Rockin' the Estate

I planned and held a benefit concert called Rockin the Estate on December 2, 2007. The proceeds of the concert were donated to www.imjustbeingme.org, an Arizona charity to help with the awareness and alternative options for Alopecia. The Rockin the Estate benefit concert featured six Arizona bands playing at Anderson’s Fifth Estate in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition to the proceeds generated from the event ticket sales, we had a caterer who donated the meals which were sold, numerous donations for the silent auction and several cash sponsorships. Since the venue was also donated, the entire proceeds of the event, totaling $15,000 were able to be directed to www.imjustbeingme.org. In order to accomplish my achievement, I first outlined my project plan and contacts who would be able to assist in the production of the event. Early on, I contacted key individuals who had experience in event planning, music contacts and media connections to become members of the team as well as partnering with the Chandler Service Club to publicize the event. I coordinated the initial meeting with the team to enlist their talents and input to help organize the event. Once we met, we were able to make the plan which included each individual’s name, contact information, as well as the actual steps which needed to be completed along with the respective owner of each step. In my role, I learned that it is important to bring more experienced individuals together and keep the communication open and continuous so as to keep everyone engaged, empowered and informed and to eliminate duplication of efforts. My leadership in communicating helped to keep everyone connected and not become fragmented in their efforts and actions. The first challenge I met was how to keep everyone informed if they could not attend the meetings because of the distances we all live from each other. I worked to overcome this through the email updates and overviews I sent to the team as well as reaching out to them with phone calls to help strengthened our relationships. The other challenge I faced was in working with some people who did not know me and had the tendency to dismiss my abilities because of my youth. In this challenge, I found the best way to overcome it was continuing forward with my efforts and proving myself to the individuals and working to build a relationship with them where they learned more about my heart and work ethic and focused less on my age. The impact this achievement has had on me has been profound. By working to produce this event, I was blessed to meet some of the children who have been affected by Alopecia and learn how they have suffered from this condition. They are such incredible young kids, who have everyday challenges they have to face and they do it so beautifully. That has helped me to realize that we all have challenges, some are readily visible to others, while others may only be known by the one facing the challenge. But, with that knowledge, we all have the opportunity to come together through the challenges or separate and try to overcome it alone. It always helps to have others supporting you, and makes it so much easier to overcome anything we face. It is the relationships we build that help give us the strength to endure and overcome. The impact this achievement has had in my school and community has been an increased awareness of Alopecia and challenging it is for the individuals, often young children, who suffer from the condition. The benefit concert was very financially successful, which will assist in the ongoing efforts and impact within the greater community of Arizona to increase the awareness and education about Alopecia. On a smaller, but no less significant level, I know that at least one adult suffering from Alopecia was impacted by the event. This woman approached me at the benefit concert and told me that she had been suffering from Alopecia and had not seen any information or public support for individuals with Alopecia. She said that she was so excited to read in the paper the announcement of the event and came to learn more about Alopecia and seek a support group that she had so desperately been needing hoping to find. I put her in contact with the founder of the website who helped her connect with others suffering with Alopecia. The look on her face, when she thanked me for caring enough to have the benefit concert and help raise the awareness was so impactful to me. To know that I touched someone and helped her to endure and overcome was a huge impact on me and was just as outstanding achievement for me as the $15,000 earned for the cause.