Community in Action: Dig Deep for Diabetes
By Janie Pritchett-Clark
You don’t have to be a big company to host a charitable event or raise money for a cause. Small business owner Becky Paulk of Simplify Professional Services is proof. With the help of her sister-in-law, Jennifer, and their twin husbands, Eric and Ryan, the Paulks have launched volleyball mania upon the community.
The Paulks are responsible for Dig 4 Diabetes, an annual charity sand volleyball tournament that began in 2009 and is now headed for its third year. The event was held in July this year but Team Paulk already has eyes on the prize for 2011.
Eric and Ryan Paulk live daily with Type 1 diabetes. Their passion is volleyball – they play and teach through Northwest Arkansas. So the prize for them is to do something they love and raise money for a cause they believe in.
Evidently volleyball is hardcore sport. Put two teams on either side of a net, ankle deep in sand, and you have the makings for a really fun, really fierce fundraiser.
The Digs 4 Diabetes tournament included 72 people playing on 18 teams. They doubled the size of last year’s tournament and tripled the amount raised. This year they raised $2,600 for the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
“With its revenue and attendance, Dig 4 Diabetes is our top third party event,” says Lori Bramlett, director of the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the ADA. “I forsee it becoming even bigger,” she adds. “The Paulk family should be proud. It was awesome.”
Bramlett explains that third party events are those taken on by private citizens outside of ADA. While the Association is involved, the third party handles fundraising, organization and management for the event. It’s the involvement of these third parties, along with major events such as the Tour de Cure and Kiss a Pig Gala, that make it possible for the area chapter to serve the 35,000 people in Northwest Arkansas who have diabetes.
“Last year in Northwest Arkansas alone we were able to provide outreach for nearly 16,000 people,” says Bramlett. “That’s pretty astounding. We are only able to do that because of the support we receive from the community and events like the Dig 4 Diabetes volleyball tournament.”
“The event moved all four of us because there were so many people who came out and supported it,” says Becky Paulk. “They supported a cause that is important to us for obvious reasons.”
“When people see a tournament for charity, their perception is that it isn’t going to be competitive. Ours held up to what it was intended to do: raise money; play volleyball,” says Eric Paulk. “We wanted everybody to have a good time. We realized there would be two different levels of play. People who are really competitive, and those who are competitive in their own way. When the tournament play actually hit, the real competitive teams were playing each other.”
In fact, the feedback was excellent, he says. People told them afterwards that Dig 4 Diabetes should be the model for how all sand tournaments should be played.
“It’s like what my grandfather always said about finding a career: ‘find what you love to do and find the person who will pay you the most to do it.’ I really put that motto towards the Dig 4 Diabetes,” says Jennifer Paulk, married to Ryan. “We all love volleyball and we want to make the most money we can for the American Diabetes Association.”
The ADA provides research, advocacy and education programs to children and adults affected by Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational diabetes. The major fundraising events are Kiss a Pig Gala and the Tour de Cure. The cycling event will be October 16, at the Arvest Ball Park in Springdale. The ride starts at 7 a.m. with registration right up until 6 a.m.
The Gold Bracket winner for the Dig 4 Diabetes Volleyball Tournament was the “A” Team with players– Eric and Ryan Paulk, Hayley Janelle, and Joesph Bell. The Silver Bracket was awarded to team “Sandy Britches,” and its players Mason Kirksey, Christina Staib, Ben Kirksey and Keith Tenclave.
