project680.org

We are very excited about our upcoming “Biking for Socks” event on May 8, 2010. We are doing a community bike ride in order to accomplish three things: 1) Bring awareness to the problem of student homelessness in the FCUSD; 2) Collect socks for homeless kids in the FCUSD; and 3) Gather up a few bucks to be able to give to the District Liaison for Homeless Services so she can meet the needs of students on an “as needed” basis – meaning that when the neediest of students come to her, she can simply take care of some of the things they need – whether clothing, deodarant, shoes, study materials, etc….

There will be two bike rides – a short 20 minute ride (one way) and then a more experienced 30 mile ride. Anyone can participate. You can sign up below or on Facebook. Beyond the bike ride, there will be other ways to get involved (in case you are not a bike person). We invite you to consider some of the following. Or let us know an idea you have.

• Become a “drop off” location for socks. We’d like to see about a dozen locations in the community where socks can be collected and/or dropped off between now and the bike ride. We’ll keep a list online as volunteers step forward.
• Get a “Bike Team” togther. Maybe you could gather some friends, co-workers or people at your church to come out to the ride. If you are a business, then wear company shirts or get really creative somehow if you’d like.
• Help make signs and set out signage on the day of the bike ride (so that riders know where to stop).
• Work with Starbucks or another local coffee shop to get coffee provided for the morning of the ride. It would be great to have some bagles or OJ too.
• Volunteer at the sign-in table on the morning of the ride.
• Take photos or video on the day of the ride.
• Be a business sponsor.
• Pass on the word about this community emphasis on Facebook, Twitter, Email, YouTube or however you can. The more people that know, the better.
• Help get some media exposure for the event. Got media contacts?
• Other logistics.
• Maybe you have another creative idea or way to advocate for local homeless students. We are open ears and we’d love to see your creativity in motion.

Please comment on this post, email us, sign up on Facebook or fill in the form below to let us know how you’d like to get involved or if you have any questions or ideas. We’ll update the categories above as people volunteer so that you know what is available. Thank you so much.

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We wanted to give a very quick update to let everyone know that on May 8, 2010 we will be doing a community bike ride. This is the day before Mother’s Day at 10am. We’ll have two rides – a short beginner ride and a 30 mile ride (Rancho Cordova to Folsom and back is 30 miles). We’re going to have a blast and we’ll be collecting socks and doing some other cool things as a part of this ride. More details will come very soon. Are you getting excited?

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Next Wednesday, February 17, 2010, we will have a Project 680 brainstorming session at Starbucks in Rancho Cordova (off of Olson Drive & Zinfandel – across from Target). We’ll hash out some details for an upcoming “Riding for Leaders” emphasis. Our big idea is to do a community bike ride fundraiser at some point within the next few months to empower a couple local kids to attend a leadership camp. The idea of giving life and leadership tools to deserving students (who show promise), is really thrilling. If you have any resources that would be a benefit, we are open ears.

All are welcome, but if you can, let us know you’re coming so we can plan best. We’ll meet for 60-90 minutes. Thanks everyone!!!

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We wanted everyone to know that next month we will begin opening up conversation about our project for the Spring. Let’s be in converation and put our creative minds and hearts together to make a difference in the lives of local students in need. Click play below to hear more.

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Check it out. The Grapevine Independent ran a story on the Shoe Drive. Hopefully you can read it in the scanned version below. The story should be live though on the Grapevine website at some point tomorrow, so please visit there too. Thank you Grapevine. What do you think of the story?

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We are very pleased to announce that the final tally of donations for the Project 680 Shoe Drive is $3,601.51. Can you believe it? Our goal had been $1,500, but together we left that in the dust. Thank you everyone who participated in big and small ways. Thank you to local residents, businesses, churches and organizations that partnered together in this effort.

This project has been all about the kids, and putting new shoes on students that need them. It’s so exciting to think of the joy and dignity these students will have to select a brand new pair of shoes soon. Thank you everyone. We did this as a team!!! Let’s celebrate!!!

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We added a nifty little widget at the top of the right sidebar so you can subscribe to Project 680 blog posts. All you need to do is enter your email address, push “submit”, and follow one very simple instruction. You’ll receive an email from Feedburner, and you only need to confirm that you want to subscribe. It’s simple. This is one great way to stay up-to-date with what is going on in the world of Project 680. Thank you everyone for your support.

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We wanted to remind everyone that checks for the Project 680 Shoe Drive can be written to “Folsom Cordova Community Partnership” and then dropped off to us. Once donations are accounted for and tallied on our end, we get them to the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership right away. FCCP is a local non-profit sponsoring organization for the Shoe Drive and they work with the Folsom Cordova School District Liaison for Homeless Services on a regular basis. They were a natural “fit” for us to help make the check-writing process smooth (donations are tax deductible).

The best way to get checks to us is to drop them off on the morning of the bike ride on November 7, 2009 or drop something in the mail to us. It is very helpful for our board to be able to account for all donations before getting them to FCCP. Please call 916-595-3735 for additional details. 

Thank you for your support!!!

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New Horizons Christian Church in Rancho Cordova will be providing a BBQ for the community on Sunday, 10/25/09, between 11:30-1:30pm at Stone Creek Park in Rancho Cordova (3625 Spoto Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670). They’ll be grilling burgers and hot dogs, and they’ll also have side dishes galore. The church is paying for all the food and so 100% of donated money for the BBQ will go toward the Project 680 Shoe Drive. They have reserved covered seating at the park too. They’ll be putting out a flyer soon and we’ll make more information available when that happens.

If you are in town that day, go grab some food to support a great cause. Thank you New Horizons. What a great idea and we love the way you are advocating for local students in need.

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We now have the Project 680 Shoe Drive / Bike Ride flyer available online to everyone. The image to the right is what it looks like.

You can download the flyer, print, and pass it around as you please. There is only one month until the Community Bike Ride, so we are hoping to work together as a team to get the word out about this very important effort. Please do let co-workers, family members, classmates, friends, church members, and anyone in your organizations or networks  know about this opportunity. We will collaborate as a team to provide 100 pairs of brand new shoes for local students in need. Together we can make a difference.

DOWNLOAD FLYER HERE (pdf) 

You can use the following if you plan to email a link to the flyer:  http://project680.org/ShoeDrive.pdf

You are also invite to link to us on your blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site you may be on. You can check out THIS post with images to link from and even a video to embed online if you wish.

Thanks everyone for your support!!!!

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This is big!!! We are very excited to partner with www.BottlecapMagnets.com to offer handmade and original Project 680 bottlecap magnets to the community. We are calling this the ”One Cap. One Shoe.” campaign because when someone donates $10 for one magnet, the cost of one shoe will be covered!!! 100% of your donation will go toward our goal of raising $1,500 to purchase brand new shoes for 100 needy students in the FCUSD. You can get a tax receipt upon request too.

“One Cap. One Shoe”: The average pair of shoes at Payless Shoe Source (the vendor for the shoe drive) costs $20.00, so donating $10.00 for one magnet means you will literally be covering the cost of one shoe. Way to go!!! Bottlecap Magnets are sealed with a clear and smooth surface similar to glass and each is handmade. They are perfect for the fridge, office or even a gift, and they’ll be available early next week for as long as supplies last. The great thing too is that a magnet on the fridge or at the office can be a sweet reminder of the good work you did by providing shoes for needy students.

Please watch the video below (or HERE) to get a better sense of what these fantastic magnets look like. Contact us at info@project680.org or 916-595-3735 to purchase a magnet. We will also have magnets available at our Community Bike Ride.

By the way, we would love for others to embed the video or link to the video on your website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, or wherever you live online. Project 680 belongs to all of us and we will find success for the Shoe Drive by networking together. Let us know if you have any questions. Call 916-595-3735 or email info@project680.org.

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We are pleased to announce that Rancho Cordova City Council Member David Sander will be riding with us on the Project 680 Community Bide Ride. We appreciate his interest in the community and availability to pedal a bit on the morning on November 7, 2009.

Project 680 belongs to all of us. We welcome community members, leaders, businesses, organizations and churches to get involved in the Project 680 Shoe Drive to support local students in need. Our goal is to raise $1,500 together in order to purchase 100 pairs of brand new shoes for needy students in the FCUSD.

Thank you everyone for your support!!!

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We are glad to announce that The Rancho Cordova Post will be providing free orange juice to bike riders on the morning of the P680 Community Bike Ride. We appreciate The Post for quickly stepping up to the plate to help give us a little boost before our community ride. Thank you to RC Post for your partnership to advocate for local students in need.

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