Back to Cali

12.2.2014
Thankful for early check-in and a hot, high powered shower after 30 hours of traveling from Singapore and driving overnight from NYC to Pittsburg. Now fight the urge to sleep, beat the jet lag and continue our cross country road trip tomorrow!

12.3.2014
What did we do today? Oh, just 9 hours of driving...

12.4.2014
Plaid party in St. Louis with my psis!!!

12.5.2014
BBQ ribs with former America SCORES St Louis coworker before we embark on our 3.5 hour drive to Kansas City! Better hide our SF Giants blanket!

12.6.2014
While that BBQ is convincing, we'll never be royals! so happy to visit this guy!!!

12.9.2014
Texas BBQ with the Talkads!!! Now THAT'S a brisket!!!

12.10.14
From the Great Wall of China to the Great Wall of America,
here's how we're enjoying our pit stop in El Paso!

12.11.2014
Sonoran hot dogs and the second amendment store.
Too bad we didn't come in the weekend for some good ol' desert shooting!

12.12.2014
WESTWARD HO!!!!! We're gonna be in California today!!!!

12.13.2014
Oooooh, we're halfway there!!!

12.24.2014
It's been three years since we celebrated Christmas with our families!
Cheers to many more!

Hong Kong, Beijing, and Singapore

Disclaimer: I have been so absorbed in my work, and life of course, that I have not done a great job of keeping up with this blog. I will be updating along the way. While this blog was created to document some of my proudest professional moments, my hyper analysis of my personal life and observations around the globe are worth sharing and will offer some light into how my brain works. I think so anyway. At the very least, you'll get travel tips. Enjoy! - Michelle

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In the six years Eddie and I have been together, we've planned some pretty amazing trips but have only actually gone on a few not-so-amazing-ones. It took years of saving United Miles and a February 2014 deadline (when United increased it's mileage cost for overseas travel) to finally push us into committing to our dream overseas adventure: Europe or Asia? With two weeks of vacation time and Star Alliance's complimentary multi-city allowance, we both got to pick a place for one week. I picked Singapore so my San Franciscan grandmother could meet us there and we could visit my many many second cousins that I hadn't seen since 2009. I frequently visited as a child before I costed an adult fare. Eddie picked China - to this day, I don't know why!

#tbt Singapore 2009

So, mind you, we planned our November trip in February. Little did we know, we would quit our jobs in October, I would work up until the day we left, and we would drive across the country upon our return. Fortunately, we planned a weekend trip to San Francisco in October where we got a little taste of SF Giants making World Series history and flew our little Dax back into the loving Hynson home before the craziness of November began. We shipped my Corolla full of stuff, packed his Subaru full of stuff, entertained 300 donors upon a two-night cruise, moved everything that couldn't fit in the cars down to the sidewalk the morning of our departure, and took work calls as I was walking on the airplane's gangway.

11.17.2014
Dax is moved, car is shipped, cruise was a success, apartment is empty...
After the month from hell... VACATION IS FINALLY HERE!!!

With that said, it is no surprise that I slept the whole way to Hong Kong and missed Santa Claus working ferociously in the North Pole just a month before Christmas. If you really know us, you could guess the first thing we did when we arrived: duh, Chinese food. We stayed at the BP International hotel in Kowloon at the recommendation of my Uncle Alvin and woke up at 5am to get McDonalds - which had twisty noodle soup for breakfast. We dodged the many Tai Chi-ers in Kowloon Park, karate kicked along the Avenue of the Stars, inappropriately explored the Intercontinental, and zoomed up to Victoria Peak.

11.18.2014
First day in Hong Kong: And this was all before lunch!

The English speaking Filipino sales persons convinced us to visit Stanley which we absolutely loved! We do advise, if you take the Big Bus tour, sit on the right side or you will get whacked by the trees. I was most excited about Hong Kong because I had only been there as a child and have heard so many great things about the night life from my now-young-adult friends. My only memory of Hong Kong was standing on the street and watching airplanes fly dangerously close above our heads - which doesn't happen anymore. Seeing Stanley, I just kept thinking about how much I hadn't seen before - and how I would love to go back to the beautiful Repulse Bay! I also am always a fan of being on a boat - although I had to ask our little old lady captain, "Does this boat go any faster?"

11.18.2014
First day in Hong Kong: from beach to boats along the beautiful southern coast!

Still jet-lagged, we woke up early the next day and took the subway to bus to Lantau to see the the big Buddha. (Who henceforth will be known as "that Buddha Buddha" to the tune of Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass.) I did not know that there was a monastery there where they will try to sell you a $3 meal ticket which is good for one ice cream (nah!) or dim sum lunch (what? really?!). (We later found out it was vegetarian dim sum.) Also, monks are allowed to have cell phones (we saw one texting!) and we almost got jumped by a gang of feral cows during our eery hike. Luckily, a baby in a stroller came by distracted them and we got away. We walked through an absurdly touristy tourist trap and rode the ridiculously high cable car back down to the bus terminal.

11.19.2014
Day two in Hong Kong: hanging with the Gods high above Lantau island

11.19.2014
Day two in Hong Kong: crazy cable cars!

That night, we got to experience Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) and experience the glamorous lifestyle of one of my first UCLA friends, Janice Jann! And early the next morning, we had the awful experience of not being able to order food or tea in a local dim sum restaurant while waiting for our mutual high school friend, Suzanne Souza, to arrive. We were literally sitting there silently with hot water before she arrived! I always think we were so brave for venturing to New York City - but moving to Hong Kong when you don't speak Cantonese is a whole 'nother level! We couldn't leave Hong Kong without Eddie's favorite thing: cocktail bun!

11.19.2014
Last night in Hong Kong: a taste of home in LKF!

11.21.2014
Farewell Hong Kong dim sum and cocktail bun. Next stop: Beijing!

Beijing, Beijing... I'm glad we live to tell the story because there were moments when I definitely had my doubts. There is a new 72 hour visa-free transit program that many knew little about and we weren't entirely confident would be honored. At the Hong Kong airport, they were confused. Getting through China's immigration, they were confused (but not in English). A 40 minute flight delay made our visa invalid (11:30pm on the 23rd 12:10am on the 24th) at the Beijing airport, they were confused. For whatever reason, I have an unreasonable fear of a white van would drive up, men would jump out, put a black bag over my head, and I would disappear or be sold somewhere. Ultimately, we entered and left the country OK, but I did have a severe panic attack in the cab ride that smelled like cigarette smoke, blasted a Chinese (Mandarin) talk show with the most annoying commercials, and told us to get out and walk down the dark alley to our hotel. Fortunately, we escaped death during the maybe 100 foot walk down the alley and entered the serene and tranquil The HuLu Hotel. Strongly recommend it. Oh, and I later learned that the Hu Tongs (the alley) are not so scary after all.

11.22.2014
First night in Beijing: $3 USD For crawdaddys? Don't mind if I do!!!

We awoke not-so-bright-and-early (because the hotel had heated floors and cooked-to-order breakfast) and headed to the Forbidden City! The anxiety returned when the high pitched Chinese speaking subway machine kept talking to me, I was pressed against Smokey McSmokerson on the train, and about a billion other Chinese people trying to get into Tiananmen Square for that ONE quick selfie with Mao (obvi). I was convinced I should write a long letter to the Tourism department of Beijing with one recommendation would being: have people in matching t-shirts there to control the line. (Other recommendations include: no smoking in cabs and do something with those abandoned Olympics storefronts.) Eddie took the audio tour of the Forbidden City so he can tell me all about who slept where and... that is pretty much all we learned. After taking pictures with many a circle door, we hiked up the hill (a local treasure) and enjoyed sweeping views of the city with another Buddha Buddha.

11.22.2014
One short day in the forbidden cityyyyy!

After a fairly disastrous first day, we were lucky that my aunt and uncle had helped us reserve a car service for day two to The Great Wall, The Summer Palace, and The Peking Duck (which doesn't need caps, but deserves it!) We went to MuTianYu, the medium touristy of the three restored parts of the wall. Since we left our hotel at 7am, we arrived before all the tourist groups did and got to do some fun filming and shouting without an audience. The wall does not disappoint so long as you know the wall is only about 20 feet tall and draws its strength from the mountain's height. (I feel this can be misinterpreted in the movies and pictures.) My primary thought, there, was that, in the case of a real emergencies - say, the huns are arriving - it is tremendously difficult to walk, let alone run, along the wall with its steep stairways and curvatures. I bet it looks glorious at night with the towers on ablaze! We don't have much to say about The Summer Palace (unless you count, "my feet hurt") but I could rave for days about the duck at Da Dong. You get the whole duck for $60 USD. When Eddie tells the story, he likes to include that our driver took our left overs.

11.23.2014
Day two in Beijing: time is racing toward us til the huns arrive!!!

11.23.2014
Last night in Beijing: Peking duck!

11.23.2014
At the end of our Mulan experience, we realized that were
unsuited for the rage of war so we packed up, went home, we're thru!

Boy, we could not get out of Beijing fast enough! We arrived bright and early to Singapore where our cab smelled clean, the driver spoke English, and spitting is, legit, against the rules. My Aunt and Uncle met us right away and we welcomed Eddie with the big durian! (Naturally.) If you refer back to my 2009 #tbt photo above, you'll see that the last time I was there, the Marina Bay Sands did not have its hat yet - which is apparently really expensive to go up to. We threw peanuts on the floor at the Raffles, home of the Singapore Sling!

11.24.2014
"Welcome to singapo'" - chow yun fat plays on repeat in our heads

11.24.2014
First day in Singapore: gettin our sling on at the raffles
(laksa lunch at kovan and durian dessert not pictured here)

The next day, we videochatted with Tiny Tara, learned at the National Museum of Singapore, devoured Ice Kachung in Chinatown, and ate Stingray in a building that was struck by lightning (with us in it). The museum reminded me how much I admire Singapore's social services and how the country is built upon valuing human life. It just contrasts so much with America, but I suppose it comes at the cost of enduring an essential dictatorship (I'm told.) Thinking about their public housing program and their investment in education always makes me want to move there - or improve here. The museum also does hauntingly well at recreating the stress and pain of the Japanese invasion during World War II which is particularly hard for me because my grandmother lived it and her experience is seriously traumatizing. I'm reminded of her strength and sacrifice, and that Japan has never apologized for these crimes against China (although it did so for Singapore.)

On the flight home, I watched the most painful film about a drought in China during the war and how things went from bad (people dying of starvation and robbing each other's food) to worse (the army refused to protect them because they couldn't pay in food) to impossible (other regions confiscating the one gun that the family had for protection as people robbed them and they were trying to migrate to another region in search of food) to "I have to turn this off because I'm sobbing on an airplane" (Japanese bombing those people as they were walking.) The movie was Back to 1942 and I recommend it if you can stomach it; like watching Hotel Rwanda on a rainy day.

11.25.2014
Day two in Singapore: Tara, museum, chinatown, ice kacung, and sting ray!

On that note, I ate about three bowls of my favorite dish, Laksa, at one of the best places: Sungai Road Laksa @Jin Shui Kopitiam, Townshend Road. Superb! Before heading off the the Garden by the Bay and taking my lovely grandmother to gamble in the Marina Bay Sands. Another thing I so admire about Singapore's government: there is a $100 fee for Singaporeans to enter the casino to discourage gambling addiction so common in Chinese culture. When you think about that, and how they post disgusting pictures of what happens when you smoke on cigarette boxes, it really shines a light on capitalism and the power of lobby groups in America that make sure that people get rich by encouraging others, likely less rich, to become enslaved by disgusting addictive activities.

11.26.2014
Day three in Singapore: laksa lunch!

11.26.2014
Day three in Singapore: garden and casino by the bay!

Oh, I did not mention that we planned our trip on Thanksgiving weekend so we could have two extra days for vacation. Well, we spent the American holiday in Malaysia and celebrated with duck for lunch and Chicken Rice for dinner with Third Grand Aunt's family. We, uninsured Americans, also got new prescription glasses which were ready within the hour! While our home nation shopped on black Friday (it seems Singaporeans shop everyday) we went to the beach and, for one day, did what I would like to do everyday: relax! We ended the day by showing Eddie the night life of the quays which would put Hong Kong to shame. Funny story, when Eddie ordered whiskey, we quickly learned a Singaporean shot is 30ml (as opposed to an American 45ml). We are talking two tablespoons here. The glass was so not full that it triggered me to say, "Excuse me, I think someone drank this already!" One of the Singaporean rules I could live without (although getting caught drunk driving will get your license removed for life which I think is stern but effective!)

11.27.2014
Day four in Singapore: day trip to Malaysia, new glasses, and thanksgiving chicken rice!

11.28.2014
Day five in Singapore: finally my kind of vacation! Drinks at the beach!

11.28.2014
Night five in Singapore: Rollin with the auntie and uncles in the quays!

We spent the last day of our trip forcing Eddie to suffer through floors and floors of clothing shops run by aggressive negotiating vendors, eat spicy Indian food at my Third Grand Uncle's Sister's restaurant, eat fragrant durian, and eat again with my Fourth Grand Uncle's entire family. We ended the night having drinks with my Second Grand Aunt's grand kids. Sadly, we missed oldest grand uncle and youngest grand uncle's families.

11.29.2014
Day six in Singapore: little India lunch, bugis bargain shopping,
big family feast with fourth grand uncles clan,
and alcoholic ice cream at udders!

11.30.2014
Last night in Singapore with my cousins! Wa, so big la!!!

12.1.2014
Farewell send off from third grand aunt's fabulous family.

Upon returning home, I've set up the VCR and watched VHS tapes of Singapore as far back as 1988 - the last time my dad went and with my grandfather. The most important thing was to see my grandmother, for us to see our family, for Eddie to learn about a big part of my childhood, and to eat... of course! Til next time, Singapore!

WishNYC: A Toast to Wishes

Walk for Wishes 2014

An Evening of Wishes

Wine & Wishes 2014

Article in Local Bozo by Jane Van Arsdale

WINE & WISHES MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE AT PIER SIXTY
Events — 27 March 2014
Blog: Wine and Wishes 2014

In the midst of one of the most bitterly cold evenings in the month of March, hundreds of guests would need good reason to trek out to the waterfront at Chelsea Piers and on Wednesday night the ballroom space at Pier Sixty delivered just that. The 11th Annual event titled “Wine & Wishes” turned a fundraising benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation for Metro and Western New York into an all out gala filled with hungry foodies and wine enthusiasts, all dressed to the nines with wallets in hand in support of the organization’s cause. The four hour evening would feature select fare courtesy of some of Manhattan’s most esteemed chefs, hundreds of exceptional wines for tasting, a massive silent auction with memorabilia, select wines and a live auction that boasted some experiences unavailable elsewhere.

There is perhaps no charitable organization more widely recognized nationally for performing a greater good than Make-A-Wish, serving to quite literally grant wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The lasting effect stimulated by making these wishes come true can provide unparalleled inspiration and one that can help strengthen the human spirit for both the children themselves and their families. There was nary a dry eye in the house as a short video was shown prior to the live auction where professional athletes from the NFL, NASCAR and Major League Baseball allowed these kids to have an unforgettable and special experience in their young lives – making their dreams come true.  Since inception and including Wednesday night’s “Wine & Wishes” event have raised upwards of $6 million for the Metro New York chapter of Make-A-Wish, allowing them to grant some 525 wishes to different children.  The funds raised during the course of this evening would serve the same purpose: making dreams come true.

The evening’s first two hours showcased some of New York City’s most renowned chefs doling out some truly exceptional dishes- ones that would rival the finest served at any similar food tasting. You can find pictures of some of our favorite tastes from “Wine & Wishes” below, but there are some that words and photographs can simply do no justice. In the VIP area, the “Roasted Diver Scallop” from Morimoto was in a class all its own. Served on an oversized shell plate, the tender scallop was immersed in smoked brown butter and black truffles yielding a decadently tender dish. Catch’s crab, salmon and miso honey “Catch Roll,” The General’s avocado and sweet chili filled “Chinese Chicken Tacos” and Strip House’s sensational “Waygu Strip with Marrow Mustard Flan” were each excellent in their own right, washed down with some choice wines like Silver Oak’s ripe 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon” and Wagner’s Caymus 2011 “Cabernet Sauvignon,” a big powerful red.

Though not all guests had VIP access, there was still more than enough food and great wine to go around the remainder of the space. We thoroughly enjoyed watching the room full of knowledgeable wine drinkers seeking out and sipping upon these anticipated wines. Our palates danced for likes of the 2011 Laguna “Chardonnay,” the 2012 William Hill “North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon” and our favorite of the evening, the 2012 Laetitia “Pinot Noir Reserve du Domaine, Arroyo Grande,” a veritable steal at just $35 as a relatively full-bodied and complex vintage. With refilled wine glasses in hand, we resumed sampling more of the fantastic dishes being doled out by each restaurant. Highlights included La Cenita’s “Seared Tuna Taco” that brought out a bevy of unique flavors topped with pickled cucumber and mustard seeds, with a cotija crema that brought everything together nicely. BLT Steak’s piping hot “New York Strip” was perfectly salted and charred atop a creamy green leek-yukon mashed potato bed, while Quality Italian brought a “Dry-Aged Porterhouse Agnolotti,” filling each pasta pouch with savory bits of steak. Finally, we grabbed a “House Veal Meatball” mixed with pork sausage and beef from Asellina and a far different “Chicken Francese Meatball” courtesy of perennial party place Public House to cap off an evening of exquisite eats.

As the live program began, a sea of guests flocked toward the stage to grab seats for the aforementioned video package and to welcome emcee and CBS2 News Anchor Chris Wragge to the podium. Wragge perfectly paced the live auction with the help of guest auctioneer and co-radio voice of the New York Jets Greg Buttle who had great command of the room and kept the auction rolling and the fundraising growing. Foodie Magician Josh Beckerman was an added plus, performing a brief set of food related tricks on Charles Merinoff, Chairman and CEO of The Charmer Sunbelt Group, responsible for presenting this year’s “Wine and Wishes.” Though Make-A-Wish is a group that already resonates with much of the public, it’s seeing these kids in action and seeing the actual results of the organization that make attending a charitable event like “Wine and Wishes” far more fulfilling than the exceptional array of wines and food being served. It’s satisfying in a completely different way.

- Jane Van Arsdale

http://www.localbozo.com/2014/03/wine-wishes-make-dreams-come-true-at-pier-sixty/

Long Beach Polar Bear's Super Bowl Splash

So apparently, it's a thing - and for the past 15 years crazy people have been jumping in the Atlantic Ocean in the dead of winter to raise half a million for Make-A-Wish. According to CBS “It is bone-chilling cold. It’s painful, it’s very painful.” Fan-freakin-tastic, right?

At first, I absolutely refused to participate but then I thought: since this is the only time of year where we reach out to our personal network to support us, how about - I'll do it if I raise $500. That's where you come in.

If you want to see me getting tortured, feel free to make a gift. $1, $5, $10, whatever - donors at any level will receive a video to re-live my horror over and over again. (Note: Eddie is doing it for free! LOL)

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION

Historically, I've tried to steer clear of asking for donations for the many nonprofits I've worked for - but donating to Make-A-Wish is truly worth it. The organization is run so well, your dollar goes so far, and both are really dedicated to the kids. While everyone was watching Bat Kid, other children were being inspired by Hillary Clinton or meeting the REAL Santa Claus - and each experience was just as special.

In the past three months, I've participated in three wishes and met so many now-grown wish children that I've witnessed the power of a wish to change lives. Regardless, I'm dedicating my days and volunteering overtime to grant the wishes of children - but I'll only offer up my frozen limbs with your help! Click and donate - it's happen'n Superbowl weekend - blizzard or shine!

1.21.2014
I reached $200 today! If I reach $250 by midnight (EST) tonight,
I'll go out in the snow in my swim suit tomorrow morning to practice for the big day! LOL

Post by Michelle Wong.

Thanks to the following donors Cheryl Ann Asico, Jenn Wong, Jenny Ng, Colleen del Rosario, Christina Mojica, Kristina Huey, Gustavo Torres, Jacqueline Cavanaugh, Connie Sam, and Vivian Do for helping me reach my goal. Too bad I was only at $450 the day of the event and didn't have to go all the way in!! Muahahah!!!


 

America SCORES National Poetry SLAM!

For a little over a year and a half, I've been eating, sleeping, and breathing America SCORES. I often wonder how many times per day I write the words "America SCORES" as I write grants or login to things with my email address. As I sit at home on Saturday night, my boyfriend Eddie is sporting the America SCORES National Poetry SLAM! t-shirt to sleep. Dax knows it's time for a walk when one of us grabs the America SCORES sweatshirt. The organization is always on my mind - and I wonder how many times I've written it in this blog thus far. This is all to preface what I really want to write about - the America SCORES National Poetry SLAM!. We're just about wrapping up feedback from the committee, the tasks force member, the chaperones, the executive directors - but none of that matters to me because I'd like to see any other combination of three people accomplish what we did that weekend - and not kill each other like I'm surprised we didn't. It was one hell of a weekend!

I spend about six months out of the year planning this extraordinary event - and it's the best part of my job. As a national organization, we only get three days out of the year to remotely perform direct-service and to really see the self-esteem and confidence shine as a result of this power of poetry - something we so often brag about but rarely actually experience. I mean, I've made many a visit to a classroom or soccer field - but it's simply not the same when the kids don't know who you are and you know so little about them. For three days, we get to know each child, their temperaments, their humor and watch the shy get comfortable and the distrustful attitudes melt away. The experience was similar to MYEEP's Counselor in Training retreat - but, elementary school students don't have that weird tendency to racially segregate the way high schoolers do. They are purely innocent, oddly obedient, and extremely grateful - and that just makes the entire experience even more fulfilling.

Being my second National Poetry SLAM!, I was excited to actually know what I was doing and to make very real and intentional improvements. I will admit that there is a lot I didn't know about the NYC charity benefit - but either way I knew I could plan one hell of an event! For example, I went to a workshop that was about what you should be doing the day after an event - which if you asked me April 17th, 2012 - I would have said SLEEP. It was here I learned one of our many 2012 mistakes - the honoree selection and cultivation should start 8-10 months before an event, not 4 months and I began to really understand the expectations of the role: to raise money (at least in the eyes of New York City-zens). In 2012, our honoree actually ended up costing us money - but that is a story for another time. Among the improvements to the honoree selection process was the timely gathering and effective management of an event committee and actual engagement of the honoree to our program. With the help of one of my favorite board members, we selected our guests of honors early. This gave me a few months to deepen their understanding of our program, take them out to see the program, and support them in fundraising efforts. This led to a new partnership with the NY Cosmos who made this awesome video and promoted the event.



What most people don't realize about the National Poetry SLAM! is that it is both a program event (to reward our best kids) and a fundraising event (to raise a pretty hefty chunk of our operating budget). That means, that we're not only spending 6 months designing marketing materials, selling sponsorships and tickets, writing press releases, and getting silent auction items - we are also buying plane tickets, ground transportation, reserving hotel rooms, training chaperones, getting parent RSVPs and planning meals. And by we, I mean our team of 3 with the help from a task force and committee. It also means that the weekend before the event, I could be (and was) sending last minute RSVPs to the venue or handling program printing disaster - or going door-to-door to kids rooms to participate in evening rehearsals, making sure there is enough orange juice or bagels in each room, and staying up til midnight making a slideshow of the weekend for the kids to watch before the show.

For the first five years, the youth experience was primarily managed by program staff in Chicago - experts in putting together a pretty seamless program with limited rehearsal time. The sixth year, I lent my services and by the seventh, we were on our own. It was Christmas week when I had a huge breakdown - I could not fathom doing everything. I needed to focus on fundraising because we were projecting a $30,000 deficit with the unfortunate loss of a pretty important board member. Being the only person present for all parts of the participant weekend experiences, I took an advisory role in supporting a task force of staff from around the country and directing an intern to manage logistics. This step back allowed me to continue working on other arms of development such as submitting grants, sending corporate proposals, and producing our annual report and national magazine.

Ticket sales and donations account for almost 20% of the fundraising revenue. In 2012, we introduced two social media campaigns which, though extremely time intensive, I love! One would count down the days to the event by featuring one of the select students each day. To sell tickets, this was was supplemented with weekly e-mail newsletters (like this one) and four press releases (1, 2, 3, and 4). The combination of these campaigns and honoree efforts increased ticket sales revenue and made up almost 25% of our anticipated fundraising deficit. The other campaign leverages the social network of our newly inspired audience and uses their photos from the evening for a weeklong fundraising challenge. Since I could anticipate these campaigns, I was able to streamline and schedule daily posts on Facebook and entered (and won) a contest for free photo booth service that would essentially operate the second campaign for me (LA Photo Party). An incredible event committee inspired a visual fundraising goal that quintupled night-of donations and doubled post-event donations overall. 

Historically, almost 80% of the funds raised from the event are sponsorships. Knowing we were losing some, finding new ones was extremely important. Over the summer, we had done a ton of research on companies who's current charities are similar to ours - and also learned that funding applications need to be done at least 6 months prior to the event. I spent a great chunk of October, filling out applications and submitting them to the black hole of rejection. I know that the application process is extremely ineffective - so I PDF'd all my proposals, checked the company list to my linked in network, and worked with board members to get these proposal seen and supported by someone within those companies. The process yielded no new sponsorships - but certainly got us in the door with several companies that we'll continue to build relationships with throughout the year. I'm pretty excited that my strategy worked - and hopeful that if not SLAM! related, we'll find some way to work with these companies that suits their needs and benefits our sites nationwide!

The night of the event was actually less stressful (perhaps coming from the crazy weekend of babysitting 30 kids!) It is wholly complicated - comprising of a VIP cocktail hour for sponsors with a silent auction, 1 hour poetry slam show, and a dessert reception "after party" (which took place on the NYSE Trade Floor.) I implemented a few learnings from the past year. 

1. I made a huge effort to make the sponsors feel like VIPs. The cocktail hour was just for them. They had reserved seating with special gift bags. There was a minor hiccup of nonVIP guests sneaking in before their admission time - resulting in a shortage of cocktails and some discomfort with low-income parents feeling like charity amid a primarily white corporate mixer. As guests of corporate sponsors, they didn't pay to be there so I wanted to make sure they walked away feeling so great that they'd make a gift. 
2. The Silent Auction is, for whatever reason, a hot topic. Previously, it hadn't made that much money for how much time spent planning it. This year, I decided not to spend any time planning it. Our committee did an amazing job bringing in the items - and they raised more than we thought. I did make a very intentional decision to provide a Silent Auction brochure such that, if a guest was bored at any point during that one hour (between 6pm-7pm) it was the only thing they would have in their hand. They would receive program books at 7pm.
3. The feedback from last year was that the fact that this was a fundraiser was not clear enough. After attending CFY's charity benefit as a guest of Southwest Airlines, I saw how they really hit the emotions in the ask. (They honored a parent - but the award was given by the child of the parent, who was introduced by the child's teacher, who was introduced by the principal. Each expressing gratitude and sharing the impact of CFY from a every level.) The program wreaked of desperate pleas for donations - I'm not sure how I feel about it. The numbers were strong, but I don't know. I would have liked to weave in more tear-jerking and less asking - letting the emotional appeal speak for itself more.

A huge part of the post-event must-do was the follow up. I remember, April 16, 2012, when the doors opened at 6pm sharp - a mass influx of people bum-rushed the door - sweeping past the registration table and photo booth. For the 6-7pm cocktail hour, I was all over the place dealing with late volunteers and  technical difficulties with the photo booth. This was the first time I would meet our affiliate leadership from the 14 cities so among meeting them and sponsors, I didn't catch anyone's names or learn anything about anyone. At the end of the night, we walked away with no way to know who attended and no way to contact these new fans of our program. Months later, I volunteered at World Cares Center benefit - I was assigned a special guest and my only jobs were to make sure their attendance was announced to the Executive Director and take care of them the rest of the night. Of course, 1 hour is not enough time for one Executive Director to meet and get to know everyone - so I adapted this process and assigned our volunteers to do the announcing to affiliate Executive Directors. They, in turn, would do that care-taking and introductions to our National Executive Director. This allowed for extremely personalized follow ups and introductions - as well as accountability. For example, I could ask "Who is this in this picture" and someone would know.

Ultimately, and to my surprise, we met our fundraising goal!

If I learned anything about development over the past year and a half - it really is about relationships. Someone I met on twitter, The World Cup Project, who was interested in our September event volunteered to help us with video needs - saving us $3,000 in videographer expenses! My past interns were my key volunteers for the evening. Our current intern, applied for an internship in August of last year, got a job elsewhere, was a key volunteer for our September event, came back to volunteer - in addition to his incredible leadership and support throughout the weekend, he also got us $12,500 in PR Newswire press release distribution services that helped our releases reach almost 300 million views!

I also do a ton of learning at charity events - so you can imagine my excitement for Make A Wish's upcoming benefit at their NJ Castle. I don't go to NJ (ever) but this is soooo going to be worth it!

To be clear, this is my personal reflection of the event from the trenches. It is truly an amazing event for an organization that is doing really great work. The official event information and full video can be found at www.americascores.org/nps2013. 

Also, you can support me by making a gift here: www.americascores.org/donate

An art project for a snowy saturday mornin'

Post by Michelle Wong.

The Great America SCORES Soccer Dribble

October 22, 2012: World Record Academy recognizes The Great America SCORES Soccer Dribble

October 4, 2012: Photo on The University News of St Louis University

September 30, 2012: Breaking a Guinness World Record in The Northwest Update

September 30, 2012: World Soccer Dribble Record Set: America SCORES draws 2149 the action in video chronological order  by Zennie Abraham, founder of Zennie62

September 30, 2012: NASL, America SCORES and the Red Bulls 4-1 Triumph in This is Cosmos Country

September 30, 2012: National Poetry Slam Winner Plays Soccer on NBC Bay Area

September 30, 2012: World Soccer Record Set in CBS St Louis

September 29, 2012: Mayor McGinn of Seattle has proclaimed September 29th, 2012 as America SCORES Seattle Day and calls upon all the people of Seattle to observe this day, and to celebrate the accomplishments and changes we have created over the past 10 years.

September 29, 2012: Soccer fans in St. Louis will try to break the synchonized soccer dribbling record on Saturday on NBC St Louis

September 29, 2012: Seattle Times Media Center features Nimo Mohamed, 9, center, and Ariana Valdez, 8, both of Seattle, do warmups for The Great America SCORES Soccer Dribble at Seattle University’s Championship Field.

September 28, 2012: Lou Fusz Soccer Club Night at SLU Homecoming to Feature World Record Attempt, Select Free Admission in STL Today

September 28, 2012: Get Your Kicks And Help Set A World Record on CBS St Louis

September 27, 2012: Kenny Watches World-Record Dribble Attempt on Kickin’ it with Kenny, FOX 8 Cleveland

September 27, 2012: There may not be hockey this weekend, but there is America SCORES Bay Area

September 24, 2012: America SCORES Milwaukee to help set soccer record in On Milwaukee.com

September 24, 2012: Great America Scores Soccer Dribble Set for Saturday announced in UIC Flames website

September 24, 2012: Students set out to make soccer history on NBC St Louis

September 23, 2012: America SCORES Soccer Dribble: Ticket Package on LivingSocial.com

September 21, 2012: Alonzo And SCORE Kids on FOX 2

September 18, 2012: in The Sacramento Bee

September 18, 2012: Soccer Communities Unite to Support in Atlanta Soccer News

September 18, 2012: HeraldOnline.com serving York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties

September 18, 2012: in HCI Market news, blog and business solutions resource

September 18, 2012: in The Life Ledger blog by Cris Harshman

September 14, 2012: St. Louis Scores leads national effort to break dribbling world record

September 13, 2012: The Great St Louis Soccer Dribble featured in St Louis Kids Magazine

September 10, 2012: The Great America SCORES Soccer Dribble to Attempt Guinness World Record

September 6, 2012: Ladue News Society Pages

September 2, 2012: Soccer Players in Cleveland to Help Set a Guinness World Record

September 1, 2012: on KFNS 590 Sports Talk Radio

September 1, 2012: on NPR in St Louis

August 31, 2012: Group Attempts to Break World Soccer Dribble Record on FOX 2

August 27, 2012: Grammy Award-Winning Songwriter/Producer Alonzo “Zo” Lee to Record with Students in St. Louis

September 15, 2011: World Records Academy

September 14, 2011: Soccer dribblers set Guinness World Record

September 12, 2011: Poet-Athletes Break World Record in St. Louis

September 4, 2011: National Team member Sauerbrunn returns to home turn for appearances on stltoday.com

August 25, 2011: Fox News 2′s feature on the first annual Great St. Louis Soccer Dribble to benefit America SCORES St. Louis.

August 12, 2011: Players sought for Great St. Louis Dribble

August 6, 2011: KFNS 590 Interview with Pete Spanos Founding Board Member America SCORES St. Louis

August 4, 2011: St. Louis Set to Break World Record on The Floodplain Footy

Adventures of Dax Adobo

Haven't been up to too much besides working and saving money for the big move! But we always find the time to walk the Dax and his sidekick Tara - and waste an hour making a video about it.

Summer programs are ending one by one, bringing me a little closer to freedom! You'll be reading about my summer very soon - despite a 300% increase in work load, it still could not be as crazy as last year.

NYC in 16 days!

University Day

The Mayor's Youth Employment and Education Program's final program wide event of the year offers it's participants an opportunity to explore college life. Each year, we've taken advantage of UC Berkeley's CAL DAY event to showcase the livelihood of the campus community. The ultimate goal was that these participants, at the ages of 14, 15, 16 whose parent's often-times don't have the time or the money to provide that extravagant college road trip that we sometimes take for granted... looking back will associate college with fun and a place they belong.

The project came together in a few quick and easy steps, taking account of the frustrations of University Day's pasts and experimenting with what I'd like to think are minor improvements.

• We partnered with UC Berkeley's Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity that needed to fulfill a youth day service requirement that very weekend. We asked one volunteer from the organization, a real live college student, to accompany each group and answer college-related questions along the way.
• After surveying the attendees with their discipline of interest (and entering them into my best friend Microsoft Excel), we sorted and grouped them - each group sat in on a session related to that field of study.
• While not in session, groups competed savagely (mostly chaperones, actually) in a Scavenger Hunt that allowed them to experience elements of college life that I deemed most important to me: the college newspaper, finding a part-time job, watching a sports game or playing intramural sports, living in the dorm with roommates, joining an on campus organization, studying abroad, and comparing bookstore prices with the library.
• The Scavenger Hunt also included an element of conversation where participants were encouraged to talk to the students around them, asking questions ranging from "what is the most valuable thing you've learned from a professor" to "can we take pictures in your dorm?"

Ultimately, the trip was a huge success! Though the participant's were hot, tired, and grumpy at the end of the day - the photos definitely captured the great time they had. Below are more details, stolen from the blog I posted on www.myeep.org.

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Over a hundred MYEEP participants woke up early last Saturday morning crossing the bay to spend a day-in-the-sun at the University of California, Berkeley’s 2011 Cal Day.
Fifteen teams, grouped by their discipline of interest, toured some of the fun activities the campus had to offer:

The group interested in architecture got a chance to watch students at work in the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) lab open house to learn how computer technology is used in design and architecture and watch a laser cutter in action.

Youth interested in art visited the Archaeological Research Facility and made illustrations of multi-colored, painted rock-art designs, helping paint a rock-art mural while learning how archaeologists record rock-art paintings in the field.

Our aspiring scientists toured UC Berkeley’s state-of-the-art molecular and cell biology labs, participated in the nutrition Olympics where they actively learned about healthy eating from nutrition experts from the Atkins Center for Weight and Health. Youth interested in engineering used mind control to move robots through EEG sensors.

MYEEP’s future business men and women hung out at the Haas School of Business courtyard interviewing representatives of undergraduate business clubs. Our mathematician participants used probability can help answer some perplexing problems like the emperor’s life-or-death proposition, crazy guy on a plane, and the classic Monty Hall problem.

The groups interested in the various humanities disciplines heard about “Life as a Psychology Major” from a panel of students, toured the award-winning campus radio station, and sat in on a lecture exploring solutions to the United States and California’s budgetary crisis.

The teams also competed in a campus-wide scavenger hunt. They searched for the perfect college organizations through the rows of tables and booths that lined the bustling Sproul Plaza and explored options in campus employment and studying abroad. Some groups befriended current students as they made their way into the residence halls to imitate dorm life while others caught the Cal Woman’s Tennis match at Hellman Tennis Center.

After reviewing the fun photos from the scavenger hunt, it has been extremely tough to select the winner. All teams did an amazing job of reaching many of the stops and collecting all the items but a congratulations is in order for Group One who completed the scavenger hunt in style with their extra creative photos! It was definitely a close one!

The winning group receives a sweatshirt from UC Berkeley and will be featured in next years flier! Great job to all the teams and a huge thank you to all the volunteer chaperones and youth leaders who really made the day possible! Check out all the event photos and the winning group’s photos.

It is our hope that youth leave the University Day feeling like they belong on a college campus and want to engage in college life. MYEEP University Day is just one of two annual program-wide field trips. To learn more about our events, check out www.myeep.org/events