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| Abraham Lincoln quote from etsy's SignsMakeASmile |
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Happy Wedding Day Kristen and Steve!
We're excited to help Kristen and Steve celebrate today! Congratulations, friends!!
Friday, April 8, 2011
SEPC Day 2 Recap
I spent last weekend in Atlanta for SEPC, the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference, one of the premier college women's leadership conferences in the country. Because I have lots to share (and lots of photos!) I'm going to share three posts about the conference, one for each day. [preview post here; day one post here.]
SEPC Day 2: Friday (it's a long one so stay with me!)
After a nice breakfast in one of the hotel restaurants with University of Miami colleagues Michelle and Monica, we had a plethora of choices of educational sessions from which to choose. If you're interested, see the schedule here.
From 9-10 I listened as DeeDee Cooper shared her story of teen dating
violence. In Have You Been Hit by Love? DeeDee "shares her personal story of domestic violence with an uplifting and brutally honest account of her experience that will allow your students to recognize the signs of an unhealthy relationship for themselves or someone they may know and how to effectively leave the situation."
She's a very effective speaker. Two things I thought she did especially well:
- Her first person account of how the shame involved prevents victims from seeking help really hit home with the young women in the room
- She shared the Power and Control wheel of domestic violence, which is a good visual way to help women evaluate their relationships as well as the ones of friends they might be concerned about. Learn more about DeeDee at http://www.deedeecooper.com
From 10:15-11:15 Julie Burkhard led a great interactive session: Mentor Me, Mentor You. We explored all the characteristics a mentor might have, thought about who in our lives have mentored us (even if we've not had a formal mentor-mentee relationship) and left wanting to go out and mentor others.
The Philanthropy Luncheon followed. I had been looking forward to this event because SEPC partnered with Circle of Sisterhood (I've written about CoS before, for example, read this.) Circle of Sisterhood works to help alleviate many of the world's most pressing problems by providing education to girls. There was a lot of excitement generated for the cause at the luncheon! Sorority women really "get it" and want to work together to make a difference in the world! The event hostesses asked that everyone contribute $1 to cover the costs for a school CoS is working with in Tanzania. The $1000 they hoped to raise would cover all the expenses for all the students, from lunches to notebooks and pencils. As you can see in the photo, below, everyone was happy to give - and the luncheon pass-the-hat netted $1500!
"Girls Fight Back teaches young women to live safe, strong and empowered lives...and to never make choices stemming from fear. Beginning with the tragic story of murdered Eastern Illinois University student Shannon McNamara, we create a powerful impact upon students in regards to the prevalence of violence against women. However, the darkness ends there. We move on to explain 3 steps to a safe and empowered life: Trust Intution. Be a Bad Victim. Learn to Fight! We explain ways to reduce the risk of violence, how to understand intuition, the best ways to live as a cybersafe, strategies to secure dorms/apartments from home invasions and how to address violence in social settings. (dating violence, acquaintance rape, predatory drugs, etc.) Then it’s interactive time! Regardless of crowd size, students stand up and learn verbal de-escalation, strong body language, an effective 3-part self-defense formula, ground fighting strategies and how to use improvised weapons."
Next on my agenda was hearing TJ Sullivan speak on "Confronting the Idiot in Your Chapter" (the video is about 8 minutes long, watch if you have time):
Many of my advisor friends love TJ's blog (check it out here) so this was a not-to-be-missed session. TJ did not disappoint. He is funny and honest and really connects with his audience. His message is on point too: you can't wait for someone else to do the hard thing - YOU have to step up and be the leader.
At 4pm I had a half hour break during which I bid on a silent auction item and had a quick snack. At 4:30 we had a campus meeting for one of the schools I work with. This good productive meeting was followed by an NPC Dinner with all the delegations. I enjoyed having a chance to socialize while enjoying a good meal. After dinner I changed my clothes and met my Delta Phi Epsilon friend Amanda (she's their 2nd Alterate Delegate) to work at the Sunflower Booth. The Sunflower Booth is a fundraiser for the NPC Foundation. For a $2 donation you could honor a sister or friend with a sunflower sticker to wear on her name badge. The funds go to fund NPC's educational programs like Something of Value.
The evening activity was a Sock Hop with karaoke, which was a lot of fun, and included ice cream sundaes, popcorn, cookies, brownies and other treats. I had a nice visit with Atlanta friend Marlene at the party. Like my scarf? My attempt to look 50s-ish for the Sock Hop. :)
Ahhh bedtime!
SEPC Day 2: Friday (it's a long one so stay with me!)
After a nice breakfast in one of the hotel restaurants with University of Miami colleagues Michelle and Monica, we had a plethora of choices of educational sessions from which to choose. If you're interested, see the schedule here.
From 9-10 I listened as DeeDee Cooper shared her story of teen dating
violence. In Have You Been Hit by Love? DeeDee "shares her personal story of domestic violence with an uplifting and brutally honest account of her experience that will allow your students to recognize the signs of an unhealthy relationship for themselves or someone they may know and how to effectively leave the situation."
She's a very effective speaker. Two things I thought she did especially well:
- Her first person account of how the shame involved prevents victims from seeking help really hit home with the young women in the room
- She shared the Power and Control wheel of domestic violence, which is a good visual way to help women evaluate their relationships as well as the ones of friends they might be concerned about. Learn more about DeeDee at http://www.deedeecooper.com
From 10:15-11:15 Julie Burkhard led a great interactive session: Mentor Me, Mentor You. We explored all the characteristics a mentor might have, thought about who in our lives have mentored us (even if we've not had a formal mentor-mentee relationship) and left wanting to go out and mentor others.
The Philanthropy Luncheon followed. I had been looking forward to this event because SEPC partnered with Circle of Sisterhood (I've written about CoS before, for example, read this.) Circle of Sisterhood works to help alleviate many of the world's most pressing problems by providing education to girls. There was a lot of excitement generated for the cause at the luncheon! Sorority women really "get it" and want to work together to make a difference in the world! The event hostesses asked that everyone contribute $1 to cover the costs for a school CoS is working with in Tanzania. The $1000 they hoped to raise would cover all the expenses for all the students, from lunches to notebooks and pencils. As you can see in the photo, below, everyone was happy to give - and the luncheon pass-the-hat netted $1500!
One side of the ballroom being generous with their Circle of Sisterhood donations!
After lunch, I headed to an educational session called Girls Fight Back! Erin Weed (pictured below) created Girls Fight Back to teach young women the self-defense skills. Her story is truly inspirational - and her message is one I'd love to see presented on every campus in the nation.
Overall, Circle of Sisterhood raised $5,250 during the conference and partnered with 46 College Panhellenics! An incredible result!
Next on my agenda was hearing TJ Sullivan speak on "Confronting the Idiot in Your Chapter" (the video is about 8 minutes long, watch if you have time):
Many of my advisor friends love TJ's blog (check it out here) so this was a not-to-be-missed session. TJ did not disappoint. He is funny and honest and really connects with his audience. His message is on point too: you can't wait for someone else to do the hard thing - YOU have to step up and be the leader.
At 4pm I had a half hour break during which I bid on a silent auction item and had a quick snack. At 4:30 we had a campus meeting for one of the schools I work with. This good productive meeting was followed by an NPC Dinner with all the delegations. I enjoyed having a chance to socialize while enjoying a good meal. After dinner I changed my clothes and met my Delta Phi Epsilon friend Amanda (she's their 2nd Alterate Delegate) to work at the Sunflower Booth. The Sunflower Booth is a fundraiser for the NPC Foundation. For a $2 donation you could honor a sister or friend with a sunflower sticker to wear on her name badge. The funds go to fund NPC's educational programs like Something of Value.
The evening activity was a Sock Hop with karaoke, which was a lot of fun, and included ice cream sundaes, popcorn, cookies, brownies and other treats. I had a nice visit with Atlanta friend Marlene at the party. Like my scarf? My attempt to look 50s-ish for the Sock Hop. :)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Nick Kristof in Tallahassee Recap
Jennifer, Tara and I went to see Nick Kristof talk about his book Half the Sky
a week ago Monday (3/28). FSU SGA (Student Government Association) invited him as part of their new Golden Tribe Lecture series. I'm pretty excited that the series will bring thought-provoking speakers to campus.
a week ago Monday (3/28). FSU SGA (Student Government Association) invited him as part of their new Golden Tribe Lecture series. I'm pretty excited that the series will bring thought-provoking speakers to campus.
Mr. Kristof spoke at the recently renovated Ruby Diamond Auditorium on campus. It's a beautiful space, and even though there were a lot of people there, we were able to get seats pretty close (about 8 rows back). And we just happened to be in the same row with my friend Paula. Small world!
His talk was really good - it hit most of the major points of the book without going into too much detail. It was nice to see the pictures of the places he talked about, and to hear about the triumphs of the communities. The best part of the evening, for me, though, was the question and answer session. Kristof flew to Tallahassee straight from Egypt where he is covering the uprisings in the Middle East for the New York Times. He answered questions about Libya, the Ivory Coast and Egypt, and also addressed big picture queries like how to stop human trafficking. I also learned that FSU has a human rights literature program (wow).
It was a good evening, and as thought-provoking as FSU Student Government Association hoped it would be.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
SEPC Day 1 Recap
I spent last weekend in Atlanta for SEPC, the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference, which is one of the premier college women's leadership conferences in the country. (See my preview post here.) Because I have lots to share (and lots of photos!) I'm going to share three posts about the conference, one for each day.
SEPC Day 1.
My Alpha Chi friend, Marlene, who lives not far from the airport, volunteered to pick me up when I arrived and take me to the hotel. She also put together some items for me to donate to the Silent Auction.
After having a late lunch with Marlene, it was time to check in to the conference and the hotel, and then head to a casual dinner with the NPC delegates. We had soup, salads and sandwiches (and cookies!) and a briefing on some of the activities, campus meetings, and affiliation gatherings scheduled for the weekend. A campus meeting is a time for all the attendees (collegians and advisors) from one campus to meet with their NPC Area Advisor; an affiliation gathering is a chance for all the women from each sorority to meet each other.
We went from dinner to the Opening Session with Tish Norman. She was a high energy, fun speaker with a great message. There was a lot of dancing and cheering during her interactive hour. We also got to meet the Conference Committee (this is a student-run event) and learn more about the mission of SEPC:
My last activity for Thursday was my favorite, the Affiliation Meet and Greet with Alpha Chi Omega. The first thing we did was rearrange chairs so we could sit in a big circle. I had gotten a list of all the AXOs registered for the meeting at the NPC dinner and was expecting around 39 sisters. We had 35 collegiate sisters and 7 alumnae for a total of 42 - and over 30 of us were at the Meet and Greet!
SEPC Day 1.
My Alpha Chi friend, Marlene, who lives not far from the airport, volunteered to pick me up when I arrived and take me to the hotel. She also put together some items for me to donate to the Silent Auction.
Thank you, Marlene!
(check out her company of facebook: Sorority Spirit)
We went from dinner to the Opening Session with Tish Norman. She was a high energy, fun speaker with a great message. There was a lot of dancing and cheering during her interactive hour. We also got to meet the Conference Committee (this is a student-run event) and learn more about the mission of SEPC:
“The 2011 Southeastern Panhellenic Conference unites collegiate women to explore philanthropic initiatives, leadership programs, and social excellence education.
Through the diversity of all members and our shared values, we strive to empower women to impact their communities and ultimately our world."
At the opening session, I sat in front of these nice young women from Spring Hill College. I took their picture for my friend, Britain, who has had some experience working with their campus. I also liked their button-up shirts embroidered with the NPC logo.
After introducing myself (yes, I was in charge of this event), we went around the around and everyone introduced herself, told us her campus and the offices she holds in her chapter and/or Panhellenic, and then shared a fun fact about herself. To make things more interesting, I promised prizes to the most creative fun facts as well as to the sisters who had traveled the furthest, and the least far. Sarah S. came the farthest, from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. We had 3 sisters in attendance from Georgia Tech, the closest campus to the hotel. All winners got Alpha Chi Omega Real. Strong. Women post-it notes. For the most creative fun facts, we took nominations from the floor and had lots of winners - some sisters shared their fears (very brave) and others have done impressive service projects - one had donated almost three gallons of blood; another had given her hair twice to Locks of Love and is growing it out to donate again. We had a little extra time, so at the suggestion of one of the collegians, we went around the circle again and everyone told us something her chapter or campus is doing that she is proud of. I really enjoyed meeting all the women (many of whom I have emailed with over the last year) and learning more about them and their campuses.
good times!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
100,000 Homes
Via Katya Andresen's Nonprofit Marketing blog I learned about 100,000 Homes. Their goal is to find 100,000 homes for 100,000 homeless Americans by July 2013. Sounds completely audacious, right? But these folks are taking tried and true methods that have worked in New York and helping shelters and communities apply them around the country. The goal is to find the most vulnerable and get them into housing, one person at a time.
Then I found out that Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel did an episode of Bizarre Foods in San Francisco in which he talks about his own bout of homelessness and shares the mission of 100k homes. Travel Channel agreed to donate 10 cents per viewer, up to $100,000 for the project. The episode airs again tonight (April 5th) at 9pm ET - tune in or set your dvr.
http://www.facebook.com/100khomes
http://twitter.com/100khomes
Then I found out that Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel did an episode of Bizarre Foods in San Francisco in which he talks about his own bout of homelessness and shares the mission of 100k homes. Travel Channel agreed to donate 10 cents per viewer, up to $100,000 for the project. The episode airs again tonight (April 5th) at 9pm ET - tune in or set your dvr.
http://www.facebook.com/100khomes
http://twitter.com/100khomes
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Midtown Filling Station Review
On March 11th, my friend Tara and I had lunch at Midtown Filling Station (thank you Living Social for the coupon). For those of you keeping score at home, Midtown used to be Tapas Tallahassee. It's in the Midtown Manor shopping area on Thomasville Road, on the corner of Fifth Avenue. We had planned to sit outside but the weather was just too cool and windy that day.
Here are some things to know about the restaurant:
- The portions are huge - we ordered the $7 poblano mac and cheese as an appetizer. It was enough for two of us to share and have leftovers to take home. The bowl is huge... and it holds the heat so the mac stays really hot.
- You can trust foursquare tips here. Members recommended the mac and the fish tacos and both were really delicious.
We'll definitely be back!
Here are some things to know about the restaurant:
- The portions are huge - we ordered the $7 poblano mac and cheese as an appetizer. It was enough for two of us to share and have leftovers to take home. The bowl is huge... and it holds the heat so the mac stays really hot.
- You can trust foursquare tips here. Members recommended the mac and the fish tacos and both were really delicious.
We'll definitely be back!
Roasted Poblano Mac & cheese
Topped With Chorizo Breadcrumbs
Topped With Chorizo Breadcrumbs
Jumbo Fisher Tacos
Blackened Mahi, Black Beans, Roasted Corn,
Smoked Tomato Salsa, Cheddar & Mozzarella,
Avocado Crema, Chopped Romaine & Spanish
Slaw On Grilled Flour Tortillas
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