Ramp It Up 2014!

     You know how sometimes your schedule is a little slower than usual because you are waiting on everyone else to get back to you?  And then sometimes your schedule is a little bit more full than usual because everyone decided that they would call you back within the same half hour with urgent requests that had to be accomplished before their project could progress?  November has been the latter scenario for me.  Life has not been bad.  Not chaotic or catastrophic...just a little frantically busier.

     If you have not heard by now, we have our annual fundraising dinner coming up in one week (more on that later.)  We also received the go-aheads from 4 separate grants within the past week, meaning we could start buying things or recording things or building things or paying for things or hiring people...and every single one of those options included different paperwork.  Thanks to these grants, we are going to be able to:

• add more security cameras
• renovate the hallway rooms to increase security and functionality
• add an arctic entry and put up some more outdoor lights
• serve meals to 30+ kids at the Boys and Girls Club everyday
• fix our front door
• get more heating fuel
• add a Fund Development Director onto our payroll

It is worthwhile work, it just all kind of came at once...and came at the same time as

RAMP IT UP 2014!!!!

     I am so excited for this event.  Start off with a great location.  Thank you Friends Church for your help in this!  Now add an amazing dinner.  Those of you who attended last year know what I am talking about.  Jameson Kapec put together a spread that kicked off the holiday season in style and he's working on it again this year.  Our ride team will be helping serve, bus tables and generally be courteous and honorable young men and women of character.  One of the Board suggested that we let them ride so that every table could have "Skater Waiters."  No.  There is only so much good behavior that I want to ask of these great kids.  Preston Pollard is going to be speaking.  He is a professional skater that grew up in Anchorage and now travels around the world, inspiring young people.  He's going to be great.  Then you get to listen to me talk about how much progress Joel's Place has made in the past year and how we are going to leverage one great night (Ramp It Up) into a year of Free Skating for the kids.  We will start at 6 and be done by 8 for those of you who are concerned about fundraising events that drag on for 5 hours.

     Ramp It Up is a chance for the entire Joel's Place Family, everyone who really loves this place and these kids, to come together and celebrate as we move forward.  I hope to see you there.

If you do not yet have a ticket!  There is still hope!

     Tickets are going quickly, but we actually have a few table sponsors who are not able to fill their tables.  The tickets are prepaid (that means free for you)  and I would love to have as many people as possible during the event so e-mail me and I would love to hook you up with some seats: 

joelsplacealaska@gmail.com  

Next Friday, the 14th, will be a lot of fun.  I hope I can see you there.