Hey everyone, I apologize for the lack of newsletters over the last month, as me and my family have been hit hard by COVID. Knocked me, my wife and my youngest son on our butts, but thankfully, no hospitals … just a relentless chest cold and extreme fatigue and random pain. We’re all finally on the other side of it (we hope) and the WHIB Weekly will resume next week!
Now on to why I’m writing. As many of you may know, I started DJ’s Day of Giving last year after the murder of native Blufftonian and Bluffton High School senior DJ Fields.
I first met DJ and his parents, Dwon, Sr. and Kema, on the youth sports fields when he was 8. I was instantly impressed by DJ’s smile, his leadership and his ability to overcome a bit of shyness at the time (hard for many to believe, I know, as he came out of that shell right quick) and make a lifelong teammate in about a minute of talking to other kids. I remember telling Dwon and Kema, “Man, if I could clone this young man, I would in a heartbeat.”
We all wanted to do anything we could for Dwon and Kema when the unthinkable happened on March 5, 2021. Their only child, gunned down in a Mafia-style shooting as DJ and his friends were driving home from getting some fast food — what police found to be a mistaken-identity shooting. Justice is still working its way through the court system, though the only true justice is having DJ back with us.
We wanted to turn the focus to all the good DJ did, his giving, selfless spirit and the big plans he had for his life ahead. We wanted to create something that would ensure that though he couldn’t achieve it on Earth, his legacy would live on long after his death.
That’s how DJ’s Day of Giving was born. Dwon and Kema gave us permission to launch this two months after his death and the first event happened on May 5, 2021 — 5-5 to honor the No. 55 jersey DJ always wore to honor his grandmother. We chose that date completely oblivious to the fact that another grieving family was in the fifth year of a fundraiser to honor Grace Sulak, and her family was incredibly understanding and supportive of our event nonetheless.
We raised more than $52,000 last year with support from every corner of the Lowcountry coming in. It provided an amazing start to the Live Like DJ Scholarship Fund and gave DJ’s family and close ones great joy and support knowing Bluffton was “all in” on supporting their DJ.
There’s more work to be done this year as we are focused on growing DJ’s impact on students trying to make a better life for themselves through education. We’re trying to help the kids who have battled their butts off, maybe overcame some academic missteps to get themselves in a position to go to college. The kids like DJ that were relentless in earning their way onto their school’s honor roll. A lot of these scholarships that are given away have a 3.0 GPA as a minimum requirement, and for good reason. But there are so many kids that slip into that 2.5-to-3.0 zone because of a few mistakes. DJ’s fund is especially focused on picking those kids from all corners of the Lowcountry up and saying, “We got you.”
We’ve moved the DJ’s Day of Giving permanently to Feb. 24, the 55th day of the year. There are so many ways that you can get involved. The simplest is by donating directly to the Fund through the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry.
But we wanted to give folks a bunch of fun ways to help out, because DJ was all about having some fun while making a difference.
So we enlisted an array of local businesses and restaurants to give a percentage of their sales on Feb. 24 — the perfect excuse to get out, support local businesses and help us build the “Like Like DJ” momentum.
If you can’t get out, we have a couple of immediate options:
— Enjoy watching the Super Bowl with a chance to win big dollars this weekend while supporting the Fund. Join our Super Bowl Squares contest!
There are a total of 100 $25 squares available and 100 $50 squares available. Once the board is filled, we randomly fill in the numbers 0 through 9 across the top and side of the bracket. If your square has the matching number of an end-of-quarter score, you win big prizes!
PAYOUTS:
$25 SQUARES:
1st and 3rd quarter: $100, Halftime $350, Final $700
$50 SQUARES:
1st and third quarters: $200, Halftime $700, Final $1400
Just click here or scan this QR code to buy your squares! BUY AS MANY AS YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES (until they’re gone!)
- And just for making it to the bottom of this message, we’re going to give you a special advance notice of another chance to win some great prizes next week!
STARTING MONDAY, FEB. 14, we will be selling raffle chances to win some incredible prizes donated by DJ backers in the Lowcountry and beyond. Everything from a two-night stay at Montage Palmetto Bluff for two with breakfasts included (a $2,000 value) to prize packages and attractions from an array of local businesses! One $25 ticket gives you a chance to win one or ALL the prizes, as you’ll be eligible for every prize we give away! (Buy as many chances as you want to increase your odds!)
There are so many ways to support “Live Like DJ” and I hope you’ll get involved over the next couple of weeks!
Thanks so much,
Tim Wood
Questions? Text me at 843-290-6242 or email me at WHIBTim@gmail.com!
Sorry to hear you all got hit by covid! I'm glad to hear you are better.