June 24th through the 26th marked the sixth annual Creighton Farms Invitational golf tournament and fund raiser, to benefit The Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation & The National PKU Alliance. Each year, Creighton Farms, located in Aldie, Virginia, hosts golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara, celebrities of sport such as Roger Clemens, and enthusiastic golfers for this prestigious event.

This year's festivities opened with a welcome party and concert at Cana Vineyards and Winery on Saturday, followed by a practice round on Sunday with an evening Pairing Party, Cocktail Hour, dinner and auction at the Salamander Resort & Spa, featuring a fireside chat with Jack Nicklaus, hosted by The Golf Channel's Charlie Rymer.

The beautiful weather continued for the tournament on Monday with over 90 golfers, which then ended with the luncheon and awards. During the tournament, Jill Elkins, whose son Hudson has been diagnosed with PKU, hosted an educational round table discussion with the National PKU Alliance's Executive Director, Christine S. Brown. There, we learned that Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder that is characterized by the inability of the body to utilize the essential amino acid, phenylalanine (Phe). All children are tested at birth for PKU, and in short, a positive diagnosis means protein will slowly but surely cause severe brain damage over time. This means a life of a highly protein-restricted diet and special formulas to protect their brain function.

As Artist in Residence, I was then given the privilege of teaming up with the group of 18 to together create an inspirational piece of art I titled "Hope." There were a lot of smiles as we all painted together and then presented "Hope" to Barbara Nicklaus as a way of saying thank you for the Nicklaus's support. "Hope" now hangs in Florida at the Nicklaus Foundation headquarters. The CFI event raised a powerful $1.4 million dollars!

For more information about PKU and the National PKU Alliance, please visit NPKUA.org