All it takes is one stone. It doesn’t matter how big it is. It doesn’t matter how hard it’s thrown. All that matters is someone is inspired to throw it. Because once that rock hits the water, magic happens. It starts as a small wave, not much bigger than the stone that created it. But then it grows. The small circle widens and stretches out farther and farther, carried by the increasing momentum that’s continually pushing it forward. And the bigger it gets, the more area it touches and the more impact it has.

That’s the ripple effect. And the physics that dictate the principle don’t just govern stones and water. They also apply to hope.

We’ve all seen it happen. A small act of kindness. A simple token of friendship. A smile that tells someone that you understand. Just like the stone, it doesn’t matter how big the gesture is or how forcefully it’s delivered. All that matters is that it’s given.

This year, the Zak!Charity Open is asking more people to throw those stones of hope and see how far the ripples will go by raising money to benefit the Rypien Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County. From the Summer Celebration Dinner and Auction at Northern Quest Resort & Casino on Sunday, July 28th, to two separate golf tournaments on Monday, July 29th at the Spokane Country Club and Manito Golf & Country Club, the Zak!Charity Open is creating many opportunities for people to set ripples in motion.

Often, we can’t see how far those ripples travel. But others do. And that’s how hope spreads and grows wider -- reaching out farther and farther into the world until finally it connects with that child who needs it.

All because one person cared enough to toss a small stone into a large sea and create a ripple that can grow, and strengthen, and reach an untold number of children.