Regional Director’s Message

Dear Friend,

At the end of this past March, I wrote a Facebook post about change relative to the pandemic and the restrictions that were being ramped up at the time.  The post started off like this: “Everything has changed so quickly. Or has it? For most of us, thankfully, we still have what a former boss of mine calls ‘the big things.’ Whenever I would ask him how he was doing, he would say, ‘All the big things are great.’ What are the big things? Family, faith, health, and friends. Our preoccupation these days is that the big things in our lives remain healthy and strong.”

Within the NPH family, there are many changes afoot, and they all relate to keeping us healthy and strong.  As was announced in our summer printed newsletter, we will have a new President and CEO of NPH USA in just a couple of weeks.  Frank Donaghue will soon begin a well-deserved retirement after a great eight year run at the helm.  John Deinhart, from within our very own Midwest Region of NPH USA, will be stepping in to guide the NPH USA ship through these uncharted waters and unprecedented times.  I have known John for nine years, and I am pleased and excited to be working with him and for him.

With social distancing guidelines and restrictions in Illinois on the number of people who can gather in any single place, we have had to change the way we conduct our special events.  Our annual Football Legends Classic Golf Outing is a prime example.  That event is the largest revenue producing event within the NPH USA Midwest Region, so we can’t just cancel it.  Instead, we are pivoting away from this in-person event and moving it online.  As it is the Football Legends Classic Golf Outing, we are pleased to feature legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas and several members of the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl Champions (including Da Coach, Mike Ditka!) in a Zoom call interview format that will be produced and aired exclusively for this event.  It promises to be a classy, well run, and memorable virtual event from start to finish.  We hope that going virtual with the event will result in greater attendance than usual from NPH donors and friends across the country whether or not they are golfers.  Friends of NPH from near and far are welcome to attend this event on the evening of August 31.  Please register for it here:  https://nphusa.org/event/legendsclassic/

Another example of pivoting with the changes is that all of our regional Galas will be rolled into one single National virtual Gala, the date of which is October 17.  Look for more details coming your way soon!

If you aren’t an event person because you don’t like getting all dressed up, or you aren’t a golfer, or you don’t like going downtown, or you just simply don’t like events, then I encourage you to try out our virtual events from the comfort and safety of your home!  These events are very important sources of revenue for us, and we need every event dollar we can raise to help the children of NPH during these very challenging times.  Please help.

Thanks very much for all you do for the children of NPH.

All the best,

Chuck Allworth

NPH USA Midwest Region Director