Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Powershift 2011 Story

Where do I even start!? I guess I'll start where it all began...

Once upon a time there was an awesome club at UCF, it was called I.D.E.A.S.
Within this club were driven, dedicated individuals who fought day in and day out to bring positive environmental change across the land. One day, a messenger came to alert the environmental Knights (get it?) of the most magical and amazing opportunity--a grand ball in Washington DC where tens of thousands of like-minded individuals would gather to fight climate change!


Twas then time to find a chariot.
Up pulls the RunBus:



In the beginning, the RunBus was a cold, seat-less, barren world which would have surely driven these 32 students insane but because there was a magical force attracting each member of I.D.E.A.S. together in the quest to reach Powershift--a solution emerged.


In flies The Mustard Seed Fairy.


The Mustard Seed is known throughout the land as a healer, bringing hope to families and individuals who are ready to rebuild their lives. When she got word of the situation, she spread her fairy dust all along the floors of the run bus..we're talking mattresses people. Not-fit-for-families-in-need-but-perfect-for-making-a-30-hour-bus-ride-((for-32-students-and-their-luggage-)) comfy mattresses. Huzzuh!
With vegetable oil in the tank, mattresses on the floors, and the smell of french fries in the air, the old school bus and the students of I.D.E.A.S. set off to change the world




Lo Lesson #6:
I registered for PowerShift with the assumption that I would learn how to promote positive change in the community. Never had I imagined that this experience would create such positive change in my own life.


While in DC (and on the road) I found that there was a constant flow of positive energy--something that is pretty hard to come by these days. Somewhere along the way our society has shifted from a focus on community to a focus on self-- this forces neighbor against neighbor and consumer against environment. Who better to shift the paradigm than than today's youth? We are young yet we understand that Earth should be considered a home not a resource. So we will take what we learned at the convention center and use the inspiration we got at Powershift as fuel, to power this movement.
So what's the lesson here? there are wayyy too many to mention since i cant even wrap my head around this experience.
so i will leave you with this:
There's something about the glow of out-of-season Christmas lights and a sea of mattresses that makes a 30 hour bus ride seem okay. When you combine those two things with the sheer desire to create change and 32 positive attitudes you realize you wouldn't have it any other way.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

fill that void!


If you're like me than you probably find yourself (quite frequently) staring blankly into that gaping abyss of wasted space in your room, wondering what's missing. You've tried moving your bed, your desk, your chest, and your drawers. You've tried moving your lighting, pictures, paintings, and books. You've even tried filling that space with "projects" you're working on so you seem artsy or too busy to care about that pesky, unrelenting feeling that something is TERRIBLY and UNDENIABLY OFF in here!!!! You may have found reasons to avoid your room completely by joining various clubs, going on trips you can't afford, rocking climbing, or training for an 8k. If you find that the time you spend in your room is steadily decreasing and you are slowly but surely establishing permanent residence on your friends couch, you may have a problem. Luckily, we have the solution! On May 7, 2011 we will be hosting our Chairs for Charity 2011 fund raising event at the Sheraton in downtown Orlando. What's Chairs for Chairty you ask? Basically its the sweetest idea ever...


Local artists were asked to select a donated chair and use their creative abilities to turn them into B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L works of art. Wellll...the chairs are complete and they are AWESOME!! Please take the time to check them out and dont forget to vote on your favorite! (click the pic)



All the proceeds from these chairs will be donated to The Mustard Seed to support our efforts of helping families and individuals in need.

Just imagine.. owning a tangible reminder of the families you've helped anddd making your house look fabulous by filling that void! There is simply no better way to light up a room!

To find out more about Chairs for Chairty check out our website: http://www.mustardseedfla.org/upcoming_events.html