Benbrook, Texas--Relay For Life

On April 23rd and 24th the F-35 program raised the bar in participating in the Benbrook Relay for Life event for the second year in a row. Even though this was only a one night event the preparations and hard work started long before in January of 2010! Over 100 individuals showed up the night of to walk in support of the fight against cancer, however, many more contributed to the fundraising campaign in the months prior. For example, teams held chili cook-offs, bake sales, gift basket auctions and sold cancer awareness bracelets to raise excitement and funds for the cause. The hard work paid off and to date we have raised over $35,000! This is the most money raised by any of the nationwide corporate teams and the most employees participating in one event for the second year in a row. F-35 continues to make a big impact in the local community. The funds raised so far account for over 60% of the events total and a third of the individuals participating.

Project Captain: Susan Stoll

Silo Park Garden Project

For the last two years, I've been helping 42in42 with misc. media needs. Well, this year, I really wanted to lead a service project to show my support! When I first started thinking about what I wanted to do, I had a lot of thoughts but my first action was to get a team together that would help me come up with the right project. I invited my friend, Wendy and my husband, Heath to be in on the plans! After some brainstorming, we decided to pursue a community garden. Denver has these all over but I was unsure how to go about starting one and what it took to keep one going and growing :) After making various phone calls to the city and meeting with city park leaders, the Silo Park Garden Project emerged!

This was even better than I thought it would be! Turns out the city has a garden of vegetables and flowers each year at a nearby park but they donate all the food to local charities. (on the other hand, community gardens are run by certain participants and everything grown is shared with the participating families.) Every year, they've employed someone to run it. But, with budget cuts, they've been looking for volunteers to help plant, maintain and harvest. So, our project will go beyond the 42 days and hopefully beyond ourselves! You can stay updated on the progress and experiences on our blog http://siloparkgardenproject.blogspot.com/

We've already had three planting dates and have had support from community members, various local church members, friends and high school student clubs. Each planting, there is more support! I've been thrilled to watch this project grow into its own and I've been learning so much about working together, leadership and growing a garden.

I would say one of the most important things I did was put up a real estate box with fliers inside and a weekly date written on the front for the next planting date. So many people go this park to play, bike, run so they can't miss the sign and it's been hugely successful! They don't need to sign up, just SHOW UP! So, any way you can, get out and market your event! We are also doing a write-up in the city newsletter, facebook page and website.