Party Planner, not so much

Many people might think that the job description of an event planner is a party planner, but there is much more to it than that. According to the U.S. Department of Labor the description of an event planner is as follows:

"Meetings and conventions bring people together for a common purpose, and meeting and convention planners work to ensure that this purpose is achieved seamlessly. Meeting planners coordinate every detail of meetings and conventions, from the speakers and meeting location to arranging for printed materials and audio-visual equipment. Meeting and convention planners work for nonprofit organizations, professional and similar associations, hotels, corporations, and government. Some organizations have internal meeting planning staffs, and others hire independent meeting and convention planning firms to organize their events. The event planner creates programs that address the purpose, message or impression that their organization or client is trying to communicate. "

Events can range from weddings to corporate events and fundraisers. Event planners deal with long, non-traditional hours, they have to be neat and organized, and work well with other people. This is something that I would love to pursue as my career once graduating from Lindenwood University. Fundraising is a specific area of interest for me, and I have been involved in various events to help raise money for different charities.

Raise the Praise

For the 8th year in a row I attended Raise the Praise, a benefit concert created to raise money for Ben's Hope Foundation. The concert is held at Eden United Church of Christ in Edwardsville, Illinois and takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving every year. The concert is put on to raise money to benefit residents of Beverly Farm.

Beverly Farm is a community of approximately 500 residents in Godfrey, Illinois who suffer from mental and physical disabilities. It is a non-profit organization that was designed to help the residents with life skills and provide any medical care necessary. Beverly Farm sits on 220 acres and is available to any adults eighteen and older with mental and physical disabilities.

There are between 40 and 50 members of the choir and about nine band members that donate their time each year. Kent and Bonni Schutte are the creators of the concert. Kent's son, Ben, who is a resident at Beverly Farm is the inspiration for Raise the Praise. With Bonni as the director of the choir and Kent playing guitar in the band, they are constantly busy with every demand the concert brings. Preparing for this event begins in August with a kick off party to get everyone involved. There are practices once a week and occasional meetings in between. It takes hours, days, and months to get everything perfect, but in the end it is all worth it. Every single dollar given goes to Beverly Farm - the concert does not cost any money to attend and anyone can go; the money is raised solely on free will donations. Since the most recent concert this year on November 21st and 22nd Raise the Praise has donated over $41,000 to Beverly Farm in the past eight years. Although a lot of hard work and effort go into this event, it has helped raise thousands of dollars for the residents who can not care for themselves.

Ben's Hope Foundation 5k Run/Walk

The first annual Ben's Hope Foundation 5K Run/Walk took place in downtown Edwardsville on Saturday, November 15, 2008. Amber Boyles, a member of the Raise the Praise choir, was the coordinator for the run/walk. The creation of the fundraiser began in late June and by November there were 344 participants. This event helped to raise even more money for Ben's Hope Foundation benefiting Beverly Farms.

There were many steps to getting this event started. Dealing with the city and getting the run approved was a long process. Appropriate paperwork and permits had to be filled out. In August, there was a presentation given to the City of Edwardsville - Parks and Recreation board, and approval was received in September after being passed at the City Council meeting.

The race could not have gone on without the various sponsors that helped out. The location of the run worked out perfectly for the new Creve Coeur Camera that opened just about a month earlier. They provided photos of every participant involved as they finished the race. SmartWater/VitaminWater was a practical sponsor since their product contains electrolytes specifically made for athletes. Other sponsors involved were National City, Dominos, Anderson Hospital, and Drury Inn. Flyers were sent out and posted around town to advertise and spread the word for the event. Amber did a great job on identifying the appropriate target audiences of the people attending. Overall, $12,563.31 was raised, which exceeded the $10,000 goal that was set.

Everything is Pink!

Ever since the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure came to St. Louis I have participated in the 5K Walk/Run. My mom, my sister and I get up at six o'clock in the morning every year and head to the other side of the River to make sure we don't miss the motorcycle riders with their pink bandanas. In 1999 when the Race first came to St. Louis there were 10,257 participants; St. Louis still holds the record for the largest first year race around the world. Today, they are ranked in the top five races around the world.

There are many ways that people can become involved in Race for the Cure. Volunteers help at registration prior to the event and the day of. Donations are accepted throughout the year to go towards breast cancer research. And of course, participants are encouraged to walk or run in the race.

Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure is now a global foundation and it is easy for anyone to become involved. Over $1 billion has been raised since 1982 and St. Louis alone has raised $3.3 million with just under 64,000 participants.

One Day. One Night. One Community.

Relay for Life takes place in communities across the country. It is an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society to honor cancer survivors, remember lost ones, and help raise money to fight the battle. I have participated in Relay for Life for the past four years. The actual event doesn't start until six o'clock, but there are volunteers working all day to prepare. In my hometown of Edwardsville, Illinois the relay takes place around the high school track. There are dozens of tents set up and teams walking around the track all night long. There is music and games being played, food and drinks and people celebrating life.

Although filling hundreds of paper bags with sand and a candle can get tedious, it is worth it by the time the sun sets. People at the event can purchase lumineers to celebrate a battle won or honor a lost loved one. The lumineers are set up around the track and lit once it becomes dark, and it is one of the most powerful moments I have ever witnessed. Seeing hundreds of people from my community walking around the track to fight a terrible disease is extremely inspiring to me. To open the ceremony, cancer survivors walk the first lap - over the years I have seen six year old children all the way up to sixty year old adults walking on the track and they are some of the proudest people I have ever seen.

This is an event I look forward to volunteering at every year. Thousands of dollars continue to be raised in order to help fight cancer.

“Fight the yawn – stay awake to cure childhood cancer”

Thursday, November 6, 2008 Lindenwood University hosted Up 'til Dawn to help raise funds to fight childhood cancer for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This program took place at different universities all across the nation. Through various activities, students help raise awareness for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. To wrap up the program campuses host an all night event and stay 'Up 'til Dawn' in honor of the brave patients fighting cancer. Although the students at Lindenwood did not stay up all night, many students helped promote and raise awareness for the hospital. They also sent out letters to family and friends asking for donations to help provide more research to beat childhood cancer.

Last year my high school did a similar event called 'Let's Kiss Childhood Cancer Goodbye'. We raised money for an entire week by having coin wars and sending out letters to friends and family. There were three king and queen candidates elected and throughout the week students put their spare change in buckets to vote for the king and queen. At the end of the week we had a rally where there was food and drinks, music was played and students could help promote awareness of childhood cancer.

Kickball Tournament

Playing kickball and raising money for a charity...what more could you ask for? Enterprise held their 3rd Annual Kickball Tournament for the Gateway Homeless Services, which is a shelter for single women and families. It is the largest 24 hour emergency shelter in Missouri. The residents are provided with three meals each day and there are 110 bed to accommodate sleeping needs.

There were eight teams of ten people that were involved in the tournament. Each player paid ten dollars, which went to food, drinks, and shirts. About $12,000 was donated to the homeless shelter in the end. The participating teams also donated items such as food, clothing and school supplies.

Just like any other event, a lot of time and effort went into the tournament. Planning started about four months prior to the big day. Enterprise had to get permission to use a field and find referees early in the planning process. Once the event became closer, preparation of the field and setting up the teams took place. It took a team of about 12 people to make sure the tournament ran smoothly. Each game lasted about 50 minutes and there was a lengthy list of rules for each team to follow. Overall, this event was a fun way to raise money for a great cause.