Latest and Greatest

Greetings friends! So what's the latest? Well, we received a $500 donation from the Walmart Foundation today which was very nice. They alternate between donating $500- $1,000 annually. Walmart was our very first corporate donor, all the way back in 2005. So it always makes me extra happy when I see a check from Walmart. I have a vivid memory of how excited I was to get that first $1,000 donation- we had so little then and every day I struggled to figure out how to raise the money to get us going. I was so grateful to have their support.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Leominster to donate stuffed animals, books, coloring books/crayons and some art supplies for children who are living in shelters. I received a letter last week, from Bob- an older Leominster lawyer who I met through Project Smile. I met him many years ago and I don't even remember how anymore. He donates every year to help our efforts. In his letter, he said that there are 200 homeless children living in Leominster. Bob reached out to local churches and is helping coordinate a donation of items for the kids. They have 2 evenings in June that they are going to motels where a large number of children are living and dropping off a variety of nice items for them. Bob reached out to me to see if we could help with some items. I called him yesterday and said we were happy to help. I'm dropping them off tomorrow.

In other news- we're making progress with getting auction items for the Anniversary Celebration. We got some certificates arriving in the mail today. The downside is that I didn't get any commitments from anyone today for items. It always gets a little frustrating when you spend hours working on a task but don't have any results to show for. This job requires a lot of patience.

I've been reaching out to calendar sponsors and we're doing well with getting sponsors to recommit. I started reaching out to families whose children might like to participate- still waiting to hear back from a bunch of people. 

Well, that's the latest for tonight. I'm off to get boxes ready for our donation tomorrow and then watch another episode of Veep- one of the best shows on TV- I love it! Until tomorrow friends..

Thursday Happenings

Greetings friends! So what's shaking? Well, we are chugging along- slow and steady, that's how we roll. I had a phone call yesterday with a potential Date Auction sponsor which went well. They agreed that our event would be perfect fit for their target audience. They didn't commit yet, but hopefully I will hear back soon with some good news. I was feeling like I was very far behind on getting auction items for our Anniversary Celebration, so I've been putting major effort in yesterday and today on getting items. The good news is that I did get a number of commitments from donors for items. A few weeks ago, I applied online for Disney World passes for the live auction. They responded yesterday that they will be sending 4 day passes again, which is excellent. Those are worth almost $500. I want to apply to get more airline tickets donated as well- those are always popular, high value items. I also need to find some more area golf courses that would like to donate.

We're also making progress on the calendar front as well. One of the sponsors that advertises in 2 calendar months said they were back on board again. I also set up a date to calendar photos with them too. I was at one of my monthly networking events last night and spoke with one of our calendar sponsors who quickly agreed to sponsor again, which was great. It always makes me so happy when people are so readily helpful. Today- I contacted a local tourist attraction that donates passes annually for our auction. In the past, I've had to mail a letter along with a stamped envelope and they would send the passes- it's not a big deal, but it is a little extra work. I emailed the marketing director to make sure that he was still handling the donations and to check that I could mail over a letter and stamped envelope. He wrote back almost immediately and said he would mail 2 passes- no need for a letter or envelope. Now this may not sound like a big deal, but when you're spending most of the day auction item hunting, a nice gesture like that means so much.

I accidentally found a website tonight that lists a number of retailers and other companies with direct links to their donation pages and also includes some notes about what the business funds. I was clicking on some of the links and the info looks accurate. I found it when I was looking up airlines that would donate tickets for the auction. It looks like a great find- I'm feeling inspired to get back to applying for donations! Anything that gets one inspired after already spending hours on the same task is rather impressive!

On that note, I'm off to watch game 1 of the NBA finals, eat some more delicious melon and apply online for auction items. Wish me luck! Until next time friends..

Welcome June!

Welcome to June friends! How is it already June? Ah, how fast everything goes. I'm happy that the warm, sunny weather is finally here and it looks like it will be staying for a while. It's such a pretty time of the year when everything starts to bloom. I feel like I need more time to get prepared for our fall events- they are going to be here before we know it and we still have a long way to go. The good thing is that we're in our usual place- I just like to worry about everything.

We had a very nice Smiling Stiletto fundraiser on Friday night at the new Assembly Row lifestyle center in Somerville. The weather wasn't the best, but we still had a good turnout and raised over $500. Assembly Row did a great job in organizing the event- it was a cocktail mix-off with the bartenders from Assembly Row restaurants competing. Karson from Mix 104.1 hosted the event- he did a great job, especially with the hosting the Best-in-Shoe competition. He co-hosted our Date Auction for a couple of years with Kennedy.

In other news, we have our first sponsor committed for the 2015 calendar. This week, I making serious effort in getting sponsors lined up and start scheduling some photo shoots. I reached out to some other sponsors to get them back on board as well- didn't hear back from them yet. The goal is to be half way done with the calendar by the end of the month- that is usually where we are.

Tomorrow night, I'm off to a women in media and entertainment networking event in Boston. I just the group recently and I'm really looking forward to the event. I've heard that it was a good group. My job isn't exactly in that field, but I work on media outreach all the time, so I want to make more connections in those fields.

Well, that's the latest for tonight- I'm getting tired. I'm off to eat blueberries and yogurt. Summer fruit is starting to emerge and it makes me very happy. I just had some delicious fresh pineapple. I can't wait until I eat my first watermelon of the summer! Until tomorrow friends..

Polly Progress

Greetings friends! So, I'm happy to say that I was Polly Progress today- working on lots of different things and making progress. We received a $500 donation from Unibank- a local bank who has supported us in the past, so that was good news. We also have a sponsor back on board for the Anniversary Celebration. Earlier this month, we had a sponsor who had supported our calendar and event for the past few years decide not to continue their support. They said they were cutting back their budget. That was disappointing, but I don't feel like there is anything that I could have done that would have changed things. In good Date Auction news, we're getting a lot of commitments for restaurant gift certificates for the event 'couples'. I reached out to a Boston marketing company that has been involved with helping get items donated before and asked for their help again. They've been spreading the word to their restaurant clients and 4 places have agreed to donate, which is excellent. Another restaurant group that I do a lot of Meet Up events at is going to donate 3 gift certificates. We were already half way towards getting enough items for the couples to use on their date, so this is a big help. I was reaching out to new potential Date Auction sponsors today- I don't have any news yet. I've also started working on our 2015 calendar- haven't made much progress yet, but will be kicking that more into gear next week.

In other good news, Miss Massachusetts will be a special guest at our 11th Anniversary Celebration on November 7. She has been a part of our event for many years and it is always a pleasure to have her attendance. The title holders are always so outgoing, professional and a nice addition to our event. I had been emailing the pageant director for the past few months and hadn't heard back, so I was a little concerned that she wouldn't be able to attend this year. I emailed again today and the director wrote back to say they were all set to participate. Excellent!

Well, that's the latest for tonight. I'm off to eat some blueberries and yogurt. I need to make a Market Basket trip and stock up on grapefruit. Blueberries and yogurt are so delicious together and a perfect late night snack. I'm trying to go to bed early- I'm having trouble getting over the west coast time change. It was so much easier in Seattle- I was waking up super early without any difficulty! Until next time friends...

Willing to Learn

Greetings friends! It has been a while since my last blog, but I did have good reason- I was away on an Alaska cruise! It was an amazing vacation- the best I've ever had. The scenery in Alaska is breathtaking. I highly recommend that everyone visit Alaska to get to see the natural beauty in person. I also got to spend a few days in Seattle and that was great too. It is wonderful to have a change of scenery and get to see some new places. I came home feeling energized and ready to make lots of progress with work.

It is so important to keep learning. As we get older, it's not as easy to learn new things, but it is never too late. I frequently find it challenging to learn some new things, but I always keep in mind that no one is born knowing everything. Everyone who is knowledgeable or skilled at something started at zero. I've been noticing lately how reluctant some people are to learning something new. I organize a social group and we meet monthly for a board game night in a Boston bar. We play a variety of games, most are usually simple party games, but some are strategy games that require more attention and thought. They aren't even particularly complicated strategy games. It amazes me how some people aren't interested in learning something new that requires some attention to figure out. Or, they will sit down to play and then give up in a couple of minutes. Other people become critical of the game because they can't figure it out. Now, there are plenty of games that I have trouble understanding, but I don't like to give up and I want to learn how to play. Not wanting to learn, or giving up easily, is a fast way to have a stereotypical old person mentality. It is crucial to keep learning- keep finding new and better ways to do things. You have to keep up with news, keep up with technology, be active in the world and have an open mind.

On that note- I'm off to keep up with emails. I've been researching potential Date Auction sponsors and I have a list that I want to reach out to tomorrow. I also need to get some new Anniversary Celebration sponsors and auction items- I feel behind on both of those fronts. I need to be Polly Progress tomorrow and gets lot done so I can end the month on a productive note. Until tomorrow friends- please send me some good progress vibes my way!

Happy Grants News!

Well friends, I'm happy to announce that we received a $5,000 grant from the TJX Foundation! The Foundation has been supporting our efforts for the past few years. They are one of the largest grants that we receive. It is wonderful to have their support. TJ Maxx, Marshall's and Home Goods are the places that I do most of my shopping, so on a personal level it makes me happy that my favorite stores also support the cause that is closest to my heart. I was getting a little worried because I hadn't heard anything from them. They typically send an email, to let you know that you've been approved and asking for supporting documents. I hadn't received the email, so I was concerned that they weren't on board. Last week, I was browsing through my Spam box and there was the email from the Foundation, letting us know that we'd been approved and asking for the supporting documents. What a relief! You can never take it for granted that you're going to get support again- funding priorities change, budgets change- there are so many reasons beyond your control.

In other news, Walter, our photographer, sent over photos from the fashion show. He got some really good ones. Here is one of my favorites- our LK Bennett models.

Here is one with Danielle Vollmar, our host. We somehow managed to wear color coordinated dresses again!

All of the photos are posted on our Smiling Stiletto FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.623231387768874.1073741841.113932798698738&type=3

Well, that's the latest news for tonight. I already ate my grapefruit and caught up on some emails, but I still have so more to get to. Until tomorrow friends...

Fashion Show Success!

Well friends, I'm happy to announce that our Smiling Stiletto Step into Spring fashion show last Thursday was a success! We sold out of tickets on Tuesday morning which was awesome. We've sold out all our spring shows in the past, but that is still never a guarantee. I got a lot of emails, calls and texts from people who wanted tickets, so we definitely could have sold a bunch more. The event went smoothly. Copley Place is a beautiful place to host our event and they do a great job getting the retailers on board and taking care of all the details. Students from the New England Art Institute assisted again with all the behind-the-scenes work that happens at a fashion show. The guests loved the fashions- everyone clapped after each model came out which was a first. LK Bennett, Cache, Nine West shoes, Kim's Fashion Design and Soft Surroundings all did gorgeous looks for the models. All of our vendors did an awesome job- Voli Vodka, Runa, GuS Soda, Da Vinci Restaurant, El Pelon, Good Life Kitchen, Making Whoopie, LaCascia's Bakery and Finale- thank you all so much for supporting our event.  A photographer from the Improper Bostonian attended, so we should be having photos in an upcoming issue soon, which is great. Danielle Vollmar from Channel 5 did an excellent job hosting again- she hosted our fall show as well. She has great energy and is a fun host and reliable, which makes a big difference. Walter, our awesome photographer, said that I should be getting the photos at the end of the week- can't wait to share them with everyone!

I'm happy that everything went well. It is a small fundraiser for us- we bring in about $1,900 in profit, but it is more important in terms of raising awareness for Project Smile. It's so important to keep getting our name out there by having fun events and spreading the word about our efforts.

Now that the fashion show is over, I'm back to work full steam on our big fall events. There is still lots more to do and we're already well into the first week of May, so there is no time to be wasting. I need to focus on getting more financial sponsors and definitely still have a long way to go for auction items for the Anniversary Celebration. I feel way behind on that task.

On that note, I'm off to eat my grapefruit and send some more emails. Until tomorrow friends!