How will I carry the CreateAthon torch?

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I’ve been avoiding this post. 

This is the one post that I don’t want to write in any way, because it means that CreateAthon is over. It is the last assigned blog post for this semester. 

Now how will I spread the word about CreateAthon? 

Well, in part, I believe that I’ve already done this. I’ve talked to the Creative director, art directors, and others at the agency that I intern with. I’ve also talked with local Richmond business people, those that are extremely tech-savvy. I and another CreateAthon-er (Alana) talked to the founder of tumblr, David Karp, about CreateAthon. 

Pretty much any chance that I get to talk about CreateAthon, and introduce what it is to someone, I take that chance. This is an idea that I believe everyone should know about, so because of that I want to talk about it as much as I possibly can. I’m sure to some people, it gets annoying, but I think that CreateAthon is a brilliant way to simply give back. 

(This person is amazing by the way, she’s the one that got me hooked on CreateAthon)

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I’m most likely going to talk to some of my old high school teachers as well, and see if there could possibly be a mini-CreateAthon that could be established at the high school level. Maybe they help just one client, instead of breaking into teams and helping 12 different clients, but I think with all the different electives offered in high school (or my high school at least) with students learning business skills, art, yearbook, newspaper, management, automotive, etc., that there could possibly be a class dedicated to giving back to the community. Or maybe it’s not a class, maybe it’s a club set up in high school. Either way, I think it’s a great way for students to see how they could be helping the community around them, and having that kind of experience on your college application, really helps. It shows that you’ve done something real. I realize that the CreateAthon event for them would be a little bit different when it comes to set up, but maybe it’s a 12 hour event during the day, instead of the full 24. Like I said, an intro to CreateAthon events out there for the younger audience. 

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The Event (part 1)

I know all of my previous posts are building up to the event of CreateAthon. 

So now, taking you through the event and the craziness that happened.
(this will probably be split up into different parts so that way it isn’t one humongously long post.  

(some of these pictures are mine, some aren’t)
the pre-CreateAthon jitters.. people arriving, handing stuff out, getting coffee and caffeine, and definitely just getting excited.

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Mentors, team leaders, team member, and a couple of stragglers hanging around in the background, everyone is excited. And with something like this, how can you not be?!!

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first things first, gotta get that group picture taken!! (and imagine trying to fit over 100 people into one picture)

So we split up into our teams after that. My team was in an extremely open space. The Hallway on the second floor of Temple. We did a little bit of chatting, talked about the brief, got comfy, went over what we would definitely be needing to accomplish.
Then, came the brainstorming. And since we didn’t have any whiteboards or chalkboards, we made use of what we did have.
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Windows! 
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We had people check in with us from time to time, going over brainstorming with us, and looking at different ideas and directions we had. We had people coming over, talking to us about logo design, different ideas to incorporate, and tons of different directions to go in.

And then, around 12, it was time for a break. Lunch. Which, VASS actually provided for us. YAY VASS! And you can guarantee, that with over 100 people, there were long lines waiting for food.
So people ate, relaxed for a bit, had some fun. We had bubbles going and were running up and down the halls.. and then about 30 minutes after that.. back to work!  

post-CreateAthon..

Well, it has been about 17 hours post-CreateAthon. I left, after helping out people for a class from the previous summer, and after Peyton told me to go home and get some sleep. Knowing me, I would’ve stayed there helping out until 3 or 4 pm if I could’ve, but I got kicked out. (insert sad face here)
But I had left the building, walking home in what seems almost like a blur, and went upstairs to sleep. I slept for about 5 hours (which would explain why I’m awake now), and shockingly enough, I was dreaming about CreateAthon. I was seeing the event happening again, skipping through some parts, and highlighting others, and then seeing clients interacting with the CreateAthon leaders and members. I saw Ian’s client, Sportable, using the spokecards for the wheelchairs that his group made for them. I saw Curtis’s client, CAT, completely transformed. I saw my own client, VASS, out there, using the deliverables that we had made for them, gaining support, funding, and signing on with even more schools, helping more and more students to achieve their hopes and dreams. 
I woke up after all this, and I was in this sort of enlightening haze. I felt like I was glowing on the inside (not radioactively or anything) from all the good that had just been accomplished earlier. 
I also have to say that, when I woke up, I also felt sad. The event was over. I know that there’s changes that need to be modified and what not, but.. I still want to be doing this more often. Once a year just isn’t enough for me.

One week…

It is one week until CreateAthon. ONE WEEK! 

Ok, so *deep breath* I thought I was prepared, a little anxious of course, but prepared. 

I’m looking over emails with my nonprofit now, one’s that are coming in more frequently than ever before, and I’m starting to freak out a bit. I feel really unorganized, which is probably contributing majorly to the freaking out. 

I have all this stuff that I want to do for VASS, and all I’m thinking right now is “what if I don’t have the right materials from them, so I can’t provide the best work, or even the work they need??!“ 

I’m waiting on getting pictures from them. Body copy. Necessities for the printed works. Web necessities. And along with those, some of the extras that I’ve asked for. 

I’ve also tried to get a hold of students at some of the schools that VASS works with, and haven’t heard back from any of them, which is really freaking me out. I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!! GET BACK TO ME ASAP! 

I want to hear stories from the students p.o.v. (point of view). I want to hear stories from the schools’ p.o.v., and even the teachers’ p.o.v.

I especially want to hear stories from the board members’ and STEM job providers p.o.v. I feel like the stories from the STEM job providers would be some of the most interesting, since they’re not a point of view we hear often when it comes to education. 

ok. I’m done with the freaking out rant now.