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!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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“.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

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.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are elated to have The Golden 1 Credit Union on board as a partner in the Project 680 Sock Drive. Their Information Technology and Loss Prevention department staff are teaming up to collect socks as well as assemble a good number of bike riders for our community ride on May 8, 2010 (they hope to have as many as 20 riders). Isn’t this great news? Thank you Golden 1 for caring about local homeless students!!! Way to go!!! We are so excited to have you on board.

The Golden 1 Credit Union
8945 Cal Center Drive, Sacramento, CA 95826. 
www.golden1.com

If any other local businesses would like to get involved, just let us know. We welcome your creative partnership and ideas.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We were excited to get together with Deirdre Fitzpatrick of KCRA news this morning and film our “sock raiding” party. A group of locals got together to empty the aisle of our local Target. The story will go live in a few weeks, and we’ll post links when it does. Thanks everyone for coming out and thanks Deirdre for your time. Let’s keep moving forward with the sock drive!!!!

See photos from today HERE and follow Deirdre on Twitter at @fitztweeter

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We’re very aware that our community bike ride on May 8, 2010 won’t appeal to everyone. That’s okay because there are so many non-biking ways you can be involved in with the Project 680 Sock Drive. You are absolutely invited to donate socks, be a drop-off location, help out in other specific ways (see HERE), or put some of your creative ideas into effect (we’d love to hear what you come up with).

Here’s the deal on money. If things are so tight for you right now and you really want to come on the bike ride, please don’t even worry about the $5.00 donation we have suggested per rider (or $10.00 per household). This economy is not an easy one, and money should not hold anyone back from participating. Seriously!!!

It’s very powerful when we get together and show our solidarity for a cause, so let’s flex some group muscle and pedal on May 8, 2010 together as a way to adovocate for homeless students in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District.

Together we can do it!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are very excited to partner with www.BottlecapMagnets.com to offer handmade and original Project 680 bottlecap magnets to the community. We made these caps available previously during our shoe drive and since they were a bit hit, well continue to offer them to the community for our current sock drive. You can get on or before the day of the bike ride on May 8, 2010.

When someone donates $10 for a magnet, 100% of your donation will go toward supporting the needs of the Folsom Cordova District Liaison for Homeless Services. Email or call 916-595-3735 for details.

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 theyll 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 socks for needy students

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are very pleased to announce that Bicycle’s Plus in Folsom will be providing energy bars, cold water and bottles for all riders who make the trek to Folsom with us on the day of our bike ride on May 8, 2010. As we mentioned previously, there will be two separate rides for our community bike ride – a shorter one (20 minutes or so one way) and a longer one (30 miles round trip).

Thank you to Bicycle’s Plus for letting us meet at your shop for a little break before we turn around back to Hagan Park. Thank you for backing up this ride and quickly coming on board to support us like this.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

My brother recently let me know about someone he heard of named Betty Londergan. Betty inherited some money and she started something called What Gives 365 Project. In short, Betty is giving away $100 every day to causes she chooses. And she’s blogging about it. 

“This is all my money. It comes from what my dad left each one of us kids when he died, and I can’t think of a single thing my mom would have loved more than to see me giving it away to worthy causes. (However, my dad would undoubtedly say that I need to get my head examined.)”

Why am I bringing this up? I am very pleased to announce that Betty donated $100 to Project  680. Awesome news, huh? Read Betty’s post yesterday entitled “Underwear, Socks, Shoes“.

What do you think of this and what Betty is doing?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!