PhilaU Thon, Slip Casting and Drawing Projects!

Being a new member in the Dance Marathon Family, I as able to connect with the also new Dance Marathon Family at Philadelphia University. Their dance marathon was on Nov. 9th-10th. 

Rachel Prescott who is the northeast/midwest dance marathon chair, came into Philadelphia on friday the 9th, for PhilaU Thon. Having enough time, Rachel was able to meet with HootaThon's executive committee as well. This was an awesome meeting as well, and it was really nice for all of us finally meet with her! It was even better, because our advisor Amanda Neuber and Lisa Rabbitt from CHOP was able to come too!

 Top row: Emily Dabashinsky (Vice President); Mack Meyer (Dancer Recruitment Co-Chair); Katie Gillespie (Co-President); ME! (Co-President); Steven Reichardt (Morale Chair); Bailey Fuentes (Finance Chair); Bridget Clawson (Dancer Recruitment Co-Chair); Amanda Neuber (Advisor)

Bottom Row: Lisa Rabbitt (CHOP representative); Katey Steinberg (Vice President); Jane Mittelman (Event Planning Chair); Naomi Makishi (Marketing/PR Chair); Melynda Link (Hospital/Family Relations Chair); Rachel Prescott (CMN DM representative)

After our meeting, Rachel drove Emily and I over to Philadelphia University for their Dance Marathon. It was so much fun to help set up, dance, celebrate life, and celebrate the lives of the kids that CHOP saves every single day! PhilaU Thon raised $8,109.33 for CHOP. It's incredible what they did, and I am so proud of all them!

Brittany (PhilaU Thon President) and I! I was so proud of her for raising so much for CHOP!

Melynda and I were Thon King and Queen... whether anyone wants to admit it or not.

Emily, Jane, ME, Bridget, and Katie!

Our energetic executive committee!

Me, Jane, Katie, Bridget, Emily!

Yesterday, we got our slip casting projects back from the kiln firing. Mine turned out so well! I had originally molded a ginger root, but when I assembled it into a sculpture, I was able to have the form look more like coral. I love how it has turned out, and i'm not sure if i'm going to affect the surface in any way yet.

Also in 3D, we began working on our wire sculptures. I'll explain the project later when I have more of it done, but here are the three matrices that we had to create that we'll end up using in our final project. 

For Drawing, we had our second big project. We had to create an architectural space using five different studies. I created this space. It's hard to explain, but its a make believe space. 

Other than that, I am having a lot of fun here at Tyler and Temple. Everything has been great so far, and I have met some incredible people between Tyler, 1300, and HootaThon!

I am beyond excited to come home for Thanksgiving. I cannot wait to see everyone again, especially Olivia. Talking everyday does not make up for not seeing her. Hopefully i'll be able to see a lot of you guys too!

HootaThon: my newest adventure!

As many of you know, my most amazing older sister Kiersten partakes and helps run BuckeyeThon, Ohio State Universities Dance Marathon for Children's Miracle Network. The money they raise goes towards Nationwide Children's Hospital. Kiersten does amazing things with BuckeyeThon and has inspired me for years about Dance Marathon!

She has inspired me so much, in that I have created a Dance Marathon for Temple University. Their First Dance Marathon. For any of you who don't really know about Dance Marathon or HootaThon, this is what I have been sending out to all our interested students: 

HootaThon is Temple University's first Dance Marathon. A Dance Marathon is a student-run philanthropy event held on campus once a year, but the overal cause is a year long project. We lead fundraising events and awareness, as well as activities with the children at CHOP, all throughout the year. This is all leading up to our twelve hour event, where we stand on our feet for all those kids who can't. We dance for twelve hours to celebrate the lives we've saved and to remember the lives we've lost. It is a time for the families to have a day to celebrate the life of their kids, and a time for their kids to enjoy themselves and not have to worry about the tests, or hospital beds, or when they might be sick again. 

It is our time to celebrate for everything we have done throughout the year. Everything we've done to raise money for CHOP and everything we've done to come together as a university. 

Dance Marathon's happen in over 170 high schools and colleges across the country. They raised over 50 million dollars in 2011 alone, and have made record-breaking numbers in money raised for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals around the nation. 

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has been ranked one of the nation's best children's hospital in the country. Our money raised would be going to the Child Life department at CHOP. This would benefit for activities and crafts that the kids will do together. These activities help the children feel like they're at home while living in a hospital. It makes them feel like a kid when they're surrounded with the aroma that hospital's have. 

With connections through Kiersten, I have met Katie Gillespie, who is a sophmore at Temple. Katie and I are Co-Presidents of HootaThon. Through the spread of word and friends, HootaThon has made amazing progress since I started it here at Temple. 

In September, I held an informational meeting about HootaThon, just to see how many students would be interested in starting a Dance Marathon at Temple. Surprising, shocking, and exciting for me, I had over fifty students show up at this meeting. FIFTY!! 50!!!!!

It was an incredible meeting, and from the fifty, thirty five came up after the meeting saying they were interested in being on a committee. From those thirty five, thirty three handed in their committee interest forms! This was an incredible feeling that I had. 

Since this meeting in September, Katie and I chose committee chair's for our seven committees as well as two vice presidents. We have already held an Executive Committee meeting, and each Committee has held their own meeting. So far in our organization, we have over seventy students involved. This is incredible!!! 

Katie and I went last friday to register as a student organization, and are most likely going to get approved! (just haven't gotten the verification e-mail yet)!!! On friday, the some of the Executive Committee went on a trip to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). This was awesome. It was an amazing experience to actually see the hospital that we are going to raise money for. 

Jane Mittelman (Event Operations Chair); Melynda Link (Hospital/Family Relations Chair); Emily Dabashinsky (Vice President); Jenn Gayman (Fundraising Chair), Bailey Fuentes (Finance Chair); Bridget Clawson (Dancer Recruitment Co-Chair)

[not pictured, Katie Gillespie (Co-President); Katey Steinberg (Vice President); Steven Reichardt (Morale Chair); Naomi Makishi (Marketing/PR Chair); Mack Meyer (Dance Recruitment Co-Chair)]

thought this was a pretty snazzy picture! (:

We are going again in two weeks to do a craft with the kids, and we are SO excited about that!

I'm happy to answer any questions you have about HootaThon. Our donar drive is not set up yet, but once donations are able to be accepted, I will be sure to let you know!!! 

Thanks again for your constant support in everything that I do. It always means so much to me!

Rosie, Sandy, Quarter Life Crisis, and One of the Guys

During the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation race, Maddy, Brian, Angelo, Roberto and I were able to meet Rosie O'Donnell. Rosie's wife has a desmoid tumor, and they are both avid supporters of the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation. 

Oh yeah... She thought I was Peter Parker aka. SPIDERMAN (: 

Don't I look like Tobey Magurie?

The Hurricane was..... nothing! We had some rain and some wind, but nothing for anyone to worry about. Its sad... because I wish I could write more about it, but it wasn't too excited... Besides the fact that I got two days of school off, and had an awesome time playing board games with Olivia, Michael, Tom, Meg, and Michael my RA. It was a lot of fun!

My RA Michael was the creator, director, and producer of a Temple TV Show. It was called 

Quarter Life Crisis. It's about a group of students who take over the job of the professor throughout the semester. He did an AMAZING job and invited Katey, Michael, Kayla and I to the premiere of the show at the Pearl Movie Theatre. It was so much fun, and we are so proud of our RA Michael. 

Katey, Me, Michael, Kayla

Me, Michael (RA), Michael, Katy

But now, Michael has created a new TV Show which he will be directing and producing as well. This half-hour TV show is titled One of the Guys. Michael has asked me to be his Artistic Director. I am in charge of costumes and props for the TV show. I am so excited to start this, and can't wait to see it when it's completed. He's going to do a great job as always, and it's just so exciting!!!