Ambassadors of Hope
Ambassadors of Hope celebrates local south Florida leaders who are making a difference in our community and region through Place of Hope. We will discuss our nonprofit's mission of providing a stable and loving environment for children, youth and families that are hurting by sharing inspiring stories of those who have crossed our path–our Ambassadors. They are people who have faced adversity and overcome challenges and community members dedicated to impacting lives for generations to come. With a goal to help end cycles of abuse, neglect, homelessness, poverty, and human trafficking for children and young adults, Ambassadors of Hope will do what Place of Hope’s Ambassadors do everyday: work to change our world one life and one child at a time.
Ambassadors of Hope
Wave of Change: Amplifying Legacy and Hope with Amanda-Leigh Player Hall and Ben Goldman with the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation
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Every act of kindness can be the ripple that creates a wave of change, and that's the heart of our conversation with Amanda-Leigh Player Hall and Ben Goldman from the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation. As we unwrap the story behind their $75,000 matching challenge, we delve into the collective power of our community that turned it into a stunning $150,000 gift for Place of Hope. Amanda and Ben's passion echoes through their commitment to providing sanctuaries for at-risk children, a mission that resonates deeply Place of Hope's mission and the importance of nurturing environments where these young souls can flourish. Their vision is a testament to the legacy of Gary Player, not just as a golf legend, but as a beacon of positivity and holistic wellbeing.
Our discussion traverses the landscape of poverty and its proximity to wealth, a reminder of the work that remains to be done. Charles Bender and Jamie Bond Ciancio with Amanda-Leigh Player Hall and Ben Goldman engage in a thought-provoking conversation about the role strategic philanthropy plays in breaking the relentless cycles of poverty, concentrating our efforts on stable housing, which is paramount in keeping families together and preventing children from entering foster care. The juxtaposition of luxury and lack serves as an urgent call for awareness and continued action in our society.
As the episode unfolds, hope and mentorship emerge as powerful sculptors of tomorrow for vulnerable youths. We celebrate the unwavering influence of Gary Player, who at 89, sows seeds of hope with his lifelong dedication to service and giving. The future of philanthropy, strategies for sustaining a legacy that goes beyond the realm of sports, and the importance of transparency and financial stewardship are all woven into our narrative. Whether you're a longtime supporter or new to our cause, this episode reinforces the notion that every contribution lays another stone on the path to a better future for our children. Join us in honoring the spirits of service and legacy, and let's continue to uplift these voices that champion our youth.
Takeaways
- The Gary and Vivian Player Foundation is dedicated to helping underprivileged and vulnerable children by providing support in education, health, and housing.
- Breaking intergenerational poverty requires a hand up, not just a handout, by surrounding children with positive influences and opportunities for future success.
- Love, relationships, and hope are essential in making a lasting impact on children's lives.
- Transparency and responsible stewardship of funds are crucial in selecting and supporting organizations that have a direct impact on children.
Host: Charles L. Bender III, Founding CEO and Board Member of Place of Hope
Co-Host: Jamie Bond Ciancio, North County Director of Advancement & Communications
Title Sponsor: Crypto Capital Venture | Follow Dan Gambardello's on Twitter (@cryptorecruitr)
Looking for assistance in south Florida? Visit VillagesOfHope.net
Link:
Title Sponsor: Crypto Capital Venture | Follow Dan Gambardello's on Twitter (@cryptorecruitr)
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Producer: Maya Elias
Copyright of Place of Hope 2023.
Hello and thank you for tuning in to Ambassadors of Hope. I'm your host, charles Bender. We're so excited that you've tuned in to hear from local South Florida leaders who are making a difference in our community and region through our charity Place of Hope.
Maya Elias:Hello, I'm your producer, Maya Elias, and in this conversation on the Ambassadors of Hope podcast, Charles Bender speaks with Amanda- Leigh Player Hall and Ben Goldman from the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation. They discussed their shared mission of creating safe and nurturing environments for vulnerable children. The foundation focuses on breaking intergenerational poverty models through education, health and housing initiatives. They highlight the importance of love, relationships and hope in making a difference in children's lives. The conversation also touches on the foundation's future plans and upcoming events. Please continue listening on for the rest of this week's episode.
Charles Bender:All right. Well, we are super excited today because we have good friends with us, ambassadors of Place of Hope for years now doing great things with us, and so we have Amanda- Leigh Player Hall, my good friend, and Ben Goldman. They're both from and created, and are now running and expanding in a big way, the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation, and you guys have done so many cool things with us already. But what we're excited about that we actually did this morning over at our packs and campuses. We did a check presentation. We had the news here, which was great, and it all goes back to specifically what we were doing today.
Charles Bender:It was the check presentation from the Giving Tuesday of 2023, which was I think it was October, right October, november, I think. There were charities doing that all over the nation, but I think ours was probably the most exciting one with you guys, because you issued us this very generous $75,000 matching challenge as a grant, to caveat the idea that we would go out to the community and try to raise the matching dollars, and our people loved what you all did and stepped up in a big way, and so the impact was $150,000 for Place of Hope and all the different things we do together Wonderful, absolutely amazing, so we're glad you guys are here with us. They were talking a little bit about the foundation and I'll give it to you, shane.
Jamie Bond Ciancio:And we saw a range from like $25 gifts to $2,500 gifts. So it was a really cool range to see people support that. And then if they gave $500 or more, they were entered to win a drawing to play golf with your dad. So that was kind of cool too.
Charles Bender:Which somebody did win.
Jamie Bond Ciancio:So actually going back to what you said, charles, with this check presentation we had WPTV was there you did a great job of sharing kind of the mission in the heart of the Gary and Vivienne Player of foundation and where it kind of came from and it just made me think so we have a shared mission. Both of our organizations focus on safe and nurturing environments for vulnerable children. Can you elaborate on the specific connections or shared values between, maybe place of hope, or what you guys see in place of hope, and the foundation?
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Well, after my mom passed away two years ago, we renamed and reestablished my dad's foundation, and they've always been involved with helping underprivileged and vulnerable children, and so my dad really wanted to give back to communities that have contributed to his success in the United States, and so we really wanted to find organizations that were really making a big impact in this area, and you know we were very careful about selecting that organization, and actually already one of my best friends they lived down here and had gotten, had been involved with Charles, and he told me that this is just an organization that you've got to investigate, and the minute I met Charles and saw what the place of hope was doing down here just really resonated with me and knew that we needed to partner, and this was exactly what my mom would have wanted to be involved with. She couldn't bear the idea of any child suffering or being abused or neglected in any way, and so just so grateful for the board scope of work that you do and how we can be involved with that.
Charles Bender:Yeah, and I fell in love with you guys from like day one. It was just so. When Wade introduced us and you came down, I'm like these are, these are salt of the earth people. They're going to be doing big stuff and I can see it kind of in my mind's eye expanding before you even started to expand. And now, Ben, you jumped on board. Tell us a little bit about it.
Ben Goldman:Yeah, I'm the new guy here. I just joined Amanda and the family maybe a month ago, february 1, not even a month ago.
Ben Goldman:Get the ground running. Yeah, I was a news anchor in Connecticut for the last seven years and I'm 27. And I left my job in September. I I wasn't getting the fulfillment or energy that I was looking for by being on TV. I checked that box off and I said I want to do something and work with people that I have a deep admiration for and respect for. That aligns with who I am on the inside.
Ben Goldman:I played in Amanda and her father's tournament in Philadelphia and met with them and their board members. There seemed to be a need. Amanda has really worked single-handedly with her board to build this foundation after they rebranded it and renamed it a few years back. She's now taken it to a point where she's ready to take it to the next level and grow it a little bit more, Find different ways to raise funds to help others in addition to golf tournaments. We spoke and it aligned with my passions and my interests. I was ready to pivot outside of news and find something that really brought fulfillment to my life and start that new chapter. We got along great. It's like we've been doing this for a long time even though it's been a few weeks.
Charles Bender:You joined the right family. You joined the right group, because that's one of the things that just hit me right from the beginning is because we have a tremendous support base that we build over the years Side campuses, regional people that support us from all over the state and the United States. I might have said this earlier I just love when there are people with heart and they're in it for the reason that, because all you have to do is listen to your dad's beat. I sense that from the initial meeting. But then also when I came up with Philly for that tournament, I'm like, wow, these are really special people, because what's better than living a life purpose? I think that's the top thing that just oozes out of you guys and the foundation. We're grateful to be a part of it.
Charles Bender:One of the things that I also really like about you guys is your charter when you break it down. One of the things that you guys are big about is breaking up intergenerational poverty models. We see it in child welfare for almost 25 years now and we see how one generation will just slip into the same thinking, the same mindset, the same barriers that hold them back and so forth. Our model, and not that everybody gets it most tend to but the idea is we surround them with the things about future success and breaking the way you were brought up. For a lot of these young people that's a thing for you guys. I talk a little bit about that, maybe why you place a hope from that perspective.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:My background isn't in philanthropy work but as a 21-year-old I graduated from architecture school and worked for a year. I had the opportunity to work as a missionary. I could have gone anywhere in the world and ended up being assigned to New Jersey. I'm like what in the world does the Lord want me to go there for? I learned so much in that 18 months loving with the people it was actually the Latin, spanish-speaking people in the New York area and just never understood the poverty levels that are in this country. Coming from Africa, we see it all around us.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:That really opened my eyes to how many needs there were and how many children in these inner cities were just never going to get out of this. It's so easy just to say, just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get out of it. Like you said, it's just the cycle and obviously after my mom passed away and they asked me to run the foundation, we really wanted to make a difference. You start looking at the data and to know that one in six children are living in poverty in this country and 30% of homeless are children, it's startling. You start looking at what can make a difference so that they don't remain in the cycle. The data is very clear it's education, health and housing. That's really been what our vision has become, and to help organizations that are working in these three areas. Place of Hope covers all three of those, which is very exciting. You can see the impact that you're having and the results that it's having on children's lives and futures.
Charles Bender:It's exciting because together we're doing even more of those three things that you just said, because Place of Hope is a group that's expanding. You guys, through one of your big grants last year, actually named and made available which is soon to come out of the ground an entire apartment in perpetuity. This isn't just a one-time thing. You gave the money in a one-time thing, but now there's going to be an apartment named for the family and the foundation up at our new Stuart campus. That's a tangible way that you think about it, where you're going to be doing something. Obviously, we need program operating dollars and so forth, like you've done through Giving Tuesday and others, but this is one of those things where it's like physical, it's there Quite honestly, nobody else in our area is doing this at the level that we're doing it.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:I'm just so excited about the housing aspect because I used to live down here. I loved it. I married my husband he's in pharmaceutical industry so we moved up to Philadelphia. I promised my mom and dad just be a few years and we'd be back down here. 20 years later we're still there. I've had the opportunity to work with inner-city organizations up in Philadelphia. Really, the housing aspect is a huge gap. If you can get people into stable housing, they just really can never get out of that poverty, that trap of poverty. So excited that we're able to help especially mothers with small children that might be at risk of losing those children to the foster care. To be able to have that stable housing for a family just changes everything.
Charles Bender:So we're so grateful. You hit it right on the head. I don't think. When we first started getting into affordable transitional housing, the aim originally was to look at these kids' age and have a care, so we knew what those stats looked like. We know how many of them end up in prison and not in the right scenarios and Jamie can speak to this a lot but what we didn't realize is that when we started taking these moms with children, we were doing it, and then we were awoken to it later, which is we're going to be able to keep these kids. That's the intergenerational stuff that we just talked about. It's not just poverty, but it's also child welfare. People lose their children to child welfare system, over poverty, over what sometimes looks like neglect, even though it's really just poverty. It happens all the time, and so by doing this together, we're changing that as well, which is absolutely amazing.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:I was a single mom for many years and I just could never have done that. But I had to go back to work. My parents were just like a rock for me. It really resonates with me because if I'd been in a different set of circumstances I could have you just never know and I think the compassion and empathy just fills my heart because I could have very easily lost those children. It had been raised in different circumstances and so it starts to become very real.
Ben Goldman:Absolutely. And you guys are located somewhere where we see that all around us and we see, probably more so than anywhere in the country, the disparity between these billionaires an island filled with them living less than a tenth of a mile away from abject poverty absolutely than I've never lived anywhere, been anywhere where I see it so hand in hand, so close together. So to be able to tap into that community that has resources and is so privileged and lucky and blessed to be able to support those communities that are so close to them, is an incredible opportunity and it's endless how much you can tap into that and grow it.
Charles Bender:It's so divergent, like you said. What's also interesting is if you're an outsider looking in, sometimes you think, well, charities must not have a problem raising what they need to, because look at all the wealthy people, right. Then the flip is, you come here, like you just said, you don't know that the poverty is even there. So it's really interesting because you can go out right by the lake into farming territory of Palm Beach County and there's abject poverty there as well. It's unbelievable.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:I know we're actually just talking with Ben. So we have very privilege that we go to Augusta National every year as a family and we drive up in Olia Lane and it's the most exquisite golf course in the world and just we get so caught up in that. And just recently it's come to my attention about the incredible poverty in Augusta and Augusta, Georgia, and so just around the corner people come flying from all over the world to attend this amazing event there. The schools and the poverty levels in that community are just some of the highest in the country, and so it's all around us and I think sometimes we're sheltered in this great country to have the privileges and opportunities that we have, and then not just around, and it's in every urban, in a city in this country.
Charles Bender:Absolutely. People don't realize that. You know, one of the things that excites me is you know, we call this ambassador's hope for a reason. You guys are ambassadors for what Place of Hope does. Not just because you go and raise all this money and give a bunch of it to Place of Hope that's a big part of it. But the other part is just because you are spreading the word. You're letting people know that there is poverty in their backyard. You're doing something about it.
Charles Bender:I love that. You guys like love the hand up model. That's what that's in my many years is what breaks intergenerational poverty is the hand up, not the hand out. You can just give housing and food and clothing to people all day long, but if you don't have expectations, if you don't show them the window of potential and then try to hold them to some version of however they define they wanna go, they won't get there. But people do like to, you know. So, like we, better turn and make it happen for themselves. They just need help to get there, and so that's what you're doing with the group up there and Gusta and you guys like those types of charities as well.
Ben Goldman:So really, when it comes to breaking the cycle, that's truly how you do it right, because it becomes muscle memory and then they can then teach the next generation what they learned for themselves, and that then becomes the family norm, and I think that's wildly important.
Charles Bender:We wanna give a special thanks and shout out to our presenting sponsor, crypto Capital Venture. Crypto Capital Venture X is both a startup recruiting firm as well as one of the largest crypto communities in the cryptocurrency space, offering trailblazing content for over five years. If you're interested in crypto, you can join over 300,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel for the latest on crypto. Just go to YouTube and search Crypto Capital Venture and make sure to subscribe. Thanks so much, dan, and our friends at Crypto Capital Venture, well and Jamie, can say a little bit about how it landed, but one of the things I also love about what we did for Giving Tuesday is that you issued this $75,000 matching challenge and said to us okay, you gotta go sort of, you want the 75, you gotta go see if the community will do the 75.
Charles Bender:You probably would have given it to us anyway because you're so generous, but the idea was that we're gonna do this matching challenge and, just like ambassadors, it's highlighting all these folks that are a part of what we do in so many different ways.
Charles Bender:Right, could be somebody on our staff, could be like what you guys do. It could be a company in town, somebody on our leadership council, but at the end of the day, it's highlighting people doing great things. But that's where that match challenge did as well. It encouraged people on Giving Tuesday to kind of do a secondary look at us right, and because they knew it was gonna be matched, it makes it more exciting. People give because they wanna give, but you can encourage it by doing these kinds of things and so that could be raised $150,000. And so where you helped us with an apartment a year ago up in Martin County to build something new, now you're helping us actually run a piece of every single thing we do to serve thousands a year. So it's exciting. You had some kind of cool stats on how that went on Giving Tuesday.
Jamie Bond Ciancio:Yeah, we had hundreds of people step up and respond and reach out to us on social media. Like I said earlier, the range was from $25 gifts to $2,500 gifts and people said, if this is gonna be a match, this is an opportunity for me to take my $50 or my $100 and it could be doubled. It's inspiring people and then you see people do spin-offs and they can do that. I can do that too. They do it through Parties With a Purpose or they're doing it and they're sharing this information about what we have the opportunity to do here in our area.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Yeah, we loved getting involved in that because we do as a foundation. We are running events and we do one main golf event a year. That's really small and intimate and my dad is. He loves people and so he gives so much of himself. So we try and keep these events really small but it does eliminate a lot of people that want to contribute but can't maybe afford such a large event. And so being able to engage people and being able to give anything my dad was like, even writing a letter or wrapping a gift, whatever it is, makes a difference and to give everybody an opportunity to participate. And then we wanted to feel good story that maybe someone would never have a chance to take off with my dad at an event or be able to have this one-on-one experience with him was really special.
Ben Goldman:And what's amazing about Mr. Players that he hasn't forgotten where he's come from. He knows exactly what it feels like to be in need and rely on others and the power of being helped by people with means and supporting and believing in his dream when he was growing up playing golf. And just because he made it big and won all these major tournaments and is known globally, what's amazing and why I respect and admire him so much is that he hasn't forgotten that and he can totally get on his hands and knees and be with a little kid who has nothing and is able to relate to him on the same deep level as he can. The billionaire son, palm Beach, yeah.
Charles Bender:And he's the same person he is. You know what else I respect about him, Although it's a little embarrassing when I'm too close to him. He's like this guy gets down on the grass when you're teaching people how to putt and he'll do sit-ups and stuff like that. It's like he's 80 something. Now right, I mean.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Yeah, he's 89 and he has endless energy, son of a, and I think the greatest thing that about my dad is his endless love. Like there's many different languages in this world and you know he tries to speak a few of them, but the greatest language that he speaks is the language of love and he loves people. And I was actually, we had, and I was talking, we had a meeting last night and I was telling them. You know, for me as watching him, I just have this most incredible admiration for him as a man, and both my mom and dad would like this. But the way they treat the man sweeping the street or the prison of the United States is exactly the same. They have them love and respect for all people and I think that's because of the humble beginning.
Jamie Bond Ciancio:We have a lot of our youth that are in that same situation. We've had so many young adults who had the opportunity to come through Place of Hope and have seen and been modeled for a different perspective on what they've come from. They've come from such broken places, such poverty, such despair and hopeless, and they have found hope and they've all kind of set in their own way. It's interesting. The one thing that I missed and didn't know I was missing was hope and that's what Place of Hope provided.
Jamie Bond Ciancio:Place of Hope and the people that support Place of Hope are modeling a different opportunity, a different perspective on life, and we have so many of them who come back and our ambassadors. We have a youth advisory council of so many alum who have come back and still support, they volunteer their time, they speak into the lives of so many of these youth and that inspires them as well to see what this younger generation coming up, what they're going through, and I think it humbles them as well and I think it's awesome for our supporters and people like yourselves to hear those stories, to know what you're a part of I've been on the team for Place of Hope now for almost 10 years and to see some of these youth that came through when I first came on board, and Will and Mary and to now see where they are, married with their own families, bachelor's degrees, working on staff. Mary just joined our team recently, so it's amazing to see tangibly that generational cycle that you're breaking and to know that you're a part of that.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Yeah, and I'm preparing to meet with you today and I know we were coming on the podcast.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:I really thought a lot about Hope and, like, what does give us hope as individuals, and especially as these vulnerable, underprivileged or youth, what can give them the hope to make the changes in their lives? And I heard this amazing quote that just resonated with me, that when we strive to love and love others, and especially children, that we walk into the riverbed of God's love. And I think when we are filled with that love, it's so motivating, right, and we are able to do things that are beyond our own abilities, and then we are able to feel that compassion and that grace and that mercy for others. And I think it's all about relationships, right. So it's not about writing the check, it's about relationships. And when you start to reach out with love, then, unless someone else feels that, that it feel that they have value, and they start to feel like there's something better for them, and I just there's. Hope is such a loaded word and it's something that we need to keep thinking about and how we can keep instilling that, because without hope, it's a dark world.
Charles Bender:Well, you hit it right on the head with, I think, why we do have so many young people that have become successful, that walk through tremendous amounts of trauma and exploitation, but they get it because they really through the way we do what we do, but mainly the people around them, and that we're faith-based as well, and even the American Medical Association agrees with that that faith is a great thing for people to move forward, especially if they've been well everybody, but if you've been in trauma and so forth, that's not always a popular thing to talk about, but it is true.
Charles Bender:So we have that and we also have the manifestation of that through people and relationships and that's when kids feel like they matter because of their surroundings and because the way we do place hope with excellence. But then also the relationship with the people that invest, and whether it's direct or indirect, you know that when our young people come into care, they'll start to meet people that are around them, might get a mentor or a tutor, and there's people that work on the team and volunteers that come. But the other thing is they're seeing that just happen around them and we actually have an evidence type of program. We actually get our young people to start giving back.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:I love that, yeah, because the mentoring is so huge. Right, we are mentored, and then you wanna be able to help somebody like you are. I think that's very true. Like the other thing about my dad you know he came from a very underprivileged family. His dad worked on the mines. He lost his mom. He was left alone in a dark house every night. His brother was all but war. His sister wasn't a boarding school, and you know he was left alone and we always ask him, or people ask him, what you know, how did you get from there to where you are today? And one he always recognizes God's hand in that. But there were people that he couldn't get there alone, and none of us can get anywhere in life alone. And so he recognized the people at Kalani Golf Club that raised money and sent him to a sports tournament, or the people his amazing school teachers that helped him and believed in him and helped him have a vision of a better life.
Ben Goldman:I think because of the people that supported him, it then drove him to work harder to win that golf tournament, to practice harder to become more successful, to become better. Because he had the support of so many people believing in him that he owed it to them to succeed.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:And all those relationships are so crucial and powerful and not a bad story.
Charles Bender:Well, I always say you can imagine if more were doing what he's doing and how he's spending the time Same with you guys, but if more were doing that. But there's plenty of people that just don't so. Like at his age, and everything he's accomplished and everything he's still doing, this is a core part of who he is, and I love it.
Ben Goldman:What I think is so cool and I said this at our meeting last night is that it's so rare to have someone who's 89 years old, known globally, who's messaging and whose brand is so consistent for the past 70 years. I mean the things he's saying now when you watch him do a golf clinic, or inspirational speech about mind, body, spirit, fitness, diet, travel and training and being kind and giving back. He was saying it 60 years ago, 65 years ago.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:And it's funny. You know, when you talk to him about legacies like I don't believe in legacies, but what he wants to give and what he wants to leave behind is that love. And you know, when you impact children's lives, you're planting a seed that will perpetuate absolutely, you know, in eternity. And so we're so grateful for him and his desire, just the way he lives his life. You know, what you see is what you get, and his heart is huge.
Charles Bender:Well, listen, you took the ball and ran with it too, just so you know I remember, when you call me, you're like you know, I'm not a professional putting together these events. So then I went up and just one woman show running around like a maniac, and afterwards she's like how do you think I did? I'm like well, look at the numbers, I look at the smile on people's faces. It's just absolutely amazing. So you've taken and run with that. Well, you see it's totally.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:You know it's not me and it's just people are drawn to my dad and he's a remarkable man and I know there's a lot of still a good that we can still do and hope to do. Just so grateful to have the privilege and opportunity to be able to help my parents, to really have given their whole life to helping others. I mean from a young child, I mean my dad, the first check that he wanted the US Open, he handed it right back to helping children with cancer and that's the way he's lived his life. And from a young girl. They give a part of us a farm to build a school for underprivileged children.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:And so I grew up. You know that was a part of how I grew up. And and my mom, you know you're a remarkable lady. She did not ever like the limelight and she didn't get involved with big organizations but she, especially after she passed away the number of people that came forward, she would always help the one you know, and she had a motto that she said you look up and you reach out, and so you look up and ask where is my energy best served? And then you go and do something about it, and I love that about her.
Charles Bender:You know, my next question was going to be specifically about you and your background with art and architecture and all these things, and it was going to be. You know, philanthropy is so important to you and not for just to say it. But you basically already answered the question because you know, I said to you so how did? How did you make that bridge? How did you go from what you were doing before to now, this being such a paramount piece of your life? But I think I might just answer for you. I think it's your family, your upbringing and all that was just ingrained right into you.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Yeah, and I just think the ability to love, you know, is, like I said, is so huge and I think that love grows the more that you get into difficult or uncomfortable situations. You are able to see people's needs, get out of your own comfort zone and that's box something inside of you. So I've been very fortunate to have many opportunities to be involved and have my, you know, vision of what's really happening around us through through church, opportunities to serve or volunteering or working as for different nonprofits, and I think once you start seeing the needs, it changes something inside of you. It helps you know that we can each make a difference, no matter what that is, and sometimes it's just maybe smiling or talking to somebody or recognizing that a man on the street has value.
Jamie Bond Ciancio:Well, and we talked a little bit earlier about you know, Ben, coming on board and you're expanding. We just talked about you and how you kind of bridge the gap and really taking this foundation and you've hit the ground running and you're growing. Talk a little bit about what that means for the future. Where are you guys going and what is your philanthropic strategy to grow and what else do you want to do? What is the future hold for you?
Ben Goldman:So that's something we talk about daily, literally daily.
Ben Goldman:It's always a sensitive subject, but the fact of the matter is, Mr. Player is 89 years old and there will be a day hopefully it's not for another 10 or 20 years, but there will be a day when Mr. Player is not here.
Ben Goldman:We want to make sure that, you know, people will come and still play golf and raise money for the foundation, but our main way that we raise money now is by hosting these dollars and People pay a very large sum of money to come for the day with their foresome, play golf with Mr. Player, meet Mr. Nicholas and be around these legends. But we want to make sure that Mr. Player's legacy is alive and thriving and continuing to help people, and that's really his main Legacy is this foundation, and that's the way he's going to be remembered, hopefully, um, and kept alive through this foundation and the same with Mrs. Player as well. So we want to make sure that there are fundraising Means and vehicles that are not strictly golf related, and so that's one thing that we're just starting to talk about now and plan for, because so far it's been. Let's just get everything Reestablished and built and and maximized what we currently have, and so now we're planning on coming up with different ideas to.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:I think my dad's such a man of faith that we have to put it in God's hands and sometimes, when you do that, miracles and doors open. But we definitely right now we are passed through right. We support amazing organizations like this. I suppose in South Africa, you know, I could said we had a school for underprivileged children on our farm. It's a bricks and mortar school and we really hope that in the near future We'll be able to to become a bricks and mortar project based. I mean, I that's what the project up in Stuart means so much to us, the bricks and mortar project that you know it's gonna impact people. But I think being able to have built something that will go into a patuity Um that will be in my parents name, would be very special for our family and forever.
Charles Bender:That's what I like about it, yeah. So this kind of leads me to my my next question about how do you guys pick the charities that you decide you're gonna do something because obviously you're investing, and because it is, it's an investment, whether it's you know through giving Tuesday what you did, or the actual build of the apartment. Both are investments and so you have. Obviously you have to be careful as your stewarding funds that were not easy to raise.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:That's what I tell Ben, like every cent that we raise is sacred money to us, so this is children's money and so we really I mean we just keep our expenses as low as possible so that Every cent that we raise goes to two organizations that are making impact. And when we selected our board, it was very strategic. It was people that really loved my parents and also that were committed to to the cause and term mission and our vision. And so when we obviously we get a lot of requests Pat Kaufman is there was a very, very dear friend of my mom's and but between her and I we vet these organizations.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Capri, there's a tell and we want to make sure that that every cent for these, or we we select organizations where the money we raise is going directly to children and impacting their lives, and that is very, very essential to us, that we we give away, you know, as 99% of what we raise and that it's going to impact children, because there are a lot of organizations where, unfortunately, the money isn't impacting the children as as much as we talk. So we're very, very careful in vetting Organizations, and place of hope has just been a remarkable partner and we're just the sun. I know you will find it and you have a lot of support. But I just feel so, you know, and my dad does too we just feel so grateful to be able to hand you that check and know that children's lives are going to be Touched and impacted For a very long time. So thank you.
Charles Bender:Well, we take it very seriously on the on the flip side of that, as to why we want to have and talk about the Awards that we receive, so to speak, so the charity navigator ratings and those things candid and some of the others, these outside groups that look in. You know, if you want to see our books, you know we will share with you, as the foundation, our audited financial, because we we take very seriously that when you do that to choose us and then work with us and partner with us, that we're going to make sure that you understand, that you can see it and and then understand how it gets distributed out Responsibly and I think you've taught me that, charles, which is being great.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:You know, being able to run a foundation and being able to have that transparency is very important. Or any doughnuts be able to look at audited books and to be able to see exactly you know what, where the money's going. And so all the Gary and very unfair foundation that's the model that I I've followed in suit of you and the Nica foundation to make sure that people can feel you know at peace. People want to know where the money's going and so it's really important we take that very seriously and I could say this at sacred money, that is this for children.
Charles Bender:Well, tell us real quick, as we wrap up, what the next event is. Let's talk about that. It's coming up and I know you've got a couple beneficiaries. Thank you, thankfully. Place OAPS one of those as well right. You bet you talk a little bit about the group that you're gonna help up in Georgia, but also you know what's the strategy. Where are we doing this thing? At what you know?
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Well, very fortunate that for Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas, have opened up the Bears club. So Mr. Nicholas is driving up here in Jupiter and it's gonna be on May 5th and 6th and we're very, very excited it's gonna. It's called the Journey from Africa and it's just we really focusing on Southern African golfers being able to share, how you know They've come from South Africa what that means and what that Living in an area like you talked about earlier, that you see poverty all around you, but then coming to a country like America and being able to give back to this country, and so we're very excited for them to be able to join us and be able to also do just to also give tribute to my dad and the impact that he's had on them and their careers and if you are hearing this, we do have a couple more for some available.
Ben Goldman:So if you or your company want to be a part of this, it's a small, intimate gathering, but we do have some room for some more people and you get to hang out with Gary Player.
Charles Bender:That's what. I'm saying I've been there, I've seen how he dances at the event Night with Dennery. He gets out on the dance floor. I mean he is fantastic. I mean it is like you said, it's close up and it's really a unique opportunity and to be with Mr. Nicholas and Mr. Player and hear these stories.
Ben Goldman:Some other celebrities will be there as well, and some names you'll know. It's just it's an unforgettable experience and we have a chef coming in from South Africa as well. A Wine tasting and just to be in the environment of the Bears Club with these legends, all to give back for poppers, children and helping lift them out of poverty, is how could you not want to be part of?
Charles Bender:well, and even going forward for the future event past that? You know, when you're back up and Philly doing things out there, if you're doing it here, you know we hope this message gets out there so that people will take a look website. I'll go in and say, okay, how can I be engaged in this next thing that's coming? You're looking at different ways of doing things. On the giving Tuesday thing, is that right up your alley in terms of what a great idea Because it leverages the community as a whole. Maybe people can't afford to, you know, be in a golf tournament, but they can be a part of that, the match and so forth. So other things I'm sure you guys are coming up with.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Yeah, and we're really excited about this event because we're going to be going. You know the beneficiaries elevate, which is a national organization, but it's going. It's starting Affiliate in Augusta, Georgia that goes into the urban schools and provides teacher mentors or stable relationships for these youth and that you know the data shows that that really can change child life or trajectory. So we're so excited to be able to support you and this amazing new organization that's going to offer some some hope in Augusta, Georgia to well, ben, we're glad you're on the team back and I'm glad you're back in paradise for only like one more day, right, but then you'll be back again.
Charles Bender:We try to get her down here as much as I can, but, but we were so grateful for you guys and everything that you're doing. We're grateful to be a part of it now, in the future, whatever, but we're excited for where it's headed and just all great things. Y'all Just lift and bless young people and Thank you.
Amanda-Leigh Player Hall:Thank you, charles, it's a great.
Charles Bender:Thank you for listening. Please be sure to subscribe and share with your friends so you don't even miss a thing, and if you really gained value today, please be sure to give us a five-star review so, of course, we can be put in front of more listeners. For details and show notes about today's podcast and how you can connect with and support our guests, please go to place of hope comm, forward slash podcast, and please don't forget to email us at Poh podcast, at police of hope comm, and for sure, follow us on social media. Ambassadors of hope placing hope in a child's future.
