Hello everyone!!
I know we have neglected this blog for over a year now, but we have some exciting news: WE ARE DOING THIS PROJECT AGAIN!! We are so excited!! Round 2, here we come!!
For those of you who are just tuning in and are not familiar with our project, we will give you a quick recap: Essentially, two best friends, Kelly and Carolyn, had to do a senior project. We knew we wanted to do something that helped people and gave back to the community, after all blessings we have received in our lives. We worked with a company called Kidsave which is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that works to find families and long-term connections for older youth growing up in orphanages and foster care worldwide. Their Weekend Miracles program operates in Los Angeles County and helps foster youth, ages 9-17, find permanent families through a weekend hosting program. We worked through their Weekend Miracles Program and hosted a scavenger hunt, titled “The Amazing Race” in an open air mall. We planned everything, from the food to the clues to the location, and the event was extremely successful. We had approximately 80 people who came, ranging from volunteers to the foster kids to the potential parents.
It has been a fun and exciting year since our project. Both Carolyn and I just finished our freshman year in college. From having interesting roommates, to joining different clubs and sororities, to experiencing surprisingly delicious dining hall food, we had a lot of new adventures. Even though we were only an hour away from each other, we were not used to the separation (we are best friends after all!) and made sure to frequently visit each other. Now, it is summer and Carolyn has an internship and I am starting summer school in August. Without the craziness of school and all nighters, we were reminiscing on our high school days. We immediately realized one of the best decisions we made was our senior project. The results were extremely rewarding with 9 out of 12 kids being matched with a host family and 4 out of 5 kids getting a step closer in the adoption process. One of the boys even said it was the best day he had the entire year. That really pulled at our heartstrings. Our project was even mentioned by the principal of our school during her graduation speech!
So, Carolyn and I decided to contact Kidsave again to see if we could repeat our project. It turns out that the lady at Kidsave who helped us with our project last year is no longer working there, but rather someone else. However, she had heard about our project and loved the idea of us redoing it! So, the planning began...
We contacted and had a meeting with the manager of the mall again and asked him if he was willing to host our project. He agreed considering the project went so well last time. He is providing the area, chairs, tables, and the stores that we can host our clues in, all for no cost. But speaking of cost...
Right now, Carolyn and I are stuck on the fundraising part. There is no FUN in FUNdraising...trust us. Last time we did our project, Carolyn’s father helped us with the fundraising part because he is efficient in the business world. Now, he is encouraging us to figure it out on our own so we can learn. (Gosh darn parents and having the best intentions for their kids). Well we certainly have learned a lot: We learned that secretaries can lie to our faces about their managers being “on a phone conference call” or “in a meeting.” People on the phone have put me on hold for longer than I wish to say while “asking their manager” if they would be willing to donate. Needless to say, we have heard a lot of big fat “no’s.”
However, we are not going to get discouraged. We have had some success. We learned that fundraising is a lot about connections and who you know. We are going to try to apply for a grant through my college which gives money to independent community service projects. Carolyn and I also sent out about 50 emails to local businesses in our area politely asking for donations. Just this morning I woke up and saw that one replied saying he was interested in donating! That was probably the most beautiful email I’ve ever received.
Well, we will let you know how the journey continues. Our project is scheduled for August 18th. Until then...
~Kelly and Carolyn
