By Richard Weinstein, President & COO
Ocean Reef Community Foundation

Not long ago, we lost Pluto as a planet. “My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles” (the mnemonic for remembering the planets in order from the sun) suddenly became, “My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us…Nothing!” However, “knowing things” always requires “remembering things,” and you don’t have to launch into outer space to utilize the many mnemonic aids available.

Mariners are very familiar with many of them in the marine world. “Right Red Returning,” reminds us which side to leave the colored marker on when coming back into port. (Just remember it doesn’t work the same for the intercoastal markers, where Red is always between you and the mainland, no matter which way you are traveling.) When in the Bahamas, many a mariner will cite this poem:

Blue, Blue, Sail on through, Green, Green, Nice and clean, White, White, Such a fright Brown, Brown, Run aground…

Colors of the rainbow? Roy G Biv (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) and if you mix any two Primary colors (RYB), you get the color in between (Red and Yellow make Orange, etc.). Need more? “Super Heroes Must Eat Oats” gives you the Great Lakes in order of size (versus HOMES, which just gives you the names). And never forget to “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” because she will remind you of the order for mathematical equations (Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, Subtract).

With that, here are a few more things we want you to remember, in fact, we’ve created our very own mnemonic to make it even simpler: “Every Umbrella Can Detect Drops.”

  1. EARLY: All Charities is earlier this year than usual because the NFL added an extra game to the season, which pushed the Superbowl back a week. We had to work around that, so this year we will be hosting from February 2-4. The Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Preview is on Friday, February 2, with the Gala and Live Auction following on February 3. You can easily remember this with the simple phrase, “PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR NOW.”
  2. UNIQUE: We raise the funds at the Gala for the non-profit organizations at Ocean Reef that serve the Members in creating a Unique Way of Life. You can easily remember these by visiting our website at any time to see our recipient partners oceanreefcommunityfoundation.org.
  • The Medical Center
  • Cultural Center
  • Art League
  • Academy
  • ORCAT
  • Ocean Reef Conservation Association
  1. COMMUNITY: We also distribute the funds from the All Charities Weekend to many charities in Florida City, Homestead, and the Upper Keys. These organizations are selected through a process that includes review by our Grants Committee, who vet each organization and their plans to invest the funds in these surrounding communities. As one of the largest employers in these areas, we are their greatest source of success for the many services they provide. An easy way to remember this is, “Every dollar you donate as part of the All Charities Weekend Event (did I mention that it is earlier this year?) improves your life at Ocean Reef and the lives of everyone around you who work and live in these communities of South Florida and the Upper Keys.”
  2. DONATE: Donate wine, a trip, a unique experience, art, or your connection to someone that can provide a memorable and unique once-in-a-lifetime experience for our Live and Silent Auctions. It is the easiest way to get involved, have fun, and make a difference. This will be easy to remember because we are going to ask you many more times before the event – pretty much every time we write or communicate with you.
  3. DONOR ADVISED FUND: Open a Donor Advised Fund with your Ocean Reef Community Foundation. All you have to remember in this regard is that we do not charge a fee for this service. That is correct, your funds are 100 percent available for your charitable giving with NO FEES. It is a service that is only available to Ocean Reef Club Members. Plus, we are finalizing our automation for our Donor Advised Funds, so you will be able to request distributions and view real-time balances online.

See, it’s easy to remember all the things that make giving fun – without going out of this world to do so. The next time you see me, just ask, and I will show you the most important thing to remember other than All Charities. That is, at a fully set dinner table, how to remember that your bread plate is on the left and, more importantly, your wine glass is on the right.