Getting to Know my Team: Wow, what a concept! As we held our brainstorming meetings it became apparent that we were headed in the right direction. Even though our ideas were scattered I know we were going to work hard to develop a strategic plan for the Food Bank.
My partner In Crime: First impressions matter to some but for others who look beyond this facade I uncovered my partner in crime (for now) just kidding...Rachel.
Working on our tasks at hand, we feed off of eachothers ideas and even laughter. There came a point during our 8 hour brainstorming Sunday that we became a little looney. Messing around on Pandora, Rachel became our DJ. Feeling a little Lionle Richie she played "Hello," I have never laughed this hard in a l...o...n....g time. Tears that's all I got to say! Our laughter was contagious to the point we couldn't look at eachother while the song still play in the background. I don't think I will ever think of Lionel the same!
It was fun and we got a lot of work done. But, most of all I was glad that I got to meet and work with the person I know as Rachel. It is more than a first impression that we must walk away with when shaking a hand or smiling across the room because you'll never know if it will be your friend for life or partner in crime :) And when I mean partner in crime I mean "buddy."
Wrapping up one not-so-late night: With only 16 hours before our presentation, the group met to review our strategic plan. Seeing that we still needed to work on the Executive summary, Mission, Vision and other statements we divided into pairs to work on these unfinished items.
Tic Toc, Tic Toc! Next... The powerpoint. Inputting the data into the powerpoint was the next step. Although Rachel led the way in formatting the late night was creeping slowly upon us.
The Debate: Who's going to get the powerpoint printed... I volunteered all along, but others wanted to as well. In the end, I researched the location and costs and headed to the nearest Kinkos for a 12:00am print job! My partner in crime was with me so it really wasn't too bad but we were getting a little sleepy. I only concern was having bags under my eyes at the presentation... not really...but I thought about it :)
The Presentation: Everyone looked good and we had all our stuff ready. Awaiting minutes until we presented we were ready to rock 'n' roll! As we individually presented our piece there was a reflection of accomplishment. We were actually helping the food bank become a self-sustaining organization.
The End: We received great feedback from our panel! They encourage cohesion of ideas and more tools they can use to further support their organization. Overall, we did great for our first project. But, this would be the last time we will work as a group because on project 2 we will be split into 2 groups! Let the competition begin...
Our Reward: A ride on the Ski Train to go skiing at Winter Park!! Whoo hooo!
UP NEXT.... Skiing--What it means to be a beginner!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Culmination, Part Uno!
Hey everyone,
My journey has long begun! So far its been a fun exciting time meeting my apprentice contenders. I have learned to work with various people with various skill sets and leadership styles.
Speaking of style, I had to find me a suit for the January 16th, Apprentice Challenge Kickoff. This was definately a wake-up call, but not really and I will tell you why! I recently moved my mother and my little sister from Grand Junction, CO this past fall. Before then, I was living in a studio apartment on my own for five years. My life was simple then. Meaning I was living on pasta and my favorite choice of meat...chicken. I occasionally visited my ma' and lil' sis in Grand Junction and every time I did I ate homemade cooking! Delicious!!
So this leads me to my wake-up call. So when I was finding a suit for the Apprentice Challenge Kickoff, I came to the realization I have gained a few pounds. Living with my ma' again I have been eating pretty well! Overall, my date for the night had the same issue! So my advice for gaining some pounds before an event...always wear black :)
THE KICKOFF: I meet a lot of interesting people at the kickoff. Some attached to the program and others that have sponsored our work. When introducing myself I practiced ahead of time with my date and blew it at the the mic... a little stutter. But, overall I thought the ladies did better than us guys.
THE CHALLENGE: For our very first challenge we have the opportunity to create a strategic plan for the Metro State Food Bank! As a person interested in sociology I see things in a functional perspective. When designing a program you have to keep in mind how your program is going to operate and whether its going to be effective. Focusing on 4 areas of the strategic plan, I chose communications. Tasks associated with Communications included: Designing a website and marketing materials for the Food Bank.
RESEARCH: Having volunteered at the Food Bank of the Rockies, I woke up to a dead phone because my charger was never plugged into the outlet. I knew I was scheduled to meet Felipe at the Food Bank of Rockies @ 9:00am. I ran a little late but I stopped to get us a Starbucks. When I got there I met Olive, a nice lady who coordinated the volunteers. I filled out my application while sipping on my hot coffee and begin to learn about teammate Felipe. As we folded letters to be mailed, we talked about our interests and pursuits.
After we were done I scheduled a meeting with Agency Relations to learn about the benefits of partnering with the Food Bank of the Rockies and how they support their partner agencies. Olive told me the Agency Relations staff were away from their offices, but that I could speak with Lee.
Lee works for Kids Cafe, a program that provides backpack of food for over 400 students a week in the Denver Metro Area. They also run a program that provides food for students in before and after school programs. When talking with Lee he told me about how he runs his program. Simular in size to the Metro State Food bank, I correlated the numbers of Kids Cafe to the Metro State Food Bank, giving us base for costs associated with food purchase per week. Lee also connected me with LaDonna, a woman with a wealth of information. LaDonna provided Felipe and I information about The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). TEFAP is a governmental assistance program that provides emergency food to indivduals and their families based on need. Since approximately 37.4 % of students at Metro are Pell Grant eligible, over 8, 000 are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and could potentially qualifiy for TEFAP reducing Metro State Food Bank costs based on this program. Good News!!
But... More research to be continued!
My journey has long begun! So far its been a fun exciting time meeting my apprentice contenders. I have learned to work with various people with various skill sets and leadership styles.
Speaking of style, I had to find me a suit for the January 16th, Apprentice Challenge Kickoff. This was definately a wake-up call, but not really and I will tell you why! I recently moved my mother and my little sister from Grand Junction, CO this past fall. Before then, I was living in a studio apartment on my own for five years. My life was simple then. Meaning I was living on pasta and my favorite choice of meat...chicken. I occasionally visited my ma' and lil' sis in Grand Junction and every time I did I ate homemade cooking! Delicious!!
So this leads me to my wake-up call. So when I was finding a suit for the Apprentice Challenge Kickoff, I came to the realization I have gained a few pounds. Living with my ma' again I have been eating pretty well! Overall, my date for the night had the same issue! So my advice for gaining some pounds before an event...always wear black :)
THE KICKOFF: I meet a lot of interesting people at the kickoff. Some attached to the program and others that have sponsored our work. When introducing myself I practiced ahead of time with my date and blew it at the the mic... a little stutter. But, overall I thought the ladies did better than us guys.
THE CHALLENGE: For our very first challenge we have the opportunity to create a strategic plan for the Metro State Food Bank! As a person interested in sociology I see things in a functional perspective. When designing a program you have to keep in mind how your program is going to operate and whether its going to be effective. Focusing on 4 areas of the strategic plan, I chose communications. Tasks associated with Communications included: Designing a website and marketing materials for the Food Bank.
RESEARCH: Having volunteered at the Food Bank of the Rockies, I woke up to a dead phone because my charger was never plugged into the outlet. I knew I was scheduled to meet Felipe at the Food Bank of Rockies @ 9:00am. I ran a little late but I stopped to get us a Starbucks. When I got there I met Olive, a nice lady who coordinated the volunteers. I filled out my application while sipping on my hot coffee and begin to learn about teammate Felipe. As we folded letters to be mailed, we talked about our interests and pursuits.
After we were done I scheduled a meeting with Agency Relations to learn about the benefits of partnering with the Food Bank of the Rockies and how they support their partner agencies. Olive told me the Agency Relations staff were away from their offices, but that I could speak with Lee.
Lee works for Kids Cafe, a program that provides backpack of food for over 400 students a week in the Denver Metro Area. They also run a program that provides food for students in before and after school programs. When talking with Lee he told me about how he runs his program. Simular in size to the Metro State Food bank, I correlated the numbers of Kids Cafe to the Metro State Food Bank, giving us base for costs associated with food purchase per week. Lee also connected me with LaDonna, a woman with a wealth of information. LaDonna provided Felipe and I information about The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). TEFAP is a governmental assistance program that provides emergency food to indivduals and their families based on need. Since approximately 37.4 % of students at Metro are Pell Grant eligible, over 8, 000 are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and could potentially qualifiy for TEFAP reducing Metro State Food Bank costs based on this program. Good News!!
But... More research to be continued!
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