Things are looking up!

So, another week at Starfish and I think it's been a productive one. My stitches came out on Tuesday. My finger is healing just fine and I have avoided the sharp metal parts on my desk.

I've been doing a lot of Gala planning and on Friday Bethany and I went to the Ritz Charles and the Renaissance up in Carmel. Both are nice, but they have VERY different atmospheres. The Ritz Charles is more traditional and if you ask me, it's stuffy. The Renaissance have a very modern feel to it. The furniture and building design feel new and the entry hall is welcoming. If the decision was mine, I'd pick the Renaissance. We've also looked at the Hyatt downtown. I think they'd be my second choice. We're suppose to be having our first committee meeting this Wednesday, but we'll see if that happens. Also on the event front, March College Fest was Sunday at Marian College. The turn out wasn't what we had hoped, but the Scholars that did show up were engaged and asked questions. They also got a bunch of Marian stuff (pens, key chains, bags) because Marian College is soon turning into Marian University. We had food from Qdoba and had way too much of it. But all in all, I think it went well.

Saturday I spent my morning at the Red Cross. I'm now certified in Universal Precautions, Basic First Aid, and Adult/Child/Infant CPR. If you need me to save your life, just ask. :)

The renovation is going smoothly. Paint and carpet are in place and I'm REALLY liking the color our mine and Sheniece's office. We're going to be moving into our new offices at the end of the month!! YAY for a real desk!

I have a crazy week coming up (including the weekend). I'm sure I'll share it with you all after it's over. Have a good week!

An eventful week

Well, last Tuesday was a least exciting. Immediately following my last post my desk ATTACKED me!!! Well... maybe I should just pay more attention to my surroundings. I took a huge chunk out of my finger on one of the metal parts under my desk. You can make fun of me all you want, I've come to terms with my klutziness. A big thanks to Bethany, my VISTA supervisor, for the impromptu trip to the Immediate Care in Greenwood. Four stitches and a tetanus shot later I was back at work and feeling just fine. After the construction workers left that afternoon, Bethany, Sheneice and I went snooping to check out the progress of Phase 2 of the renovation.

That night I went to the NCAA Horizon League Championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler University vs. Cleveland State. It was an intense game that we ended up losing, but it was still fun to sit in the Dawg Pound and cheer on the Bulldogs!! I did get a little too excited and kept clapping my hands and waving my arms around... that's not usually good for a newly stitched finger...

As for an update on my VISTA year, I'm on a roll with donations. I sent out a bunch of request letters to Best Buy, the Indiana Ice, Greatimes and the Indiana State Museum. A big thanks to everyone that has already responded. I really appreciate all the support that Indianapolis businesses have given to Starfish. I'm still in the mist of gathering information for the initial stages of gala planning. Our first committee meeting is at the end of this month and at the end of this week Bethany and I will be visiting Fountain Square, the Ritz Charles, and the Renaissance to check our their ballrooms.

That's all I have right now. I wish everyone a wonderful week!

Here are some pictures from last Tuesday... I had to document the day :)

our current work space(my desk is in the corner)

The metal part of my desk that attacked me

Four stitches!!!

The main hallway of the front office

The start on mine and Sheneice's new office!

B-U-T-L-E-R U a Bulldog? Hell, yeah!

My "Ah-ha" moment

I posted this on the Indiana VISTA blog, but I felt that I should post it here as well. (Katy, I hope this is an okay post for now. I'll update again soon.)

I found this short report on CNN.com that put a lot of things into perspective for me. Personally, it helped me realize how much of a difference we as VISTAs can make. My VISTA position is event planning for the Starfish Initiative, a one-on-one mentoring organization that targets low-income high school students. Their goal is to help these students graduate from high school and get into a higher education program (usually college/university).

I realize now how much this economy is taking its toll on families. We tend to think that its down turn has only caused stress on adults that have lost jobs or taken pay cuts. Unfortunately, most of those adults have children. Tight budgets and home foreclosures are forcing families to completely change their lifestyles and some families are facing homelessness.

So what happens to these children that are also forced to pack up their possessions and move out of the only house they have ever known? They're grades are slipping, they're dropping out of school. This is the time that it is most important to encourage and do whatever is necessary to get our kids to graduate high school and move on to some kind of post secondary education. We need to educate them and get them to understand that they will be the ones that can keep our economy strong.

Well, enough of my rambling. I could go on for awhile, but I'm sure you get the idea... here's the CNN report. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/10/homeless.children/index.html?eref=rss_topstoriesI hope this makes you think as much as it made me.