project680.org

Aon is an international company and they have an office located in Sacramento. They approched Project 680 a couple of months ago to discuss partnering with us for their “United Day” where they do outreach in the community. This morning they invited us out for breakfast and to pick up some fantastic health kit bags for local homeless students. These bags will be directed to families within the Folsom Cordova School District through partnership with the District Liaison for Homeless Services. These hygiene / health kits are very relevant and they will promote health among local families in need.

Thank you Aon and Marie & Bonnie for their hard work putting this effort together. See Aon’s website at www.aon.com for details on their company.  Aon employees have been a remarkable example of doing something very practical to meet some basic needs among local homeless students. Bravo!!!

Great work everyone!!!

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From Ryan: As you may know, I’ll be heading to Kansas City next week as a part of delegation from the city of Rancho Cordova for the All-America City Awards. I wanted to invite you to follow this exciting journey next Wednesday through Friday through videos, Facebook & Twitter. Technology is going to help us connect!!! It should be great fun. Watch the video below or here.

I’ll be posting from Kansas City mainly from my Twitter account @SacAppraiser and I’ll be getting some videos up at www.facebook.com/Project680 (directly on my YouTube page at www.youtube.com/lundquistco). The official hash-tag on Twitter is #AllAmericaCity (note it is not “American”, but “America”). I’d love to hear from you during my stint in Kansas City. Your support will be a huge encouragement.

We are a team in Project 680, and it’s a real honor to represent the team in Kansas City next week. Go Rancho Cordova!!!!

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Article by Debbie Lewis (photo by Melissa Corker)

One of the things I love about working at the California Department of Education is the desire and opportunity of the staff to collectively make a difference in the world around us. I want to thank everyone for their participation in the April sock drive. CDE raised 512 pairs of socks contributing to the Project680 grand total of 2,725 pairs of socks. I also wanted to share with you a snapshot of a conversation I recently had with Charlene Hunt, Resource Teacher and Homeless Liaison, Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD).  

Charlene told me a story about one rainy day in the 2003/04 school year when a kid came in and asked for another pair of socks to keep his feet warm. From the top, his shoes looked to be in good condition, from the bottom however, there were holes in his overly worn soles. This too familiar exchange inspired the first community shoe event which consisted of asking friends, family, and local community groups to donate gift cards for shoes.

Subsequent drives for shoes, socks or underwear have been held yearly. “The need for basic essentials is great among these kids. Physical Education teachers have reported that kids will choose poorer grades over the embarrassment of changing clothes revealing their often ill fitted or ragged undergarments. Items donated keep the kids warm and protected so they can focus on academics rather than discomfort and shame. For kids, receiving essentials like socks, underwear and shoes let’s them know that they are cared for, not just equipped with the basics of education.”

The most encouraging part of our discussion was when she shared how liaisons watch over these kids throughout their educational years. In the course of the last 11 years, the academic performances and attentive engagement of hundreds of students have increased. And each year since the program started every single senior with the exception of 2 kids has graduated high school. Our district liaisons stay connected with the kids until they get to college or a vocational school. Clearly intervention makes a difference to help these impoverished yet gifted and talented kids finish school.

When asked for a quote about project680, the catalyst for our CDE sock drive, Charlene spoke of the founder Ryan Lundquist. “He observed the need, listened with his heart and shared the need with friends who listened with their hearts. They simply spread the word and put it out there.” Thank you for listening with your heart CDE.

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Here is a VERY brief clip of our valiant riders on Saturday’s community bike ride. Thank you everyone!! By the way, this video was uploaded to our Facebook page and then embedded here. We’ve always used YouTube, so this is a bit of a first. If it ends up loading or playing very slowly for you, let us know.

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The community bike ride on Saturday went very well. Thank you everyone for coming out to enjoy a ride together and for your obvious generosity and support to make this sock drive a big success. There are many specific thank yous to give and those will trickle in very soon. For now, enjoy a clip of us on Saturday compliments of the KCRA news crew coming out. Great job team!!!

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It’s come down to the last few days of the sock drive and we’re getting ready to celebrate in style as we do a community bike ride THIS Saturday (May 8, 2010). Thank you everyone for your support thus far. We sincerely appreciate involvement from local residents, churches, businesses, City Hall in Rancho Cordova, and organizations.

If you are available for last-minute involvement, let us know right away. We could use a few people to wrap up some loose ends for Saturday’s bike ride, and we could use many people to get last-minute word out to friends, co-workers, family, church members, etc… If you are looking for links to share, you might consider our website page (sock drive page), Facebook event sign-up for bike ride, or our Facebook Fan Page.

Thank so much for your support. Together we ARE making a difference. Nobody is getting paid here. We are all volunteers. We are all advocates for local homeless students. Isn’t it awesome to respond as a community to some of the felt needs of local kids?

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Google has a new feature called “search story” where you can create a story of a google search. I know, it sounds a bit geeky, but if’s free and interesting. Check out the one we did for Project 680 below (or HERE). What do you think?

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We are elated to announce that Sims Metal Management in Rancho Cordova has generously donated $1,000 toward the Project 680 Sock Drive. Isn’t that amazing? Thank you Sims Metal!!!

This money, along with all other donations before and during the bike ride, will be directed to a discretionary fund so that the District Liaison for Homeless Services can meet the needs of students in her caseload when they come to her. Our main goal in the sock drive is to build up a storehouse of socks to be used over the next year or more, but also to create a discretionary fund to meet the needs of homeless students on an “as needed” basis for very practical things they might need like shoes, clothing, deodorant…..

Sims Metal Management recycles scrap metal locally and around the world. While on the phone with their office in Rancho Cordova, they shared that one of their core values is to give back to the community. We get that.

Thank you to Sims Metal Management and Dave Rogers specifically.

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A local real estate broker, Keith Klassen, did something pretty cool today. Along with his wife and kids, the Klassen tribe decided to go and “raid the sock aisle” at a local store in Sacramento. The Klassen family generously purchased 132 pairs of socks for the upcoming Project 680 Sock Drive. Our goal has been to raise at least 2000 pairs of socks for local homeless students in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, so 132 pairs is a really fantastic dent toward meeting this goal.

Isn’t it so wonderful to see how the Klassen kids were so intentionally involved as decision makers in this video? Way to go Keith. Let’s keep going strong everyone!!!

Make sure to visit Keith’s website below. Thanks everyone!!!

Keith Klassen
Real Estate Broker
916.669.9030
www.KlassenandAssociates.com

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A few weeks ago KCRA news anchor Deidre Fitpatrick filmed some of the Project 680 team “Raiding the Sock Aisle” at Target in Rancho Cordova, and the story aired last night. As you’ll see in the video, “Raiding the Sock Aisle” was coined by Erin Attardi. The story turned out really great. I love how it highlights the simplicity of making a difference in the community, our goal of collecting at least 2000 pairs of socks, and how social media can be used to advocate for local homeless kids too. Great job team!!! Watch the video below.

You can read more about the sock drive and community bike ride HERE.

If you are on Twitter, we are using “#bikingforsocks” as our official hashtag for the upcoming sock drive / bike ride. You can follow Project 680 on Twitter at @project680 and become a fan on Facebook too. Don’t forget to follow those in the video too: Erin Attardi at @erinattardi and Geoff Sakala at @rcpost and Deidre Fitzpatrick at @fitztweeter (and then there’s me, Ryan, if you want at @sacappraiser)

By the way, it’s cool to see that the Sacramento Association of Realtors highlighted Erin’s involvement in a story entitled “Sacramento Realtors in the News“.

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This is great news. The California Department of Education at 1430 N Street in  Downtown Sacramento is now a drop-off location for the Project 680 Sock Drive. They are located on the corner of 15th & N Street and available for donations of “no show” ankle socks during business hours.

It’s great to see such a practical expression to benefit local students during such a difficult budget crisis for education. Thank you!!!

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We’re excited to announce that Project 680 is being featured as part of the package for Rancho Cordova’s selection as a finalist for the All-America City Award. If you did not see the press release this past week from the Cordova Community Council, give it a read below to get more information. Cool stuff, huh?

The National Civic League this week named Rancho Cordova among the finalists for the 2010 All-America City Award, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious civic recognition award.

The finalist status sets in motion an eight-week sprint to pull together a delegation and presentation and raise funds for a trip during which Rancho Cordova will make its case to be awarded what has been described as the “Nobel Prize” of civic accomplishment.   The competition will be held in Kansas City June 16-18.   “These are some of the most innovative communities in the country,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortez of the finalists. “They give us hope and inspiration and teach us important lessons about leveraging the civic energy of ordinary people to address difficult challenges during some tough economic times.”   To become a finalist, each participant completed an application documenting three community projects that address their most pressing challenges. Each finalist will send a delegation to Kansas City to tell their stories of positive community change to a jury of civic experts. The 10 All-America Cities will be announced on June 18.   The Rancho Cordova application was crafted by the Cordova Community Council and features three signature projects which will be examined by a national panel of judges. One of the projects must focus on youth.   Rancho Cordova’s application includes:

• Project 680, the grassroots effort led by Cordova Towne neighborhood activist Ryan Lundquist, which collects everyday items such as socks, underwear and shoes to benefit homeless children in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. The project draws its name from the 680 children who have been identified as homeless in the FCUSD.(Project 680 is a 2010 Cordova Community Council Volunteer Awards winner. Read all about it at www.cordovacouncil.org.)
• Rancho Cordova Cultural Heritage (Saturday) Schools, a collaborative effort of immigrant parents and the Folsom Cordova Unified School District to preserve and honor arts and culture of mother countries. The project builds bridges between immigrant groups and the community at-large, has improved academic performance among immigrant children and has provided for cultural enrichment for the entire population of the city.(Learn more about iFest at www.cordovacouncil.org)
• The Rancho Cordova City Hall project, which is providing a “civic heart” for the new city, incubating business and community engagement, as well as serving as a home for municipal services. The City Hall project has fostered important civic links as the community matures as an incorporated city and is a symbol of change and progress in a city striving to change its image.

“We are proud of our application and think that it reflects what we are all about at this point in our civic history,” said Shelly Blanchard, executive director of the Cordova Community Council. “It showcases how people work with business, work with government and work together across many sectors to improve our community. It is about our collaborative, unfaltering belief in our bright future.”   This is the second bite at the apple for Rancho Cordova, which was named a 2009 All America City finalist, and was the youngest city in the competition last year.

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We are very excited to have Brightfarm on board as a partner in the Project 680 Sock Drive. Brightfarm is a local business, and they have a goal to collect 200 pairs of socks. Isn’t that great news? Here is a piece that went out in their recent newsletter:

Brightfarm has teamed up with Project 680 to collect NEW “no show” ankle socks (just like the picture) for kids in need.  Why this type?  They are the most popular that kids are wearing these days. 

Can you donate a pair of socks?  If so, please email me or call me at (916) 631-7119.  Our goal is to collect 200 pairs of socks by May 7th to donate towards Project 680′s goal of 2,000 pairs of socks (to build a reserve that will help kids in need for about a year). 

Being a kid is already difficult enough, without having to struggle with trying to meet basic needs.  Your donation can really help make a difference!  Thank you!

Way to go Brightfarm!!! Thank you so much for your support. Please see www.brightfarm.com for more information.

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