If you’d like to donate to Walk Now for Autism Speaks and join team Ryan please click here.

Thank you.

I have to confess to a little let down after Golf for Joy this year. We had a terrific turn out, a beautiful day, a great speaker, and on a personal note, my speech seemed to be a  big hit. I’ve given talks that were smoother, and came off more polished, but I think the content this year was a big hit, and that felt kind of cool. To make things even better we raised more money than ever before at Golf for Joy and now have $6,000 more to help us share our Joy with children with challenges. I am very grateful for all of your support.

So, after a lull I came into today wanting to get going, get to the next project, the next thing and well, Monday didn’t come off as planned and I was very frustrated, ready to throw in the towel on the day.

But a good friend gave me a shout out this morning, just when I needed it, and it was the perfect remedy to get me back on track. Thanks Rocky!

This year we had another first at Golf for Joy, we shot video of the speeches, so I was fortunate to be able to go back and revisit that moment. Perhaps you’d like to take a look too…

We hope to have a lot going on at The MJB Foundation in the coming year. There’s a lot to plan, and a lot to do.

Here we go…

A quick thank you / reflection on Golf for Joy 2011.

Once again many thanks to our supporters, our volunteers, and everybody who came to Golf for Joy 2011.

Netter wants to make sure everyone knows that is not the same shirt Jim wore to golf in on Saturday. He has 2 MJB Foundation golf shirts. (and now a really cool t-shirt too.)

Note: This is Jim’s speech from Golf for Joy today. It is being cross posted at his personal blog The Life of Jimmer.

When I was a little kid, and even a little bit today I would wonder how super heroes decided who to save? I mean you see Batman saving Vicky Vale, and Spider Man saving  Mary Jane. Heck, Superman turns the world backwards to save Lois Lane.

But let’s say it’s not their girlfriend. It’s not an easy or obvious choice, although even those choices aren’t always easy or obvious. 50 people on a bus or my girlfriend? Hmmm… Let me think about that…

What about if there is more than one crime going on at the same time? We see stuff blowing up on the screen, but you know some body is being robbed in the next block over right? Bad stuff happens to good people all the time. How does the super hero decide?

Here’s what I think.

Sometimes the super hero lets us decide. Because sometimes we are the super hero.

I’m gonna let you in on a secret – Actually, it might not be a secret at all… Still, I want to share it with you today because it’s something that is really special to me.

Ready?

I     Am     Batman

I know. I know. Most of you already knew that, What you don’t know is the secret behind why I am Batman? The core of my “super-hero – ness” if you will…

I am Batman because of you, and what’s more… You are Batman too.

So, uh Jimmer where are you going with this?

Think about this… How is Batman different from you or me or anybody else?

He can’t fly. He doesn’t shoot webs. He doesn’t talk to fish. He doesn’t have a mighty shield. He certainly is not a god.

He’s human. A regular everyday person like you, and like me.

Except…

For the toys.

Remember in the first Batman movie with Michael Keaton where it seemed like the Joker was always one step ahead and then Batman would press some button on his utility belt and swing off to safety. That’s how he rescued Vicky Vale right? and then the Joker said:

“Where does he get all those wonderful toys?”

Well in this world where I am Batman, where you are Batman – I get all my wonderful toys from you, and we get to try to save all these wonderful kids the Joy of childhood. Or at least share it with them anyway.

And just like Superman honors his parents Jor – El and Lara, Spiderman is driven by the death of his Uncle Ben and Batman is driven by the tragic death of his parents – we are all driven by a magical little girl named Meghan Joy.

We don’t have any of the “cool toys,” but we do have the love and support of family and friends and I feel very fortunate to have that support, to feel that love, to share the gifts that we can with folks who need them.

Because while we’re not really super heroes, we are all deciding to help, and that makes all the difference.

Thank you for supporting The MJB Foundation, (and for coming to Golf for Joy today.)

If you’re playing in Golf for Joy 2011, you want to watch this.

MJB Gold Golf Ball 50/50 game

Each team can buy 1 gold golf ball for $10. When your foursome buys a gold ball, the players on your team take turns – each golfer will play that ball for at least four of the 18 holes. The gold ball should be played on every hole and must be rotated in sequence amongst your team. The teammate playing the gold ball on a hole uses the ball on the entire hole then it’s passed to the next player to use on the following hole. You can plan ahead to have the best player use it on water holes etc. but once the batting order is decided you must stick to it. Any two golfers are selected by the team to play the gold ball on your final two holes. If your gold ball is hit out of bounds at any time during your round, it is lost – you are not allowed to retrieve it. At the end of the round, if you still have your gold ball, turn it in to an MJB board member – there will be sharpies available to mark your names on your gold ball. Your gold ball will then be in a drawing – one of the surviving balls is picked, that team gets ½ the proceeds of the Gold Golf Ball 50/50 game. Teams who have lost their ball are obviously disqualified. Good luck and Hit ‘em straight!

Really looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow for our 17th annual Golf for Joy.

Hit ‘em straight!

Former Ohio State Buckeye Bobby Olive will be joining us for Golf for Joy on Saturday and sharing a few words at the post tourney gathering. Today, Bobby works for one of our Shining Star sponsors, Paetec with Jim’s Brian’s Bail Bonds Hockey teammate Matt Rupert.

We are pleased to welcome Matt, Bobby, and the entire Paetec Crew to Golf for Joy 2011, and we are very grateful for their support and continued sponsorship.

More information about Bobby and his career can be found below.

Bobby Lee Olive Jr.

Position: WR
Height: 6-0    Weight: 167 lbs.

Born: April 22, 1969 in Paris, TN
College: Ohio State (school history)
Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 11th round (300th overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft.

Ohio State Stats

Bobby Olive was a walk-on at The Ohio State University in 1988, and he quickly got a major role as a wide receiver under new head coach John Cooper.  And it wasn’t too long before Ohio State fans quickly adopted him as their new hero.

In Week 3 of his freshman season, LSU came to Columbus with a 14-game on-the-road winning streak.  The game was a battle through most of the first 3.5 quarters, but a lucky deflection gave LSU a 56-yard TD and a 33-20 lead with just under 4:30 to play in the game.  Tiger fans began to celebrate their victory.

But the LSU fans didn’t see the freight train coming.  Ohio State marched down the field and scored with 2 minutes left to make it 33-27.  It was then the defense’s turn to rise up, and they did their job.  They shut down two runs (followed by quick timeouts) and on 3rd and long, LSU threw incomplete.  On 4th down, the Tigers chose to retreat and take the safety, making it 33-29.

On the ensuing free kick, Olive took the ball at his own 32 and began racing up the middle.  At midfield, he made an amazing cut to his left and dodged three defenders before flying out of bounds at LSU’s 39.  Ohio Stadium was on fire with excitement!

Just a few plays later…The Buckeyes scored 16 points in under a minute and a half and they beat LSU 36-33.

But Olive wasn’t done with his heroics. Two years later, Ohio State was in Iowa City taking on the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes.  Iowa had visions of a Big Ten Championship and a National Championship (and they had the talent for both).

However, Iowa simply couldn’t put the Buckeyes away that day, and they barely led 26-21 with just over a minute to play.  QB Greg Frey (who was 10 of 31 before the final drive) took the Bucks down the field and brought them to the doorstep.  Then Olive did his thing one more time, catching the winning TD pass.

Olive went onto the NFL and played for Indianapolis, Kansas City, and the Cleveland Browns. Olive also played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the WFL where he was an integral part of the 1995 world championship team.  Bobby finished is professional playing career playing 5 seasons in the Arena football league with Buffalo, Carolina, and Columbus before retiring in 2005.

Today Bobby Olive resides in Dublin, OH with his wife and 3 kids.

Reference: Direct quotes taken from: Bobby Olive, proud creator of miracles. Written August 28th, 2009 by Jeff at The BBC. http://www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com/2009/08/bobby-olive-proud-creator-of-miracles/

We are just days away from our 17th annual Golf for Joy. As many of you know I play hockey with a great group of fellas who are also very enthusiastic supporters of The MJB Foundation.  Last night, post game I asked a few of the guys who are coming out this year to take a few minutes to talk about Golf for Joy.

As you can see we always have a lot of fun and it is a great group of guys.

While the field is set for this year’s tournament we still want to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to join us for our post tournament gathering where we’ll tell plenty of stories, share plenty of laughs and talk about why we all get together every year – all while raising money for a great cause.

We’d love to have you join us!

Oh and, while the current Bail Bonds team does not have a current website, we are certain we have fans. (or wives and kids anyway) If you’d like to learn a little more about the team feel free to check out our first attempts at websites here and here.

Kailey and I shot this last night. Last chance to sign up for Golf for Joy 2011.

Thank you for visiting / watching today. If you’d like more information please feel free to contact me. My email address is jbrochowski@mjbfoundation.org and my phone number is 614-746-2112. I would be happy to answer any questions about sponsorship and / or The MJB Foundation in general, and I would love to tell you more about Meghan Joy.

We look forward to seeing everyone on June 25 at Golf for Joy 2011.