Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your participation. Thank you for changing the lives of deserving people. 
 
On August 1st, your donations at the March 2015 Choice One Charity Cup made a very special trip possible. With your help, the  Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association organized the MVDSA Family Picnic at Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, where 200 MVDSA family members enjoyed lunch, kids' activities, putt putt golf, a huge slide, and, of course: ice cream!
 
Choice One Engineering received an impactful, heartfelt letter from one of the families that was able to attend the event thanks to your generosity. We are so humbled by this letter that we wanted to share this powerful thank you with you. YOU made this special day possible by attending the Choice One Charity Cup, participating in the event, and giving individual gifts. We hope you are as touched by this letter as we are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making the lives of so many better.
 

Dear Choice One Engineering,
 
I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know what your sponsorship of the Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association's family picnic did for my family. We had a fabulous family day that absolutely wouldn't have happened. And we really appreciate your generosity. Our 21 year old son, Andrew, has Down's syndrome, but that is not all. He also has an impressive seizure disorder and he is Autistic. He is non-verbal and functions similar to a one year old. A 117 pound one year old. Because of his size, strength and low tolerance for certain environments, we have essentially "let go" of the concept of family outings. We have slipped into a pattern of "divide and conquer" because so many family outings have been cut short in order to accommodate his needs. Because the picnic was offered free of charge and we did not have to commit to bringing anything but ourselves, I went ahead and registered our family. I talked the rest of the family into "giving it a try" since we had pre-registered and the weather was perfect. (Andrew cannot tolerate too hot or too cold- it is just part of his challenges in life.) We loaded up the Suburban and packed a special meal for Andrew. And it turned into a perfect outing...
 
First, we ate under the shade of the shelter. It was very comfortable in the shade of the shelter  and there was a ni ce variety of food that even accommodated my vegetarian. Next, my husband and daughter went to the driving range and hit a couple buckets of range balls while I sat and ate an ice cream treat and hung out with Andrew. I was able to watch them and felt like I was part of it! When they returned to the shelter, my daughter and I went out to the range and hit some range balls while my husband had an ice cream treat. (I never take a turn!) Next came the batting cages. Again, Andrew and I sat on a bench in the shade while my husband and daughter hit several rounds of softballs and baseballs. (I took a turn here as well!) Next came the really awesome part!
 
We decided to try a round of Udders and Putters. We took three putters and three different colored balls. We had planned on letting Andrew walk the course because we thought it would be too stressful for him if we forced him to participate in the game. Boy were we wrong about that. My son, to our great surprise, insisted on getting his turns. He knew which ball was the purple one and he knew he was finished when the ball made the plunk into the cup. (This is SO HUGE!) We all took turns helping him putt and we thoroughly enjoyed the family time. It made us feel like a normal family again. I just thought you should know that not only did you provide a really wonderful outing that day, but you also
gave us the reminder that maybe there are still some outings he is capable of handling. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you for the reminder!
 
Michele Hangen