BoB, the webpage for the event will continue to be maintained. Go to http://www.myspace.com/lowbattleofthebands for up-to-date information about the bands and the sponsors of local music. Battle of the Bands continues to grow each year, and this year we even attracted the attention of an area music newspaper, Rock the Burg. Check out a review at here .

The Youth Activities Committee would like to thank the bands:

• 5th Degree Burn
• Bullet to Black
• The Strawmen
• Looking for Groupies
• Prime Divine
• Caught In the Quiet
• Numb Incision

We’d also like to thank Diane and Terry Hileman, Marylou McFarland, and Marion Pronk of Lake Youth Foundation for their oversight of the voting process and tallying. Hank Lewis, also a member of LYF, made sure everyone had a good time as the head of security, backed up by Terri Karfgin and Joel Zelinsky. Thanks to Pierce Crowell for providing an exciting “rock and roll” light show. Bob McFarland and Mary Kramer, assisted by Rachel Schneider, kept the backstage running and in order. Concessions were covered by Donna, Amanda, and Alexa Eclipse with Tracy Harrington (Thanks for introducing Taco in a Bag to LOW!) Thanks as well to new teen center attendant Kathy for her support. Thank you to Melanie Parmelee, Lisa Nash and Dick Martin for filming and editing the show. And, a huge thanks to Sylvia Zelinsky and Karen O’Donnell for guiding the event from inception to completion. We would especially like to thank our sponsors. Tony Scott provided superior sound for the show. The Lake of the Woods Players, Lake Youth Foundation and PDQ printing continue to support the event year after year. Thanks to Chris Salamone of Salamone Recording for providing the first-place prize of six hours studio time, second year running. And most especially, we’d like to thank Dave Goodrich of BQE Records: emcee, young musician’s mentor, local singer/songwriter and the man who makes this event possible from beginning to end. See you next year!

A reception hosted by the Lake Youth Foundation was held on Sunday, May 17th to honor six outstanding Orange County High School seniors. The LOW Lioness Club partnered with LYF this year and awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Wangui Gichane. The Lake Youth Foundation awarded five scholarships totaling $3,000. The recipients of the scholarships, were Daniel Allen (Germanna Community College), Joshua Moon (Virginia Commonwealth University), Christina Harvey (Pfeiffer University), Antonia Tribble (Virginia Commonwealth University), Kate Searcy (James Madison University) and Wangui Gichane (Virginia Tech).

At our scholarship brunch held on May 17th at the LOW Clubhouse, the Lake Youth Foundation presented an engraved travel alarm clock to Diane Hileman, outgoing president. She is a founding member of the Lake Youth Foundation and has served as president for the past three years. In addition, she has served as chairman of the Cardboard Boat Regatta since this great event began. Diane will continue to chair the Regatta, which will be held at Sailboat Beach on July 25. Incoming officers are Connie Buttimer, president; Hank Lewis, vice president; Terry Hileman, treasurer and Lee Crowell, secretary. Please contact Connie at 972-0083 if you would like to volunteer to help with our events and programs or to just get on our email list, which will alert you about activities and opportunities for Lake of the Woods youth.