Christmas is not my Favorite Holiday

It’s that time of the year. In California, the leaves on the trees are changing from green to green, it’s too hot to open your windows during daylight, and we’re all looking forward to the next holiday. You may be thinking that because Labor day is in a week, that it must be my favorite Holiday. It’s a good guess, and Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays, but it’s not my favorite. To add to the suspense, I’ll add that I love this holiday even more Thanksgiving, which should speak volumes about its place in my heart. I mean, how many days can you be celebrated for eating so much that you fall asleep at 4 PM? By the way, can we stop forcing Black Friday to overshadow this treasure of a holiday? Americans, creators of the TV series with morbid obesity as the only plot point, have turned “binge eating day” into a rampaging night of apocalyptic consumerism. Additionally, “Black Friday” starting on a Thursday is an insult to common sense. #SaveThanksgiving. Thanks for giving my soapbox and me the time of day. I’ll get off now.

Time for the grand reveal. My favorite holiday is *drumroll please*

The Zeke Bondy-Villa Memorial Invitational Golf Tournament!

Also known as the ZBV Invitational, I love this tournament for who it remembers, what it accomplishes, and the people I get to share it with.

Who was Zeke Bondy-Villa?

I won’t spend too much time here, not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t do him justice in a blog post. I will say that he had an otherworldly capacity for caring. He taught me to ride a bike, to swim, and got me hooked on golf. He knew how to make me and everyone he met smile, and he had awesome taste in music. He was your friend, even if you barely knew him. He lost his battle with Metastatic Renal Sarcoma in 2015. If you want to read more about Zeke and his legacy, please do so here.

What is the ZBV Invitational?

Since 2016, the Zeke Bondy-Villa Memorial Fund, Inc. has hosted an annual fundraiser in Modesto, CA. This year, like in years past, we’re hosting a scramble-format tournament Zeke was an avid golfer, Rotary Club President for his chapter, and a long time supporter of the Boys and Girls Club. To this point, we’ve raised more than $80,000 for these causes and the American Cancer Society.

This isn’t your typical golf tournament. To start, the tee shot on the 10th hole is shot from a cannon. If someone wants to laugh at you, they can donate to have you take a tee shot wearing drunk goggles. If they donate enough, more challenges can be added to the point that you might be taking your drive on a par five, while on your knees, from the opposite side of the ball, with a putter (as I’ve done on multiple occasions). This tournament guarantees serious fun, and mostly-serious golf for all skill levels. However, it’s still a competition, and the winners are forever engraved on our perennial trophy.

When the golf has finished, this party is far from over. We have raffle prizes and silent auctions. Food and beverages are available to everyone with a ticket, and for the first time ever, we are also hosting bingo for those who don’t want to golf. Add live music to the mix, and you get fun for all ages, with the chance to go home with the kind of prizes you’ll be proud to show your friends, and/or to be etched into the history books as champions.

Who hosts the ZBV Invitational?

The event is 100% volunteer operated, so 100% of the profits are donated, and we can only run the event because of generosity from our community. Our board members donate their time to plan the event, and our team of 40 day-of volunteers make the event possible.

For instance, our raffle and silent auctions are comprised of donations alone. Last year, we had more than 85 donations. We aren’t just talking about a bucket of balls. Someone donated Adirondack chairs hand-made from used wine barrels, local teams donated tickets to professional sports games, renowned brands donated beauty supplies, and California wineries donated all-inclusive wine tastings. This year, we’ll have even more opportunities to bring home goods, as our team is working harder than ever to expand our scope.

We feed the golfers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with lunch and dinner donated by local vendors. The generosity displayed by our contributors is only matched by that of the attendees, who’s support over the last seven years have allowed us to keep this event running and increase our charitable contributions year over year.

Where can you learn more about your new favorite holiday?

For more tournament information, to view last year’s gallery, or to get a sneak peek into our fabulous raffle and silent auction items, please visit our website: https://www.zbvinvitational.com/. If you’d like to register to golf with us this year, you do not need a foursome in order to do so. You can register by yourself or as part of a team. You can register to golf, purchase a dinner ticket, or make a donation to our fund through this tab on our website: https://www.zbvinvitational.com/shop.

To conclude, I want to thank you for your interest in our cause, and I hope we get to see you at the tournament this year. I’ll leave you with the ZBV Memorial Charities Foundation, Inc. Mission Statement:

Zeal, Benevolence and Vision

ZBV Memorial Charities Foundation, Inc. follows the example of Zeke Bondy-Villa who lived joyously in the moment, reveled in companionship and selflessly pushed to bring a better future for his family, friends and community.Though he left us too soon his hard work and generosity continue to inspire. The ZBV Foundation is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that honors his life and memory by:

  • Bringing constructive change to the community,
  • Supporting organizations engaged in cancer research and prevention,
  • Conducting positive sporting and social events that foster relationships and grow the capacity to meet philanthropic needs.

ZBV Memorial Charities Foundation, Inc. welcomes the participation and contributions of all who want to promote something greater than themselves regardless of where they’re from, who they love, what they look like or any of the thousand other things that make people distinct.