Greetings! So what's new? Well, this is going to be a short blog, because I am super tired- my eyes are closing. Today was a busy day- I was at the police academy this morning recruiting for our date auction. It went great. Nine guys signed up which was a good number. Hopefully, we won't lose any. It was a very outgoing group. I love going to the Academy, especially to recruit for the date auction. The class had even took up a collection for Project Smile and donated $200. How cool is that? The Lt. from Quincy that I'm friends with is always such a big help. He is really supportive of Project Smile. He organizes my speaking to the Academy and the Quincy officers for the calendar and he helps sell some too. I wish everyone could be as helpful as he is. After the academy recruiting, we headed over to the docks to do the Quincy police photos with the boat. That was our longest photo shoot so far. I hope the pictures came out well, I think they well. There were some families that had participated before and also some new families too. It is always fun to see the kidds each year- they usually grow so much. I love doing the photos on the boat- there are lots of different things to do and it is also more challenging to keep finding the best shot. I only wish the kids didn't have to wear lifejackets- they are not very photogenic. Obviously, they have to wear them since they are on a boat, but from a visual stance, the lifejackets are rather unattractive.
I'm going to be out all afternoon tomorrow- I'm heading to CT to do calendar photos and drop off stuffed animals with a new fire department. I have a ton of work that needs to be done- I'm falling behind these last few days because I have been out on the road so much. I have a lot of emails that I need to catch up on, we need to double our efforts for date auction gift certificates- we only have half the number that we need, also need to work on more auction items for both events, grants, finding a sponsor for our last month in the calendar and setting dates for the rest of the photos that need to be done. We usually finish photos by early August, but I still have 7 more shoots that haven't even been scheduled yet.
Well, all this talk about works that needs to be done is getting me more tired. I need to be up and functioning early tomorrow so I can get a lot done before I hit the road. I don't have any plans tomorrow night, I know it's a Friday night, but I'm going to be in and catching up on a lot of things and relaxing as well- I have a book that I want to keep reading, movies to watch from Netflix. I don't remember the last night that I didn't have anything going on- it is great to be going out a lot, I love it, but sometimes it is nice to just have a night at home too- even if it is a Friday night. Until next time friends..
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Asking
So what's new? Well, we did our 152nd and 153rd donation today- Everett Police and Everett Fire Department. It went well as usual, except that we got lost and drove in circles around a rotary for more times than I would like to admit- a very busy rotary at that. Tomorrow, it will be our 154th department with Billerica Police. I also did some calendar photos this afternoon. Calendar photos are going slowly, I think we are only about half way through. It always takes a while to schedule them, but this year seems to be slower than usual. The photos are coming out great though- I've fallen in love with a photo of a Hopkinton officer's little daughter- she is sitting on top of the cruiser holding a stuffed animal- it is such a beautiful photo. I'm thinking about using it for the cover, but I'm not sure yet. I still have to see how the others come out.
It's so important to just ask for things- I know it sounds so simple, but sometimes it can be difficult to ask. I've heard that's a more female problem- men don't usually have trouble asking for what they want. Sometimes, I've found myself hesitating to ask for a donation sometimes because I feel like we won't get it. I have to keep reminding myself that if you don't ask, you definitely won't be getting anything. I'm not a mind reader, I can't predict the future and I can't expect other people to read my mind.
I did get a bit of disappointing news yesterday. We had appplied for a $1,000 grant from a local discount retail chain a few months ago, and just received a $100 gift certificate yesterday. I am glad to have something, so I don't want to appear ungrateful, but we really need the money, so it was rather disappointing. I never shop for our supplies at this store and the certificate specifies that it needs to be used in its entirety, so I think I will buy items that we can turn into gift baskets for the silent auction. That way, we can probably turn that $100 into something more. We get our coloring books cheaper elsewhere, so there is no point in buying them there. I hate having to use the entire amount all at once, some locations may have better items than others, so it would be better to shop around and buy different things at different locations. Anyways, I don't mean to be complaining- it was nice that they sent us something. It's just the grant money is so small right now, it is stressful. We should be hearing about the $5,000 grant any day now, so I am keeping my fingers/toes/legs/arms crossed for good luck.
Well, I need to go get our Billerica donation ready for tomorrow morning- I have to be out the door relatively early, so it is easier to get things ready tonight. There are lots of other things going on too, but I'm too tired to remember right now. Until next time friends..
It's so important to just ask for things- I know it sounds so simple, but sometimes it can be difficult to ask. I've heard that's a more female problem- men don't usually have trouble asking for what they want. Sometimes, I've found myself hesitating to ask for a donation sometimes because I feel like we won't get it. I have to keep reminding myself that if you don't ask, you definitely won't be getting anything. I'm not a mind reader, I can't predict the future and I can't expect other people to read my mind.
I did get a bit of disappointing news yesterday. We had appplied for a $1,000 grant from a local discount retail chain a few months ago, and just received a $100 gift certificate yesterday. I am glad to have something, so I don't want to appear ungrateful, but we really need the money, so it was rather disappointing. I never shop for our supplies at this store and the certificate specifies that it needs to be used in its entirety, so I think I will buy items that we can turn into gift baskets for the silent auction. That way, we can probably turn that $100 into something more. We get our coloring books cheaper elsewhere, so there is no point in buying them there. I hate having to use the entire amount all at once, some locations may have better items than others, so it would be better to shop around and buy different things at different locations. Anyways, I don't mean to be complaining- it was nice that they sent us something. It's just the grant money is so small right now, it is stressful. We should be hearing about the $5,000 grant any day now, so I am keeping my fingers/toes/legs/arms crossed for good luck.
Well, I need to go get our Billerica donation ready for tomorrow morning- I have to be out the door relatively early, so it is easier to get things ready tonight. There are lots of other things going on too, but I'm too tired to remember right now. Until next time friends..
Friday, July 10, 2009
Happy Thursday
Today was a productive day- I finally finished the grant application which has been on my daily list for about 2 weeks. Last night, as I wrote it yet again on the next day's list, I decided that I was fed up with seeing it on my list and it would be priority one this morning. It was a small grant, but it was a grant that had no guidelines and that made it difficult. All I was told was to write to the Foundation. I couldn't find anything online about the types of programs they sponsor and when I called, I really wasn't given any info besides being told to send a letter. So, hopefully it will work out and they will support our program. I feel a little uneasy about it, mostly because I don't know what they were looking for.
We have another returning sponsor committed for the calendar which leaves us with a half month spot left to fill. There was another spot that someone was supposed to be taking care of for us, but I'm not sure what's happening and I'm feeling like it won't work out and I will have to find a filler.
Our event flier is looking fabulous. We have a version that we need to send to an event sponsor this week, but in order to keep costs down, I'm waiting as long as possible until we have all the updates that need to be on the invitation before I have our designer do the flier/invite. Last year, we spent a lot of money on designs because of all the revisions and additions done, so this time, I'm making a major effort to cut down the revisions so we can get everything on there at one time.
We're in the early stages of working on a roadrace for next year. Michelle, our new board member, is taking the initiative on working on the roadrace, which is a big help. I really don't have the time right now to start working on another event. There is a lot of planning involved and I am concerned about finding enough sponsors to cover costs, but races are awesome fundraisers and I definitely want to start an annual race.
What else is new? I'm really happy with the lovely ladies that signed up for our date auction- they are a terrific group. It is funny how different women can be from guys. Ex., when people sign up for the auction, I send them an email listing the info that I need for our program and requesting a photo. The women will usually get back to me very quickly with their info/photo. When the guys, it is very different. I usually have to keep following up to get their info. Frequently, the women will have much better quality photos than the guys do. It is kind of funny, some of the guys who are quite attractive in person will send in completely unflattering photos. That never happens with the women. We only have half the spots filled for the guys, so we have quite a long way to go for recruiting. Next week, I am at the police academy, hopefully that will go well. Last year ended up not working out well. Initally, we had nine guys sign up from the academy, then only 4 sent me their profile info. Of those four, two dropped out and one didn't show up. The year before that was a lot better- the guy that married the lady he met at the date auction was actually recruited from my academy visit.
Well, I think that's it for tonight. I'm hungry! I'm craving one of my favorite summer combinations: watermelon, blueberries, sliced peaches and cottage cheese. It is so delicious. I am such a foodie! As I've gotten older, I love food and cooking even more. OK, off to raid the fridge, even though I should go straight to bed- it is 1:15. Until next time friends..
We have another returning sponsor committed for the calendar which leaves us with a half month spot left to fill. There was another spot that someone was supposed to be taking care of for us, but I'm not sure what's happening and I'm feeling like it won't work out and I will have to find a filler.
Our event flier is looking fabulous. We have a version that we need to send to an event sponsor this week, but in order to keep costs down, I'm waiting as long as possible until we have all the updates that need to be on the invitation before I have our designer do the flier/invite. Last year, we spent a lot of money on designs because of all the revisions and additions done, so this time, I'm making a major effort to cut down the revisions so we can get everything on there at one time.
We're in the early stages of working on a roadrace for next year. Michelle, our new board member, is taking the initiative on working on the roadrace, which is a big help. I really don't have the time right now to start working on another event. There is a lot of planning involved and I am concerned about finding enough sponsors to cover costs, but races are awesome fundraisers and I definitely want to start an annual race.
What else is new? I'm really happy with the lovely ladies that signed up for our date auction- they are a terrific group. It is funny how different women can be from guys. Ex., when people sign up for the auction, I send them an email listing the info that I need for our program and requesting a photo. The women will usually get back to me very quickly with their info/photo. When the guys, it is very different. I usually have to keep following up to get their info. Frequently, the women will have much better quality photos than the guys do. It is kind of funny, some of the guys who are quite attractive in person will send in completely unflattering photos. That never happens with the women. We only have half the spots filled for the guys, so we have quite a long way to go for recruiting. Next week, I am at the police academy, hopefully that will go well. Last year ended up not working out well. Initally, we had nine guys sign up from the academy, then only 4 sent me their profile info. Of those four, two dropped out and one didn't show up. The year before that was a lot better- the guy that married the lady he met at the date auction was actually recruited from my academy visit.
Well, I think that's it for tonight. I'm hungry! I'm craving one of my favorite summer combinations: watermelon, blueberries, sliced peaches and cottage cheese. It is so delicious. I am such a foodie! As I've gotten older, I love food and cooking even more. OK, off to raid the fridge, even though I should go straight to bed- it is 1:15. Until next time friends..
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Good Start
So what's happening? Well, the week got off to a good start yesterday morning with an email from Leighann at Yelp- inviting us to be Yelp's charity of choice for a huge event they have coming up in August at the Natural History Museum at Harvard- over 500 people will be attending. Guests are asked to make a financial donation to Project Smile at the event- how cool is that? Yelp is such an awesome site- if you haven't been on it, definitely check it out. It is a free site where memmbers review all sorts of businesses and discuss different topics. I go on there a lot, I haven't written many reviews, but I definitely use it to research restaurants and other places. Yelp is also very involved in community events which I particularly appreciate. They helped sponsor our date auction last year, our Sugar and Spice event and this year's date auction too.
We've also recruited a fabulous group of single ladies for the date auction. It's funny- things were moving really slowly with recruiting bachelorettes, but all of a sudden, we had 6 ladies signed up and now we only have 4 more spots to fill. What a relief! All the girls are beautiful too and very accomplished. We will have photos of most of them on our site in the next few days. Most of the recruiting comes from word of mouth- one of the women that signed up was featured in Improper Bostonian's most eligible singles, she then got a friend to sign up as well, who also got other friends to sign up. We have another woman who was featured in the Improper issue as well. Now, my problem is swinging the other direction- I need more single firefighters and police.
Another Anniversary event sponsor has returned- a platinum sponsor too! So that was more good news today. We are doing OK in terms of financial support for our Anniversary event. I know that "doing OK" isn't exactly a technical term in fundraising language, but it sums up where we are. We have less sponsorship dollars than last year, but it definitely could be worse, so we are OK.
It is so important not to discount yourself or services. That doesn't mean that one can't negotiate or compromise in certain situations, but once you establish a value for yourself and your product, you can not dilute that value by discounting yourself. Example: We established sponsorship rates for our events- these rates obviously include a list of benefits that the sponsor receives for their support. We do sponsor exchanges on occasion, particularly when it comes to event marketing. But recently I was asked that along with the sponsorship trade, we offer free tickets that the sponsoring company will then turn around and sell to their members (sponsor keeping the profit). Now, we can't do that. First of all, financially we can't afford to lose the ticket money. The date auction is one of only 2 big events this year and needs to bring in some serious money- giving away a block of tickets for someone else to profit from is not feasible. Second of all, and perhaps even more important than the money, is the simple fact that our event has an established value to it and we are not going to dilute that value by giving extra things away. Our sponsorship rates are set and we stand by them. Giving away our tickets for outside sale, along with the trade, was not even something that I even considered, but it was a good reminder of how important it is to stay strong and not discount ourself.
Well, I think that's it for tonight. I'm tired and need to write my list for tomorrow. I'm feeling in the mood for watermelon and blueberries- so delicious! But it is 1:25, so I should just go to bed and be all bright and perky tomorrow morning. OK, bright and perky is stretch for me in the morning, but at least awake and functioning. Until tomorrow friends...
We've also recruited a fabulous group of single ladies for the date auction. It's funny- things were moving really slowly with recruiting bachelorettes, but all of a sudden, we had 6 ladies signed up and now we only have 4 more spots to fill. What a relief! All the girls are beautiful too and very accomplished. We will have photos of most of them on our site in the next few days. Most of the recruiting comes from word of mouth- one of the women that signed up was featured in Improper Bostonian's most eligible singles, she then got a friend to sign up as well, who also got other friends to sign up. We have another woman who was featured in the Improper issue as well. Now, my problem is swinging the other direction- I need more single firefighters and police.
Another Anniversary event sponsor has returned- a platinum sponsor too! So that was more good news today. We are doing OK in terms of financial support for our Anniversary event. I know that "doing OK" isn't exactly a technical term in fundraising language, but it sums up where we are. We have less sponsorship dollars than last year, but it definitely could be worse, so we are OK.
It is so important not to discount yourself or services. That doesn't mean that one can't negotiate or compromise in certain situations, but once you establish a value for yourself and your product, you can not dilute that value by discounting yourself. Example: We established sponsorship rates for our events- these rates obviously include a list of benefits that the sponsor receives for their support. We do sponsor exchanges on occasion, particularly when it comes to event marketing. But recently I was asked that along with the sponsorship trade, we offer free tickets that the sponsoring company will then turn around and sell to their members (sponsor keeping the profit). Now, we can't do that. First of all, financially we can't afford to lose the ticket money. The date auction is one of only 2 big events this year and needs to bring in some serious money- giving away a block of tickets for someone else to profit from is not feasible. Second of all, and perhaps even more important than the money, is the simple fact that our event has an established value to it and we are not going to dilute that value by giving extra things away. Our sponsorship rates are set and we stand by them. Giving away our tickets for outside sale, along with the trade, was not even something that I even considered, but it was a good reminder of how important it is to stay strong and not discount ourself.
Well, I think that's it for tonight. I'm tired and need to write my list for tomorrow. I'm feeling in the mood for watermelon and blueberries- so delicious! But it is 1:25, so I should just go to bed and be all bright and perky tomorrow morning. OK, bright and perky is stretch for me in the morning, but at least awake and functioning. Until tomorrow friends...
Friday, July 3, 2009
Good News
We have a speaker! Karen Swensen, news anchor on New England Cable News- she is a really interesting person and will do a great job, so I'm happy that she's on board for our Anniversary event. It would be great to get other special guests as well- it worked out so well last year having two special guests. I've been so worried about finding a guest speaker, so it's a relief to have that taken care of. I wish that I could just believe that everything will be OK, without having to worry so much. I'm always afraid that the worst is going to happen- it's funny, because on a certain level I trust that if I work hard enough, things will be fine and I have every confidence in what I'm doing, but on a huge level, I get extremely worried and think that things will end in disaster.
What else is going on? I managed to get a photo shoot in Franklin done today, in between all the rain that we've been having. I have two photo shoots scheduled for tomorrow, one in the morning which means I need to get to bed at a decent hour, so I can be bright and perky tomorrow morning. I finally started working on a grant that has been on my daily list each day for about 3 weeks. I was holding off on starting it because it is a grant application that has no guidelines- no info on the website about what they have funded, no application form- nothing. I was told to send some information applying for a grant to the Foundation- it was very vague. So I'm not sure what they are looking for. The lady I spoke with was encouraging, so I don't think we are wasting our time applying, we're only asking for a relatively small amount of money. It would be great if we could get this grant, even though it would be small, every dollar is important. Things are down this year, so we really need this grant to come through. I should be hearing on a $5,000 grant application within the next few weeks- you can't imagine how I'm hoping that comes through.
Well, I'm getting tired and I'm off to bed. I want to finish the grant application tomorrow. It will be a good day to get it done since most people have the day off, so there isn't any point in trying to make business calls. I was going to take the day off tomorrow, but since I'm doing photos, I might as well work the rest of the day as well and get things accomplished. Now, I'm off to eat a peach (yes, not grapefruit!), I just had some watermelon which is my favorite fruit, now I'm off to peaches and maybe some blueberries too. How I love food! Until next time friends- I hope everyone has a very happy Independence Day!
What else is going on? I managed to get a photo shoot in Franklin done today, in between all the rain that we've been having. I have two photo shoots scheduled for tomorrow, one in the morning which means I need to get to bed at a decent hour, so I can be bright and perky tomorrow morning. I finally started working on a grant that has been on my daily list each day for about 3 weeks. I was holding off on starting it because it is a grant application that has no guidelines- no info on the website about what they have funded, no application form- nothing. I was told to send some information applying for a grant to the Foundation- it was very vague. So I'm not sure what they are looking for. The lady I spoke with was encouraging, so I don't think we are wasting our time applying, we're only asking for a relatively small amount of money. It would be great if we could get this grant, even though it would be small, every dollar is important. Things are down this year, so we really need this grant to come through. I should be hearing on a $5,000 grant application within the next few weeks- you can't imagine how I'm hoping that comes through.
Well, I'm getting tired and I'm off to bed. I want to finish the grant application tomorrow. It will be a good day to get it done since most people have the day off, so there isn't any point in trying to make business calls. I was going to take the day off tomorrow, but since I'm doing photos, I might as well work the rest of the day as well and get things accomplished. Now, I'm off to eat a peach (yes, not grapefruit!), I just had some watermelon which is my favorite fruit, now I'm off to peaches and maybe some blueberries too. How I love food! Until next time friends- I hope everyone has a very happy Independence Day!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
New Month
Well, here we are- the first day of July. Can you imagine we are already in July? I can't believe how time flies by, it just seems to disappear and most of the time I feel like I haven't gotten enough done. Today, I was spending some serious time on getting a special guest speaker for our Anniversary Celebration. We don't have a speaker yet and I need someone interesting. Gail Huff and JC Monahan did an awesome job last year, but we do need someone new this year. I've been writing to a number of anchors and news personalities and I contacted more today. It would be cool to get a pro athlete as well, but that is a longshot. I think the news reporters are interesting and they are well received. I am open to suggestions though, so if anyone is reading this and can help us get a cool guest speaker for our event, that would be awesome. I do need some help with this.
We have a few more single ladies signed up for our date auction- we have 7 spots offically still available, but there are 3 ladies who signed up and haven't sent me their profile info, even after my reminder email, so I'm not sure if they have dropped off. I will send another email next week and if I don't get a response, I'll remove them from the list. We have a great group of ladies so far. I haven't heard from the FF who are helping recruit the single FF yet, so I'm going to place another phone call tomorrow.
Calendar photos are going a little too slow- we still have a lot of departments left to photograph. This incredibly rainy weather doesn't help either- the only good thing with this weather is that we are saving the electric bill since we're not running the AC! I go through this every year with the photos- it takes a long time to get the photo shoots scheduled and I always worry that it will never get done. I have a shoot scheduled for tomorrow and two on Friday, so that is pretty good. I was sort of planning on taking Friday off and make it a long weekend, but I will be working. I have too much that needs to get done anyways to take days off.
We have a tentative commitment for a date auction sponsorship, actually it's not quite a tentative commitment yet- it's the step before that- the "I think we will do something" step. I don't know what I can say that will push it to the next level, I think I've said everything possible and it is now up to the company to make the decision. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be good news. I'm not sure if I should follow up tomorrow or wait until next week. I don't want to appear too pushy, but I would like a definite answer. I need to keep working on finding new sponsors and I need to get back to work on getting more gift certificates for the date auction- I've slipped a little in contacting businesses.
Well, I'm getting tired and going to bed early, it is only 12:30- maybe this will actually be an early night tonight! Until tomorrow friends..
We have a few more single ladies signed up for our date auction- we have 7 spots offically still available, but there are 3 ladies who signed up and haven't sent me their profile info, even after my reminder email, so I'm not sure if they have dropped off. I will send another email next week and if I don't get a response, I'll remove them from the list. We have a great group of ladies so far. I haven't heard from the FF who are helping recruit the single FF yet, so I'm going to place another phone call tomorrow.
Calendar photos are going a little too slow- we still have a lot of departments left to photograph. This incredibly rainy weather doesn't help either- the only good thing with this weather is that we are saving the electric bill since we're not running the AC! I go through this every year with the photos- it takes a long time to get the photo shoots scheduled and I always worry that it will never get done. I have a shoot scheduled for tomorrow and two on Friday, so that is pretty good. I was sort of planning on taking Friday off and make it a long weekend, but I will be working. I have too much that needs to get done anyways to take days off.
We have a tentative commitment for a date auction sponsorship, actually it's not quite a tentative commitment yet- it's the step before that- the "I think we will do something" step. I don't know what I can say that will push it to the next level, I think I've said everything possible and it is now up to the company to make the decision. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be good news. I'm not sure if I should follow up tomorrow or wait until next week. I don't want to appear too pushy, but I would like a definite answer. I need to keep working on finding new sponsors and I need to get back to work on getting more gift certificates for the date auction- I've slipped a little in contacting businesses.
Well, I'm getting tired and going to bed early, it is only 12:30- maybe this will actually be an early night tonight! Until tomorrow friends..
Monday, June 29, 2009
Behind Schedule
So what's new? Well, I had a mini meltdown on Friday when it dawned on me that the date auction is only 2 1/2 months away. I know that may sound like a long time, but it really isn't. There is a lot that needs to be done- we need more ladies to auction off, our police/fire recruiting is only in its early stages, event fliers to be finalized, programs designed, marketing done, more financial sponsors, more gift certificates for the couples, more gift bag items, volunteers, silent auction items. Yes, there is a lot. We are making progress though- we have people signed up to be auctioned off, venue is ready, hosts are all set, half way to our sponsor goal, half way to the amount of gift certificates needed, our awesome tote bags are ready, we have some gift bag items, tix are ready for sale on our website- so we are moving along. It's just scary to think how quickly the event is approaching and we do still have a long way to go to be ready. But I did it last year and things went great, so we will do it again. I went through the same anxiety before, so it's not new, but that doesn't make me worry any less.
So what else is going on? I can't remember, I'm focused on how many things on my list are still unchecked. I went back into my office to work around 10:30, but started doing other things online- starting a cooking group on Meet Up and chatting with friends on Facebook and didn't get any work done. It's midnite now and I should go back and work, at least finish 3 things. Except, I know that when I start working, I'll get into the zone and won't go to bed until 3am. I went to bed at that time last night, but I wasn't working- just doing other little things and reading- just wasn't ready to sleep. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so boring tonight. The new month is also right around the corner and I feel like I need to catch up on a lot of things so that we cant start July nice and fresh- without carrying over a list of items from June that really should have been done already.
With that said, I'm going to make this a short blog and go back to work- I can't go to bed knowing there is this much left undone today. I will try to give myself a time limit- bed no later than 2am, ideally 1am. Until tomorrow friends..
So what else is going on? I can't remember, I'm focused on how many things on my list are still unchecked. I went back into my office to work around 10:30, but started doing other things online- starting a cooking group on Meet Up and chatting with friends on Facebook and didn't get any work done. It's midnite now and I should go back and work, at least finish 3 things. Except, I know that when I start working, I'll get into the zone and won't go to bed until 3am. I went to bed at that time last night, but I wasn't working- just doing other little things and reading- just wasn't ready to sleep. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so boring tonight. The new month is also right around the corner and I feel like I need to catch up on a lot of things so that we cant start July nice and fresh- without carrying over a list of items from June that really should have been done already.
With that said, I'm going to make this a short blog and go back to work- I can't go to bed knowing there is this much left undone today. I will try to give myself a time limit- bed no later than 2am, ideally 1am. Until tomorrow friends..
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