Annika's Blog

Posted October 6, 2009, 10:04 am in Activities

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope the weekend has been good so far. Good luck to Mike’s Steelers tonight. It’s been quiet at our house this weekend. We spent a little time on the boat yesterday, which was actually Ava’s first ride. She must have liked it, because she fell asleep.

My weekly update this time will be about the ANNIKA Foundation. Just to brief some of you, our mission is to teach children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and to offer aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams.

I attribute much of my success to the values that sport, physical fitness and nutrition foster, and throughout my career, I have been dedicated to share my passion with youth who may not have the opportunities, experiences or resources available to them to participate.

We will always support and grow the game through junior golf programs, scholarships and by hosting girls’ major junior championships around the world, but the core of our mission will be developing a physical fitness and nutrition curriculum for children. Childhood obesity is such a problem in our country and I plan to help stop the epidemic.

Our next fundraiser, the ANNIKA Experience at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club Hosted by Benee Scola Realtors and Company will be October 14th in New Jersey. The festivities will combine a golf clinic conducted by me, 18 holes of friendly competition, a series of fitness and nutrition stations for kids, and an extraordinary culinary experience at a dinner-auction featuring several celebrated chefs and winemakers. The post-round fare, Tastes of the Garden State, will highlight the abundant, locally- grown produce and meats which will be presented by award-winning regional chefs at various stations. I will also pitch in to provide a little Swedish flavor to the culinary portion of the event and for the wine tasting that will showcase my premium Syrah that debuted earlier this year.

Special guests will include popular golf broadcaster Jennifer Mills, who will emcee the clinic and evening program, Carolyn Wente of Wente Vineyards (also the partner of ANNIKA Vineyards), and Michel Nischan, a professional chef, restaurant owner, and advocate for a more healthful, organic and sustainable food future.

We still have a few spots available so I hope to see you in a few weeks.

For more information about the ANNIKA Foundation and our initiatives, please contact:

Don Ochsenreiter
ANNIKA Foundation, President

DonO@annikafoundation.org