Stay-Focused 2010
2010 will be a great year for Stay-Focused and started with our annual fundraiser in Grand Cayman on February 4th at the home of John and Penny White, featuring 12-time Grammy award winner and Country Music Hall of Famer Emmylou Harris. Emmylou was accompanied by Rickie Simpkins, and The Swanky Kitchen Band opened the evening's event. Many thanks to John and Penny for hosting this wonderful evening of music that raised funds to support our programs in Cayman this year.
Emmylou Harris
We will run three core programs this summer that will enable more than 20 teens and young adults with disabilities to dive in Cayman. The dates are: June 23 - 29: July 1 - 6; and, July 28 - August 3rd. Stay-Focused alumna Gail Gaeng will be the mentor on the June trip, alumnus Justin Strafuss will return as the mentor on our “Reunion” trip, and Stay-Focused alum Ryan Neiswender will be mentoring first-time divers on the July/August trip. Also, Jackson Rafter will be joining the July/August trip as our intern.
Cayman Special Olympian Andrew Smilley
Multiple-medal winning Special Olympian, Andrew Smilley, and recent winner of the 2009 Greatest Open Water Swim of the Year, experienced his first dive on Tuesday, December 8th. Sunset House Diving Instructor, Jaxx Keinas, led the 35-minute dive, which Andrew enjoyed and found exciting. Many thanks to Jaxx and support provided by Sunset House. As an update, Andrew will be joining our diving certification program this summer, July 28 - August 3rd.
(L-R) Andrew Smilley, Jaxx Keinas, Roger Muller
Cayman Islands Marathon
On Sunday, December 6th, 2009 one of our divers, Ryan Chalmers, completed the half marathon in the Cayman Islands. Ryan was the only wheelchair athlete in the event and this was the second time Ryan competed in the Cayman Islands Marathon. In 2008, Ryan was part of a 4-person relay team.
Ideally, the Organizing Committee will open a wheelchair division in 2010 and Ryan, along with Brian Siemann and others, will have the opportunity to complete the full marathon.
Ryan Chalmers, Cayman Islands Marathon, 2008
Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort
Starting last summer, the Grand Cayman Marriott became the "home" of Stay-Focused. Walter Regidor, General Manager, has been exceptionally gracious and generous in supporting Stay-Focused. Many thanks, as well, to Carolina Voullieme, Director of Marketing, and the friendly Marriott staff for making all of us feel welcome.Program Schedule 2009
At the end of August 2009, we completed our fourth program of the summer. The first two were Reunion trips for returning divers, the third was a special trip for two of our alumni, Ryan Chalmers and Brian Siemann (Ryan got to dive with his brother, Josh, for the first time, and Brian had the opportunity to dive with his best friend, Patrick O'Reilly, also for the first time), and the fourth trip was a program for 4 first-time divers.
Our newly-certified divers are Meredith Ausenbaugh, Sydney Bolen, Katie Bruckmann, and Jill Moore. Justin Strafuss, one of our alums, was the mentor for the group and did an excellent job! Joining the group was Trisha Yurochko, a Stay-Focused Board member and highly-regarded coach, and Dr. JenFu Cheng, our medical advisor and photographer extraordinaire. JenFu takes most of the pictures that appear on our web site, so let's give proper credit: JenFu Cheng Photography or www.jenfucheng.com.
Also on the trip for the first time were Dr. Mark Lombardo, and his wife, Janet. And, as always, we are grateful for the ongoing support we receive from our talented diving instructors including Marty Banks, Chris Brandson, Tony Chisholm, and Jaxx Kienas.
It's very important we thank our major sponsors who are generous in their support of Stay-Focused: The Marriott Beach Resort, Red Sail Sports, and Andy's Rent-A-Car. In addition, we thank all our Cayman-based sponsors who contribute to our ongoing success and are listed as Partners on this site.
By the end of last summer, more than twenty teens and young adults with disabilities dived with us in the warm Cayman waters. It was indeed a very successful summer - perhaps the best so far!
Roger Muller
Founder/President
June/July 2010
Shawn Colvin Benefit Performance for Stay-Focused
Three-time Grammy winner Shawn Colvin charmed the guests at our signature fund-raising event in Grand Cayman on Thursday, March 19, 2009. It was a wonderful evening hosted by Al and Melissa Thompson in their garden. Many thanks to Lions Productions, Azzurro's, Blackbeard's, Caybrew, and Celebrations for their help in supporting our event.
Most of all, thank you Shawn for delighting the crowd and traveling to Cayman to be part of this special evening.
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Fundraising
While fundraising is an ongoing activity, much of the support for our programs comes from sponsors. A complete listing of our sponsors is provided in the Partnerssection of this site.
Donations of any amount are always welcome!
CTAM's Florida Beach TAM
The Florida chapter of the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), a generous sponsor of Stay-Focused, hosted its annual event on June 18 & 19, 2009 at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne. Once again, Stay-Focused was fortunate to be the beneficiary charity. Many thanks to Reinaldo Llano, President of CTAM Florida, and all its members for providing ongoing support. Pictured below (Photo credit: Suzanne Barton), is Stay-Focused President/Founder, Roger Muller, with former CTAM Florida President, Heather McCallion, VP/East Region, NBC Universal TV Networks Distribution.
CTAM Honors Joe Rooney
The Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), recognized its Chairman, Joe Rooney, Chief Marketing Officer for COX, at its annual event in Boston, MA on November 11th, 2008. CTAM is a major supporter of Stay-Focused, with two of its chapters (Texas and Florida), raising funds for Stay-Focused over the past few years. Pictured below is Stay-Focused Founder/President, Roger Muller, accepting CTAM's $10,000 donation in honor of Joe Rooney, who recently joined the Stay-Focused Advisory Board.
(L - R)
Brad Samuels, Fuse and MSG Media, CTAM Chapters Council Co-Chair;
Roger Muller, Founder/President, Stay-Focused;
Joe Rooney, Cox Communications, CTAM Chair; Carla Lewis-Long, AmericanLife TV, CTAM Carolinas President.