What? New Year's Eve is bearing down on you like a mail truck full of post-holiday bills and you still don't have plans? We know most New Year's resolutions last about as long as an SCV snowfall, but did you really put off last year's resolution to stop procrastinating? Time's running out and the most important party night of the year is bearing down mightily, not to mention snagging those important fiscal year 2007 tax deductions.

Well, you're in luck - we've got solutions for both problems. There's still time to sign up for LETMESAIL's Bon Voyage Ball. You can be a part of the organization's first annual New Year's Eve blowout. This event, sponsored by Poole & Shaffery, LLP, attorneys at law, will turn the Hyatt's grand ballroom into the SCV's most exciting and new shipboard casino.

LETMESAIL stands for Lifestyle Enrichment Through Meaningful Exercise, Social Activity and Independent Living. This charitable organization helps people challenged by disabilities enhance their lives in a most innovative way. LETMESAIL provides programs for teens and adults at their Valencia Lifestyle Enrichment Center, as well as offsite at numerous locations throughout Southern California. Such trips have included visits to Olvera Street in Los Angeles, Mammoth Mountain and local sporting events. In the short time since LETMESAIL's founding, they've brightened the lives of innumerable SCV residents with disabilities ranging from Cerebral Palsy to Asperger's Syndrome. With a focus on maximizing their clients' potential, LETMESAIL provides an invaluable service. Further, as a volunteer-run organization, LETMESAIL maximizes the impact of every donation dollar.

You have to know that if their party organizing is half as good as their acronym creation skills, this is going to be a don't-miss event. The evening will include a full Monte Carlo gaming experience with poker, blackjack, roulette and craps. The luckiest partygoers will win fabulous prizes and everyone will enjoy the live band and dancing. The food will delight even the most persnickety comestible connoisseurs; a four-course meal prepared by the Hyatt's staff is sure to please. Naturally, there will be a midnight champagne toast and balloon drop. Think you've heard it all? Just try to resist a little toe-tapping when Bump City starts banging out the tunes. They'll play anything from Big Band standards to Classic Rock and Smooth Jazz, so start thinking up some requests.

But it doesn't stop there. Kathy Buckley, a five-time nominee for the American Comedy Award's best female stand-up comedienne, will be on hand to make you laugh enough to shoot whatever you're drinking through your nose. She's the official celebrity spokesperson for LETMESAIL, her decision no doubt influenced by her experience dealing with hearing impairment.

Some people say God doesn't test us beyond our means to cope. If that's true, most of us needn't worry about anything more arduous than a hangnail. With that in mind, the sheer will of the folks LETMESAIL should inspire all of us. Spend a few hours watching LETMESAIL's clients shrug off physical and mental challenges that would turn most of us into sniveling pools of self-pitying Jell-o and you'll believe there's no limit to what you can accomplish.

Opportunities to help LETMESAIL in their important work abound. Individual tickets to the ball cost $125 per person, but anyone who wants to make a difference should consider the many participation levels. Table sponsorships range from the $2,500 First Mate level, which includes a table for six and gifts for your guests, up to the $7,500 Captain sponsorship, providing for prime table for 10 guests, a personal waiter, wine, and even a complimentary room at the Hyatt to unwind. In between is the Lieutenant sponsor that earns a 10 person table for $5,000. Can't find that many friends to fill a table? You need to get out more, but consider springing for a $500 Game table sponsorship. Even if you can't attend, how about buying a tax deductible ticket so one of their clients can attend the event? Suit up in your best formal attire, this event might be your best bet for a fun-filled New Year's.

Go ahead, make your New Year's Eve a nautical blast to remember while brightening the lives of some of the SCV's most plucky residents. For the ultimate win-win-win (party, gambling and charity), make time for LETMESAIL.

For information, or to sign up, visit LETMESAIL's website at www.letmesail.org or call 702-8555.