Posted by Gabe on September 22, 2010 under KAH Day 2010, Kids are Heroes | 
I read a tweet early on on my blogging days that “blogs without pictures are boring”. I tended to agree so from then on I have made it a point to have at least one picture accompany my blog posts, even if it meant me buying them from iStock. This post will have no picture. And it’s not because it doesn’t deserve one. It’s just because when we have receptions at Kids Are Heroes Day they are not about marketing or sharing with anyone else. These events are for the kids and their families. Period.
To recap, Kids Are Heroes Day is an annual event where we invite the children from our web site to come to Frederick, MD and share with others what they do and why. It’s wonderful to see these like-minded kids come together and inspire those that meet them. This will be our third annual event and our fourth of the kind. The first event had no get-together afterwards as is wasn’t something we thought of. Last year we had an event at our home and it was the first demonstration of why something like this was so necessary. In June of 2010, we had a similar event in Gettysburg, PA. Because it was 90 minutes away, we decided to have a reception at the hotel afterwards. It was to be from 6PM-8PM in the area next to the hotel pool. All I can say is that it was amazing. The kids had a blast swimming together as the parents got to bond in the courtyard. Hardly anyone knew each other but that mattered little. The kids could not be separated; as the pool closed at 10PM they were still planning where they could meet afterwards. It was also great being able to chat with the parents. Most of us are Facebook and Twitter friends and we now network with each other on a daily basis.
So why is having a get-together with just the heroes and families so important? I honestly believe these kids will be our future leaders and by meeting each other now they are getting a jump start on establishing their networks. In ten to fifteen years from now they will be able to rely on each other for support.
We have also heard from parents of these heroes that there are other reasons why it is so important for them to meet each other. Some of these children are bullied in school because of what they do. Others feel alone because their friends seem apathetic. Knowing that there are other children out there that are like them helps them validate each other and recharges their batteries to keep up their charitable work.
We are actively seeking sponsor(s) to fund this event. We estimate its cost to be $1000 which will serve 50 people for two hours at the hotel. If the sponsor wishes we will place their signage up at the reception as well as at the main event on October 23rd. We’ll even blog about you. So if you know of any companies who would like to take on this small but very meaningful project please have them write to: info(at)kidsareheroes(dot)org.
Posted by Gabe on September 16, 2010 under KAH Day 2010, Kids are Heroes |
Every time we host an event we try and make it better than the last one. Kids Are Heroes Week is just one reason why our big event on October 23rd is going to be much bigger and better than the rest. On Saturday, October 23 from 10-4, many of the children from the Kids Are Heroes web site will gather at the Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, MD to share ideas and talk about their charities. Many of them (including the founder MaryMargaret) will deliver speeches that day. So far this is nothing new. But this year we will be graced with the presence of Diana Onyonyi who is coming all the way from Nairobi, Kenya to join the other heroes! Diana is a fifteen-year-old activist who has raised over $85,000 for the Karura school, helping them build a library and a dormitory. Diana will be delivering a speech entitled “Peace is Possible” on Kids Are Heroes Day. This one is surely one not to be missed. And as I have mentioned before, former Arizona Cardinal Levar Fisher will also be there on Kids Are Heroes Day. He is a professional youth motivational speaker. I have witnessed him before speaking to a group of kids and it is truly amazing. Because he was in the NFL kids can’t wait to meet him and hear him talk. Because he is so charismatic they just want to be around him afterwards. They truly listen to what he has to say.
So what does that have to do with “Kids Are Heroes Week”? Both Levar and Diana will be here the week of October 18 visiting elementary, middle and high schools and delivering age appropriate speeches. They will also be encouraging everyone to come out and see them again, along with the other heroes, on Kids Are Heroes Day as the week will culminate on Saturday the 23rd. The event on Saturday will offer all kinds of inspiration and entertainment for the young and old alike. Your children will truly benefit from this event and who knows, it may even be life changing for them.
So far we have one school confirmed and others interested as we just sent out the notice this week. As we get more schools confirmed I will add them to this list. If your child goes to school in Frederick County, Maryland, please urge your guidance counselor, PTA President and principal to tale a look at this opportunity.
Here is a copy of the flyer (PDF) that you can hand out at your school.
Schools Confirmed:
Middletown Elementary, Thurs. October 21, 10AM.
Oakdale Elementary, Thurs. October 21, 2:30PM.
Posted by Gabe on September 4, 2010 under Kids are Heroes |
On Friday, September 10 we will be doing one of our favorite things which is hanging out in downtown Frederick, Maryland. ”Light the Creek” is a yearly event which is a precursor to the big “In the Street” festival that takes place over the weekend. From 6PM-9PM Friday night, one of the long standing members (Scott Ambush) of one of my favorite bands Spyro Gyra will be providing the entertainment. There will also be great food available. But of course if it didn’t have something to do with Kids Are Heroes I wouldn’t be mentioning it right? Correct indeed. The event will require a $5 cover charge which can be used to vote for a local non-profit. KAH is one of the charities participating. People can purchase additional votes for $5 each. All the votes for all the charities go into a bin and at the end of the festivities one lucky charity will be drawn and awarded 25% of the proceeds.
So if you are a local we’d love for you to come down to Light the Creek this Friday night and support Kids Are Heroes. We will be there donning our KAH t-shirts and if the weather permits Lily and Charlie, our two Bernese Mountain dogs, will be in tow. Hope to see you there!!
Posted by Gabe on September 3, 2010 under Kids are Heroes |
Levar will be speaking at Kids Are Heroes Day
Well I am so happy and excited to announce that it’s official: Levar Fisher, who used to play the outside linebacker position for the Arizona Cardinals, and now is a motivational speaker, will be appearing at Kids Are Heroes Day at the Francis Scott Key Mall in Frederick, Maryland on Saturday, October 23rd. Levar is one of our partners who travels around the country speaking about Kids Are Heroes and encouraging kids not to let go of their dreams. I have met him in person and have witnessed his speaking firsthand. All I can say is if you can make it to this event you are in for a real treat. NFL players who are prima donnas sometimes make people feel that all players are like that. Well not Levar. Besides being an entertaining speaker, he is engaging and is very approachable. His charisma is what really works for him and wins over the kids. Before kids know him they want to hear from him just because he is an NFL player. It’s one of those “you had me at hello” kind of things. But his talent at keeping kids and parents interested is what is really important. Because it’s not all about an entertaining speech. It’s about helping to set off a spark inside of you and your children. Believe me, you and your family will be rewarded if you come to visit him and all the other kids on Kids Are Heroes Day.
And don’t forget, Diana Onyonyi will also be there. She is our first hero from Africa and is traveling all the way from Nairobi, Kenya!! Her speech is entitled “Peace is Possible”. So if you want to experience potentially life-changing inspiration, you’ll want to be a center court on Saturday October 23rd. As we get closer to the event I will post times of certain events that will be happening that day. We have much more than I just mentioned, including other heroes traveling from all over the country. So please, mark your calendars and stay tuned!!
Posted by Gabe on September 1, 2010 under Kids are Heroes |
A vote for MM is a vote for Kids Are Heroes
Social media is great but there is one piece of baggage that comes with it that is truly beginning to annoy me: Voting. The Pepsi company recently made a decision to replace TV advertising with social media. They have put together a very successful campaign where they give out many parcels of money to needy causes. The catch: people have to vote. This is great for the companies because every time someone votes they have to do it on the company’s web site. And people can’t just vote once either. They can vote every day for a month, usually. Although this is a successful ploy for companies it’s really starting to get on my nerves as I am being asked left and right to vote for this and that.
Well guess what? MaryMargaret, the founder of Kids Are Heroes, has entered a role model contest hosted by the Discovery Girls Magazine. This is a very wholesome tween girl magazine that MaryMargaret has subscribed to for years. She even found one of our heroes, Lexxi Saal through this publication. From thousands of finalists MaryMargaret was chosen to be in the top 30. That’s great but to win you have to be in the top 10. How do you get there? That’s right, by voting. Starting September 1, people can vote once a day for their favorites. The top ten winners will be flown to California for a photo shoot so that they will all be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
So now I have the unenviable task of asking for your vote. How can I do that when I know how annoying this whole process has become? What does it matter to you if MaryMargaret is chosen as a role model for a magazine? The answer is that a vote for MaryMargaret is a vote for Kids Are Heroes. We have been trying to get press in an international publication and how perfect is this one? The more kids and parents that read about us the more we can have an impact. So I humbly ask that you vote, once daily, and also ask your contacts to vote as well. I promise I will never ask you again. :)
HERE’S HOW TO VOTE: Go to THIS LINK, find MaryMargaret’s picture (it’s the one posted here) and click ‘Vote for MaryMargaret’. You will need to register with them, but once you do that you should be able to vote each day without having to sign in. We would SO APPRECIATE if you would take the time out each day to vote for her. This could really help the KAH cause. THANK YOU!!!
And if you want a daily reminder sent to your email inbox, you can subscribe to a reminder list that will nudge you each morning only during the month of September. Sign up at http://marymargaret.kidsareheroes.org
