Morocco-Week Two and Three

In the previous week, the first week of April, the smaller groups met to think of fundraising ideas. I was in Mr. Fetzer's group and we came up with two main fundraisers for the month of April and May. However, it took us a while to get there; we met at least three times that week until the larger Morocco group meeting. Then we discovered that the groups would get larger and we'd be working with at least three other groups about one fundraiser. Although, during the days in the smaller group with Mr. Fetzer it worked pretty well. After two group meetings we were ready to actually do a fundraiser, which we had decided on a car wash. We figured out who would bring what, where it would be, when, and who would be able to be there. Unfortunately the groups were made larger and given different fundraisers to do. On the bright side of that though, the more people we have I think the more likely we'll be able to spread the word.

In the larger group meeting our group included the groups of Senorita Briggs, Mr. Steedman, Madame O'Keefe, and Mr. Fetzer, where are group was supposed to work on a fundraiser that was chosen, Movie-Night. I think it's a great idea, but the large group made it difficult to decide on things and cooperate. For example, we couldn't really decide what movie or movies we should show, however we did decide that it'd be a two movie feature. One movie we decided on for the adult audience was Yes Man with Jim Carey, and for the children we decicided on Princess Bride. I really think that we can choose a better movie than Princess Bride because what little boy would want to see Princess Bride. I think that they'd come to see one of the Harry Potter movies or one of the Pirates of the Caribbean because boys like action not girly movies with princesses and brides. Also, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean are very alluring to both boys and girls. Another example, the large group wouldn't listen or cooperate with each other, which is very frustrating when you're trying to get a fundraiser going and actually do it. There were smaller groups talking to each other sometimes about the fundraiser but probably other stuff at some times too. It really is hard to work on a fundraiser when not everyone is working together. Also, a lot of the students were talking all at once which made it even harder, but then some people decided to call on the people who were raising their hands which led to the smaller groups talking to each other again. I believe it was a really unsuccessful meeting, there were just too many people that wouldn't listen and at one point people just walked out like it was over. We could've gotten more stuff done, but since it might have seemed like it was over they just left. I really wish we kept our smaller groups because it would've been a lot more productive and could've done a lot more fundraising.

Although the larger group fundraising was unsuccessful, so was the smaller group at first. In the beginning of the smaller groups it was hard to get things done because again people would go into smaller convesations, and I did tell them to stop in an aggressive way, I told them to shoosh, which I completely regret because it wasn't very nice. However, it did make the group start listening and we began getting stuff done, so it was both a good and a bad thing.

Over this weekend, the 10th and 11th, there were two fundraisers that were optional to the Morocco group. Students had the opportunity to go to Mr. Hyer's home and make chili, chicken sandwiches, and vegetarian chili and do spring cleaning for him and another house. Secondly, on the 11th you could go the annual Sturgis SPA Auction to serve the chili and chicken sandwiches to the people at the auction. I went to both and found them really fun. At Mr. Hyer's house we arrived around ten in the morning, the first things we did was grill and cut the ingredients for the chilis. There were many ingredients to prepare, like seventy cloves of garlic! I really did have fun though because I got to learn how to make, pretty much, Mr. Hyer's famous chili and hang out with some of my friends and get closer to other students. We all really worked well together, I don't think there could have been a better group at Mr. Hyer's house. Also, we raked his yard and a neighbors yard. It took us the rest of the day, but before lunch we were working too and we were all so hungry. It had been a long time since breakfast and we were losing a lot of energy working pretty much constantly to the point where probably Mr. Hyer got annoyed. In the end he fed us and we got rejuvinated, which let us rake his yard with so much more energy. At the end of the day we bagged almost seventy bags of leaves and pine needles. There were so many bags and I bet everyone was like "woah we did that many!" After we raked we took out patio furniture from the neighbors house over to Mr. Hyer's house, and at one point we found a dead squirrel! I wasn't personally there but it was gross, but then it got better and more fun because we burried it in his backyard! Overall, that day was really fun and it made the people there closer than the probably ever would have gotten.

On the second day of the weekend, the 11th, was the SPA Auction. I arrived at 10:30 (the time we were supposed to arrive) and no one was there but one other person and I. So we called Mr. Hyer and found out that there's supposed to be twenty-eight people there, but there were none (but people did end up showing up). Later in the day, when the auction actually started we were all pumped up to sell his delicious chili and thought that it would be as crowded as Twin Acres on their two for one sale (an ice cream place). However, only a few customers came and bought our chili. The auction was really slow too, there were probably not even over fifty people, probably much less. It was sadening, in the end both SPA and the Morocco Team each earned a hundred and seventy dollars, roughly. I think that that was great seeming as there were so few people there. On top of that we earned roughly two hundred and fifty dollars at Mr. Hyer's house, which makes me feel more confident that we'll fund most of the money for Morocco. It shows that we are dedicated and are willing to do anything. I am excited to do more fundraising hoping that they will be much more successful and each one will over all bring us that much closer to reaching our goal.

Morocco-Week One

After the first week in planning the Morocco trip I feel that we have actually begun. In this meeting we got into smaller groups to think of ideas for fundraising, like having a field day. I feel that the trip has become even more real and has actually started because thinking up ideas for fundraising is a basic step in trying to raise money. It becomes more real because you are actually starting to do something to help you get your way on going to Morocco.

My excitement for the trip has sky-rocketed because I am getting closer to the actual trip and the fundraising ideas sounded awesome. Being in the room while thinking and talking about different ideas that could potentially raise a lot of money, just put me in the moment that yes you are going to Morocco and you are going to be doing all this stuff like fundraising that is going to be a blast. Others may not agree that every part of this trip is going to be "a blast," but I think it is because how awesome is it to be planning everything about your trip and working to get the money needed. Thinking of all these ideas and day-dreaming of what might become of them makes it exhilerating because how many parents really believe that we are going to raise enough money, let alone all of it. I was thinking about how much money we could earn from all this different ideas and just amazing all the parents would make me feel powerful I guess; like you didn't expect this to come from teenagers but it happened and possibly taking them off balance. Just the fact that we'll be doing everything, especially the fundraisers, and being successful will make me feel like I can do anything. Having a team also makes me feel like we can do anything because I do agree with the sayign "there's a power in numbers," because how many people would donate money or anything to you if it were just you alone. I don't think anyone would because they probably wouldn't believe you.

I am going to contribute as much as possible, I will go up to businesses or find places to hold fundraisers, think of ideas, and do anything else I possibly can. One talent that I have that I think will contribute to the group and etcetera is optimism and believing that we can do anything. For example, if we had a fundraiser that didn't go to well, meaning we didn't raise a lot of money or not a lot of people showed up, I'd boost everyones morals by saying things like "We still go some money and more people know about us" or "We have plenty of other fundraising ideas that we can do, and now we know that this one isn't a huge hit!" Things like that I think help people feel happier, and it's a lot easier to work with happy people than sad and angry people. I sincerely believe that anyone can do anything if they set their mind to it and I will tell my group that and keep pushing them to do something unless it is really obvious that it is not possible.

When I meet with my smaller group on Monday I hope to pick a fundraiser and make a dates and etcetera to do the fundraiser. I think that we need to do stuff as soon as possible because the more we get in the more money we will earn. My favorite fundraising idea that I have heard is the field day. I think that it will raise a huge amount of money and be a big success. Everyone would have fun and enjoy themselves, which would also make this fundraiser more appealing because kids will probably coerce their parents to let them go but then they'll end up loving it and possibly telling other people to come too. I see it as a great possibility of being a huge success. Field days are always fun and normally everyone enjoys them, so we could do it multiple times where more and more people will come each time.

I have joined the media team and completely agree with the fact that it is very important to put ourselves out there and having valid and alluring reasons to have businesses and etcetera join us or give us donations. I believe that I didn't participate as much as I wanted to or could have because I don't really know anything about making websites and stuff like downloading pictures and having links. However, I will participate more next time the media team meets by giving out ideas on how the webpage will look or what sort of details should be on it, although I have no idea if we already have a website which I will find out because it essential in participating with the media team and getting Sturgis' name out there business wise. I plan on help building the web site by making businesses want to support and donate to us; to come up with good reasons and explanations on why a business might want to give us donations.