generation joy - Students Helping Students Home

GENERATION JOY
Kids helping Kids
www.generationjoy.org
July 2010
Board Members
Curtis Betzler
Generation Joy rolls on !
Ellen Betzler
Caroline Brown
What Does Generation Joy
Do in the Summer?
Linda Guard
Joe Osborne
James Randle
Barb Steeves
Annette Strand
Jenna Velozo
Save the Date
3nd Annual GenJoy
Auction
We finished the school year
at the end of May by loading
a 40 foot container with all
of the fantastic donations
collected by kids in our
community to help South
African learners succeed in
school. Thanks to many
students and supporters
like you, kids in South Africa will receive bikes to get
Saturday, May 21st
2011
Pickering Barn,
them to school, paper and
pencils and books to help
them learn, and simple comfort items like stuffed animals
to make life a little more fun!
As this newsletter pops into
your e-mail box, the container
is due to arrive in Durban any
day. This year’s travel team
will include board members
Curtis Betzler, Barb Steeves,
Ellen Betzler, Jenna Velozo,
and James Randle, and former
BLMS students Nick
Buechel and Carson Guard.
If you’d like to follow the
adventures of the travel
team as they distribute
school supplies to students
in South Africa, please visit
our new Travel Blog at
www.mytb.org/GenJoy
Let the fun begin on the
other side of the world!
DONATE ONLINE
A very big “Thank You” to our sponsors
To Roger and Jenny Teeter
for introducing us to our
partners in South Africa
and paving the way for our
outreach there; and for
generously continuing to
shipping of our containers
there each summer.
To CGI for its sponsorship of our auction with a generous
monetary donation. Please visit their website at
www.cgi.com where you will find the following statement
regarding corporate social responsibility: “Our business
model is designed to ensure that we are close to our clients and communities. We embrace our social responsibilities and contribute to the continuous development of
the communities in which we live and work.”
Page 2
A Generation Joy Celebration
WOW…..what a great
fundraiser! We’d like to
thank everyone who attended our 2nd annual
auction for making it a big
success! We loved showing you the progress we
have made over the past
year, both in the number
of students involved in the
Major Beverage
Contributors:
Doug Willson and
Sierra Nevada
Mac & Jacks Brewing
Company
Reed and Rykie Kelly
BLOCK students spoke about
their work and how it has
spread to other schools. Former BLMS student Kevin Vu
talked about student activism
and his own project, “Pencils
fight Poverty”, which was created as a result of his own experiences with the humanitarian project at BLMS. The silent
auctions tables were full of
fabulous items, services and
experiences; many donated by
local businesses. We’d like to
ask you to patronize these
The auction continues to
businesses that have donated
grow and develop and we
think we have found the ideal so generously to support a
good cause!
location for future events.
The Pickering Barn in Issaquah was decked out in Generation Joy banners and the
smiling faces of kids, volunteers and friends of Gen Joy
who came out on a rainy
evening to support us.
project here at home, and the
difference it has made in the
lives of students in South
Africa. It really has been
fantastic to see the students
take a lead role in getting our
message of “Kids helping
Kids” to a wider audience.
Their participation and eagerness to speak out on the
work they are doing to support Generation Joy has been
an inspiration to us!
A big thanks also to the MANY
friends and supporters who
made personal donations of
items and services… we couldn’t do it without you!
Fund an item” donations are
funding extra school supplies
and other necessary items that
were in short supply after the
drive. Your donations will also
help to pay for the substantial
vehicle rental and fuel costs
that are essential to the delivery and distribution of items to
the rural schools. Many hundreds of miles will be covered
during the 2 weeks that the
travel team is working.
The net proceeds from the
event totaled $24,750. This
is twice the amount we
raised last year, so once
again… a very big thank you!
Peter and Amy Click
Artisanal Brassiere and
Winebar
Eugene Slutsky, CPA-Sound
Advice
Watercress Asian Bistro
Eva Davis Massage
Silver Oak Cellars
Seattle Seahawks
Far East Handicrafts
Thoa’s Restaurant and
Lounge
Wild Ginger
The Shops at the Bravern
Pearl Bar and Dining
Root Table Restaurant
Images by Kathryn
Sparkman Cellars
The Georgian at the Fairmont
Hotel
Starbucks
Pine Lake Ale House
Dahlia Lounge
Buty Winery
Teeter Hang Ups
Edward Jones at Pine Lake
Village
John Howie Restaurants
Village Theater
Embrace Activism
Regis Salon
Fins Bistro
Earth Pet
U.S. Nails, Pine Lake
Ramey Wine Cellars
Le Fournil Ltd. French Bakery
Olive Wine Co.
Stevens Winery
Wine Girls Wines
Landmark Vineyards
Ensemble Cellars
WA Baseball School
Ray’s Boathouse
Kingfish Café
Bel Viso Day Spa
Rain City Digital Arts
Le Gourmand
Pocock Rowing Center
Trout Water Guide Service
Trophy Cupcakes
Sculptor Fitness Studio
Columbia Wine
Distributing
5 Point Café
Businesses:
PCC Natural Markets
Microsoft
Treehouse Point
Learning Rx
Emerald Downs
Petit Jardin
Eastside Kickboxing and
Pilates
Peet’s Coffee
Trader Joes
Seattle Mariners
Seattle Sounders
www.generationjoy.org
Page 3
Beaver Lake “BLOCK “club round up
supplies,
shoes, sports
equipment,
comfort
items and
bikes; and
give presentations to
other
Another Great Year for “Kids schools. They even gave
Helping Kids” at Beaver Lake their presentation to their
own peers at a BLMS school
Middle School
-wide assembly, which takes
Generation Joy is so lucky to a lot of courage and selfhave a great base of support confidence! As the school
with the students and staff at year wound down and the
Beaver Lake Middle School. shipping container full of
For the 2nd year, students
supplies was on its way to
gave up their Wednesday
Africa, we had a chance to
mornings to participate in
ask them to review their
BLOCK Club. (Beaver Lake
year. Here are some comOutreach Community of Kids) ments by Prabha Dublish
The BLOCK students take on and Jonathan Yee.
the enormous responsibility
for the planning and running -Why did you join BLOCK?
Jonathan ~ At first I honof the collection of school
estly joined BLOCK Club for
community service hours,
but after being in the club
for the course of the year I
found that BLOCK is absolutely amazing. I enjoyed
everything about this club
and am glad that Beaver
Lake Middle School has put
Beaver Lake School Assembly
together this organization
to allow kids to help kids.
Prabha ~I joined BLOCK so i
could make a difference.
Many people don’t realize
how fortunate we are to
have simple things like
soccer balls or pencils.
These are things that we
just throw away or don’t
even care about. Ever since
I started BLOCK, I see that
we really did need to help
those kids in South Africa,
and I feel really fortunate
and blessed that I was able
to help in my very limited
way.
-What were the high
points of the year?
Jonathan ~High points of
this year was meeting Pierre and Jaci Horn who live
in South Africa and work
side by side with BLOCK to
help the kids that were in
need over in South Africa
who were not as fortunate
as we are in the United
States.
Prabha ~Some of the high
points of the year was
when I talked at the GenJoy auction. It was just
amazing to see all the
people who were willing to give their money
to this cause. I had no
idea so many people
would be willing to help
these kids and it really
touched my
heart.
-What would be the
best selling point to get
students to join next
year?
Jonathan~ I think a
selling point to get kids
to join is to put them in
the place of the kids of
South Africa for the
day and open to their
eyes to how much
these kids are really
lacking necessities.
Prabha ~ If you want to
make a difference in
the world, join
BLOCK. This drive was
definitely a success, we
collected a ton of items
which I am sure will
benefit hundreds of
kids in South Africa.
BLOCK Club 2009-2010
Page 4
Generation Joy Fundraiser ~ Get your knives and forks ready for…..
bottom right corner of
the homepage.
Roads around the region
Generation Joy
Contacts
Curtis Betzler
President
curtis@genjoy.org
Thank you to all those
folks who signed up at the
auction to support us via
their knives and forks! You
will get regular e-mail
statements showing how
your eating out is benefitting Generation Joy. We
This is an easy, secure
way to support Generathank you and hope that
your tummies are thanking tion Joy at no cost to you
you too! If you missed out by dining out at some
great restaurants!
and want to get in on the
action go to
www.celebratedchefs.com
and click on “enroll” in the
Supporting Generation Joy
Generation Joy Foundation is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As you
consider participating in giving campaigns through your work or community, we encourage you to designate all or part of your gift to Generation Joy and promote the
cause of “kids helping kids”. Don't forget to maximize your giving by using your company's matching funds program. We thank you in advance for your generosity!
Donate here Or for more information go to www.generationjoy.org
Barb Steeves
Vice President
bsteeves@genjoy.org
Jenna Velozo
Secretary
jvelozo@genjoy.org
Joe Osborne
Strategist
josborne@genjoy.org
Ellen Betzler
Director of Programs
ebetzler@genjoy.org
Calling All Volunteers!
As Generation Joy grows, so does our need for volunteers. We are currently seeking
enthusiastic team members for our fundraising activities!
Do you have auction experience? We need a committed team of volunteers to help
with all aspects of our next auction, which will be held on May 21 st, 2011 at the
Pickering Barn in Issaquah. For those of you who have been involved with the planning
of an auction, you will know that now is the time to start procuring great items, services
and experiences! If you’re willing to help we’ll have a job for you that will use your talents and won’t take up more time than you’re able to give. Please e-mail Linda Guard
at ldguard@comcast.net to volunteer, or for more information!
Do you have grant writing experience? Know someone who does? We’d love to hear
from you! Contact Barb Steeves at bsteeves@genjoy.org
Have you ever been in charge of organizing a fun run? Do you have a great idea for an
awesome fundraiser that you think we should hear about? Don’t be shy… we want to
hear from you!