I shot a golf tournament last Monday, but we’ve honestly been so busy this past week that this is the first chance I’ve had to post about it.  Monday feels like a long time ago to me, but I guess not too much time has actually past since the ridiculous sunburn I got shooting the event STILL hasn’t gone away!

The Perfect Match Golf Classic is an annual fundraiser for United Blood Services.  Sponsors and supporters of the non-profit gather each year to enjoy a round of golf and a fun day in the sun to raise money for the cause.  This year’s event was held at the Sun Ridge Canyon Golf Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

The course is really beautiful.  Filled with desert flowers and lovely views of the mountains.

And what course would be complete without a little desert wildlife?

The tournament began with a shot gun start.  Each foursome starts off at the clubhouse and when the signal is given, they each head out to their assigned starting hole.  It’s quite a sight watching all the carts heading out at the same time.

LOVED the colors in this next one.

Some more fun shots . . .

I thought it was kinda funny how many of the sophisticated golfers had silly little club covers!

The valley Saturn car dealers were one of the sponsors of event.  There was a couple of holes throughout the course where players could win a car if they made a hole in one.  Here’s a shot of the super cute Saturn SKY that was displayed near the clubhouse.

At the end of the day, there was a putting contest to win a trip to Vegas . . .

Love this reaction shot – SO CLOSE!

And what would be a more fitting end to the day than a couple of cigars?

Thanks to United Blood Services for asking me to be a part of such a fun event!

Paris came to town last night at the Phoenix Art Museum as United Blood Services hosted their annual Silent Heroes recognition dinner to honor valley platelet donors. These special donors take several hours out of their day up to 24 times a year to give the gift of life to valley hospital patients. This event is always one of the highlights of the UBS calendar! Each year carries with it a super fun theme and a brand new venue to host these everyday heroes.

I was working at this particular event, but decided it was going to be far too fabulous to attend without my camera in tow! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all things Paris so I have to admit that I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while now.

The event was held in one of the large galleries, complete with lovely works of art on each wall.

I was fascinated by the hallway through which the guests entered the main part of the museum. It’s lined through out with mirrored circles that cast fun reflections everywhere.

There were of course, tons of fun details! Each of the tables was named after a Parisian landmark and held a beautiful centerpiece with it’s own LCD light. (Flowers by Cactus Flower Florists.)

Even the food was filled with lovely colors!

But my absolute favorite detail would have to be the awards!

And what evening in Paris would be complete without it’s very own Can Can dancers?

The museum itself is such a cool place! I highly recommend you stop in and take a look around. The collection housed there includes a mix of many genres including contemporary and classic art, paintings, sculpture and even a fashion exhibit. There’s something for everyone!  I think the design of the building alone is worth the visit.

I shot this fun glimpse of one of the galleries as a reflection off a piece of sculpture by Anish Kapoor.  If you look really close you can see a tiny figure standing in the middle with a camera in hand - that’s me :-)

OK, just a couple more – on the side of the building facing McDowell, there are these cool LCD light people that are constantly walking. What can I say, I’m easily fascinated – I thought they were super cool!

Overall, it was a great event! Congratulations to all the wonderful platelet donors who received awards – you are truly heroes to Arizona hospital patients!

To find out more about platelet donation, please visit www.UnitedBloodServicesAZ.org.

Our snowy road trip came to an end at the Raddison Woodlands Hotel in Flagstaff, the location for the Northern Arizona Valentines for Life Reception.   The purpose of this very special event was to honor northern and central Arizona blood drive coordinators who’s heroic efforts brought in over 100,000 blood donations for hospital patients in 2007!  All the guests seemed to really enjoy the evening.

Here’s a few detail shots:

The YUMMY dessert tray :-)

The room looked really lovely.

Donor Recruitment Rep Ken Kotalik and his lovely wife Jennifer.

I was not the only photog in the crowd! Gotta love those handy camera phones.

Here’s a shot of the wonderful Emcee Liz Lemmer of Channel 2 News getting the program started.

The Hero Award – only 16 organizations out of 500 reached this prestigious award level in 2007.

The fabulous Hero Award winners, joined by Emcee Liz Lemmer and Donor Recruitment Director Carla Fields.

The program wrapped up with a touching Testimonial from former Tempe Police officer, Scott Tipton. Scott was shot in the line of duty and thanks 27 blood donors for helping to save his life.

Scott’s story was a great way to wrap up the evening.  Every one in the room was reminded of the importance of blood donation and how vital it can be to save lives.  All the coordinators left feeling appreciated and inspired to continue their efforts in 2008.

The evening came to an end and it was time to pack up the car and head home to the valley. Thanks to United Blood Services for letting me be a part of this special event!

For more information about blood donation or coordinating a blood drive for your organization, please visit www.UnitedBloodServicesAZ.org.