I wanted to give back to a charity to enrich the lives of stroke survivors. The founding fathers and I started this event after I had a massive stroke which affected my ability to effectively communicate. My stroke left me with a choice to fight back or give up. I chose to fight. I found an amazing place called the Stroke Comeback Center in Vienna, VA, for stroke survivors just like me. My stroke was 8½ years ago and it was a long hard road but I believed in myself and found a way to regain my life back even if there are some quirks; but it suits me just fine. My ability to fight keeps me occupied and I will never give up as long as I live!
We started a golf tournament called the Kalikie Classic (it's my name in Hawaiian). It's been running for 8 years and the past year we raised over $15,000 for benefiting the scholarship fund. All the proceeds from this event are donated to the Stroke Comeback Center so that other stroke survivors can regain their speech. The Stroke Comeback Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit which provides support and services to families who have experienced a stroke, regardless of their ability to pay. They are the only facility like this in the DC metropolitan area.
Christie 'Kalikie' Arnold
Review from #MyGivingStory