Stillpoint Mission Appeal sets another record for Bob Smith and friends

It becomes almost expected, which is kind of a dangerous thing when you are talking about charity.

But Bob Smith and his Lakewood Ranch golf and poker buddies have managed to raise more money than the previous year each and every year for the Stillpoint Mission of Bradenton.

This year's check was $84,017, which was a nice jump from the 2024 Stillpoint Appeal Drive that was a record $77,424.

The 14-year total, since Smith first organized the drive, is $467,639.

Wow.

This is not because of a golf tournament, or a fancy dinner, or a fashion show. 

This is just people who agree to give because they know there are people out there in need. No questions asked.

When Smith began the 2025 Appeal, he started by describing the exploding need of people who were crushed by COVID, or hurricanes, or inflations. He noted that 14 years ago, the Stillpoint Mission served an average of 150 people each Friday. That number has grown to 400.

In 2023, Stillpoint Mission distributed 293,264 pounds of food. In 2024, it was 364,973, a 20% increase.

But there are reasons for optimism, beyond the generosity of the primarily Lakewood Ranch residents who continue to support the drive every year. Smith said the Heritage Golf Group, which last year purchased Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, has named the Stillpoint Mission as the first charity recipient of its Heritage Cares event.

The Heritage Golf Group will host five days of fundraising events this fall to bring together members of the club for fun and social events with raising money for charity as the main purpose. The events will include a tennis tournament, a pickleball tournament, a golf tournament, and social gatherings.

Remembering Ollie

I receive a lot of emails. You probably do, too.

So it's easy sometimes to dismiss them, hitting the delete button to make them go away as quickly as possible.

Dare I say, that more than half deserve to be purged.

And, as I was going down the line — delete, delete, delete — I came upon one from Aqua-Tots Swim School.

I was about ready to punch the delete button, too.

Then I started to think of another place and time. I was about 8 years ago, which was almost 60 years ago. The place i was remembering was a public swimming hole called Horton's Beach in upstate New York.

The place no longer exists, either in Orange County or online. When a place is dead to the Web, you know it was either very small or gone a long, long time.

But I remember it clearly, because I almost died there.

It was a summer day and school was out. We had a recreational group that would go to Horton's Beach at times and this day was like any other, kids waiting in line at the snack bar to buy Popsicles and ice cream sandwiches. I can still hear the chimes and pops of a pinball machines, along with the clicking of the flippers.

Calling Horton's Beach a beach was generous because there was very little sand. The water itself was a creak that slowed at a bend and produced a calm pool.

To an adult, the pool was as calm as could be, and only about 40 yards in width at its widest point. To 8-year-olds who were weak swimmers, though, it wasn't so calm. The current, indeed, moved rather swiftly at times and the water was more than 10 feet deep.

The other side looked so close to me, a weak swimmer who usually spent more time in the game room than the water.

So there I was, looking across to the far bank and seeing some of my friends. I figured I would swim on over and join them.

Only three quarters of the way across, I got tired. Real tired.

And panicked. I started flailing.

The current was way stronger than I anticipated. I was going down.

I remember being unable to make any noise, only gagging on the water that was flooding into my mouth.

I bobbed up and down a couple of times. There was nothing I could do.

I headed down the third time. If you research drowning, you will read that three times isn't any sure thing for drowning victims, but it was going to be true for me.

As I slipped beneath the water that fateful third time, hands locked around my arm and pulled me along, all the way to the other side.

It was Ollie Cutler, a very athletic kid who eventually would play quarterback for our school until he got bored with it.

He dumped me off on land, and quickly went about his day. No big deal.

Nobody paid any attention to his heroism, but I almost lost everything. It's been a fun 60 years since.

So back to the Aqua-Tots email. It said it would dispel five common myths about drowning.

Here they are:

1. "I’ll hear my child if they’re struggling." The release said drowning is silent, and victims rarely splash or call for help. When children are in or near water, parents should be distraction-free and actively supervising within arm’s reach.
2. "Floaties keep kids safe." Inflatable arm floaties can create a false sense of security and don’t teach real swimming skills. According to the United States Swim School Association, “Floaties put swimmers in a vertical position, which is the opposite of the position you want to be in when swimming. A horizontal position is essential for effective swimming and floaties can hinder achieving this posture.” Coast Guard-approved life jackets are the only recommended flotation devices.
3. "A lifeguard is watching, so I don’t have to." Lifeguards are trained for emergencies but cannot replace constant parental supervision. Caregivers should always stay within arm’s reach of young swimmers.
4. "Drowning only happens in deep water." Drowning can happen in as little as two inches of water, including bathtubs, kiddie pools and buckets. Vigilance is essential around all water sources.
5. "Swimsuit color doesn’t matter." Light colors and blue, green and grey swimsuits blend in with the water, making it harder to spot a struggling swimmer. Bright, neon-colored swimwear improves visibility.

So take it from someone who wouldn't have made it to the other side, whether it's Aqua-Tots, or the Goldfish Swim School, a private instructor in the neighborhood, or a Manatee County-sponsored program, get your kids those swim lessons.

You can't be sure that Ollie will be watching.