Hi everyone,

Thanks for reading this post even though it isn’t business related.  This post is about my Birthday – and about supporting one of my favourite charities, Qmunity!

I was contemplating what I could differently on July 25th to celebrate my42nd birthday  - I know, I don’t look a day over 29! - and I was at a loss.  In the past, I’ve thrown big birthday bashes, cruised English Bay, and stretched the celebration over multiple weeks having private, intimate dinners with all my closest friends.

For 2011, I wanted something more… meaningful.  Starting in January of this year, I  devoted myself to one charity for the year, giving them 100%  of my volunteer support: www.qmunity.ca.  So, I thought, “Why not combine two of my passions Social Media and Giving Back?” This is where you come in…

Starting today, I’m asking my phenomenal social media connections on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to take a moment to consider the following:

1. Have we engaged one another on any of the social media platforms I’m on?
2. Have I tweeted or posted something which was useful or helpful to you?
3. Have you attended an event I produced which you enjoyed?
4. Have I done any pro bono work for you or a charity/business with which you are involved?
5. Do you just plain like me?

If you answer yes to any of the above, then I would be honoured if you clicked HERE to donate $1 to Qmunity in my name. I don’t expect anything more than a $1. Of course, you are welcome to give more, but all I ask is for $1.  Any gift over $20 receives a tax receipt. My hope is to raise $1500 with your support. Donate now!

This unique birthday idea is made possible thanks to my amazing friends at Global Currents.  If you want to know more about Global Currents and how they are changing the world, please call me as I’ve got a special offer for you if you’d like to explore your own online fundraising.

Thanks again for all your support and for making this the most meaningful birthday, yet!

Home On Howe Window Display

When I walked in I discovered the store had been converted to a “Right at Home on Howe“  a 3,600 sq ft retail space transformed into a 17 day temporary home for Urban Barn employee Robbie Romu. Robbie was handpicked by Urban Barn President Rick Bohonis to live in the store 24/7 for the during of the 2010 Olympic Games. Knowing that the store would not be a destination during the Games they decided instead to create a respite from the chaos for both locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

Urban Barn invites the public to stop by anytime during the extended Olympic hours to hang with Robbie. You can watch TV with friends, sit and relax, play Wii, check email, you name it! In keeping with the spirit of the Games Urban Barn has used this opportunity to raise funds in support of the Canadian Paralympic Foundation (CPF), a registered Canadian charity dedicated to raising funds to support the development of sport for the benefit of Canadians with physical disabilities. The Goal is to raise $20,010.00 by March 21st. Please click here to donate or to learn more.

Here’s my exclusive chat with Robbie Romu himself. Hear in his words what the experience has been like.

Here are just some of the fun events planned to keep Robbie and his guests occupied for the rest of the Games.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Store Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Wii Winter Games Daily Challenge
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. “Are You Smarter than Robbie?” Game Show

Thursday, February 25, 2010 Store Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Wii Winter Games Daily Challenge
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Rock Band Challenge Night

Friday, February 26, 2010 Store Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Wii Winter Games Daily Challenge
8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Comedy Night: Christopher Molineux hosts a night of laughs with
some of Vancouver’s top comedy acts. (Limited space; visit
www.homeonhowe.com to RSVP.)

Saturday, February 27, 2010 Store Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Wii Winter Games Daily Challenge
8:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. Closed Event (Urban Barn Staff Slumber Party)

Sunday, February 28, 2010 Store Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Wii 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Winter Games Daily Challenge
Right at Home on Howe Wrap/Closing Party

Image via Wikipedia

I was asked to be a guest blogger for Eryn-Faye, Canada’s Passion Coach recently. When Eryn-Faye called she asked for my help in helping her reading plan their perfect Valentines Day date. Here’s what I had to say.

As an event planner at Amuse Consulting with over 10 years experience I’m the first person friends and colleagues call when they need to plan the perfect experience for that special someone. When Eryn-Faye called and asked for some advice on planning the perfect Valentines date I knew exactly what to say, it’s all in the planning!

Here are 10 of my quick tips for ensuring a successful date that is sure to wow your loved one.

The restaurant date:

1. Pick a restaurant you both have enjoyed and you know provides great food and service. Don’t try a new restaurant for the first time, you may or may not get the service you hope for.
2. Choose your table ahead of time. When making your reservation actually go into the restaurant and request the specific table you want. Perhaps you want a bit of privacy, maybe you want to ensure you are away from the entrance and the kitchen. The trick is to ensure the table you request makes the night about the two of you and not what’s happening in the rest of the restaurant.
3. Choose the menu ahead of time. Pick everything from the wine, the appetizers, main course desert etc… if you are not a “foodie” ask the restaurant to help you. The goal is to make your date feel pampered and also let’s them know that you’ve paid attention and really know their likes and dislikes.
4. Order your date’s favourite flowers and have them delivered with your Valentines Day card to the restaurant. Make sure you put the name the reservation is under on the card so they know what table to put them on for when you arrive.
5. Build anticipation… you’ve picked the restaurant, your table and the food now you start to tease your date with just enough info to make them wonder what you’ve planned. Let them know you have a date but give them nothing else, not the time, the place, anything.
6. Valentines Day morning start off with a cute and funny Valentines Day card. Include some of the details for your upcoming date. Let them know what type of outfit to wear and what time they should expect to be ready for.
7. Valentines Day after work it’s all about being stress free. Make sure that everything has been prepped in advance for the return home, candles are strategically placed, favourite mood music playlist has been created and is all set to go. When you arrive home it will only take two minutes for the mood to be continued.
8. Dress for success. The adage usually applies to work and career but it applies just the same here. Make sure you look your best, smell good, and have your hair cut the day or two before.
9. The perfect Valentines Day Gift isn’t about how much you’ve spent, its about how much thought went into it. With all the planning you’ve done on the dinner the gift should also be thoughtful and meaningful. One of my favourites costs nothing, relationship gift certificates! Create a few gift certificates that your date can redeem at a later time. Things should include experiences that your date often asks for but are not always possible due to busy lives. For example “a candle lit scented bath”, “a romantic massage”, “a home made dinner for two” are just a few of the possibilities. Be creative and make them specific to your loved one.
10. Most importantly be authentic, real and be present! The greatest gift we can give someone is to be in the moment with them and to give them our full attention.

Hopefully these will give you some inspiration in creating your perfect date.  If you choose to cook a meal at home see how the tips would be relevant and adjust accordingly.  The principles are the same.

Presents

Here’s a unique, fun, easy to implement and inexpensive event for your office this season. Whether your office is 5 or 5o people.

Mission: Relive holiday stress and inject a fun atmosphere in the office during the jam packed holiday season.

Idea: Host a holiday present wrapping party in your office with proceeds going to your favourite charity.

Execution:

1. set aside a 2 hour extended lunch for all staff on a work day during the month of December before Xmas.
2. encourage all to participate by making it a pot luck, and inviting them to bring their favourite holiday music to share. Christmas, Hanukkah all welcome.
3. set up a gift wrapping station with gift wraps, tape, bows, ribbons and name tags all courtesy of you their employer.
4. invite your staff to bring their presents in for wrapping and encourage them to make a donation of food, or a loonie per present with proceeds going to the Vancovuer Food Bank.
5. to add an extra twist managers can be the ones responsible for all the wrapping while the rest of your staff get to enjoy themselves and share holiday experiences with each other. This is a great team building tip

Result: A festive office environment that helps give back to those less fortunate + helps your staff to reduce their holiday stress .

What do you think? Wouldn’t you like all your present wrapping done in an afternoon?

Canuck Place

One of the staff team building events I was tasked with was a holiday party where I was charged with energizing the team, connect them to the community at large and ramp up the holiday spirit. I’m happy to say we did it and here’s how.

1. We set aside $20 per staff from the budget for a charitable donation.
2. Reviewing the company’s brand and staff demographics we selected Canuck Place as the featured charity.
3. Contacted Canuck Place fund-raising office and researched areas of need within the organization.
4. Canuck Place created a wish list of toys and items that would enhance the stay of families receiving support at the hospice.
5. Taking the wish list provided we researched prices online and created teams that would cover the cost of each item. For example a toy costing $50 would have 3 staff assigned to it. Team size varied from 1 person up to 5 and included all 48 employees and management.
6. With teams numbers and gifts made into raffle strips 1`manager + 1 employee put all raffle slips into a “hat” and one week prior to the party walked around the office and had every person pull a ticket.
7. Staff then had one week to find their team members, pool their $ resources, source the gift and purchase it.
8. At the start of the party (drinks and appies in the office) we set up a gift wrapping station and invited all teams to wrap their presents.
9. All staff was transported to Canuck Place where they presented their gifts and were invited to treat on homemade cookies and hot chocolate. Canuck Place has amazing holidays light displays so staff were welcome to tour the outside grounds + got to hear a small story about the work and families supported by CP.
10. Inspired by the amazing team at Canuck Place we loaded the staff back into the bus and continued on to the restaurant where they partied on in true holiday style.

So in short a great experience for the employees to work together and give back to a well deserving charity. Employees understood that management cared about them and created an experience that thanked them for the past years work. All in all a huge hit!

Amuse Consulting has created a unique gift that benefits a charity or non-profit long after the gift is given. The gift of Strategic Event Visioning consultation (value $150.00, free) will help charities plan and produce events that raise awareness, funds and engagement.

Events can take up huge staffing resources as well as pull from the same sponsor and donor base. With your gift Amuse Consulting can help your favourite charity to decrease stress and increase its event success all thanks to your generosity.

The Strategic Event Visioning consultation is a hands on two-hour session where we work with the organization to help revitalize, energize and most importantly create efficiencies to help maximize the benefits for all involved.

Here’s how to give this gift:
1. Think of your favourite charity that holds events and could use a 2-hour Strategic Event Visioning consultation from Amuse.
2. Contact their decision maker, and inform them of your gift. Let them know Amuse will be in touch to schedule an appointment that is convenient for them.
3. Email the contact information of the charity to Amuse for scheduling & consultation.
4. Send Amuse Consulting payment for the $150 – no wait! As our way of giving back all Strategic Event Visioning consultations booked in the month of Dec 2009 will have the $150.00 consultation fee waived. Your gift to your favorite charity or non-profit is absolutely free.

So take 5 minutes and give a gift to your favourite charity or not-for-profit that will be measured beyond the dollars and cents.