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from the editor:

this is a continuation of my personal goals assessment for 2010, and how well i’ve done in maintaining progress on these goals.  here is a link to the first period report: january through april 2010.  the following are remarks particular to the period of may through august 2010.

END OF AUGUST 2010 - - HOW ARE THINGS GOIN’?

 

GOAL #1: Eliminate $8,000 of school loan debt this year.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? hahaha!  this one makes me laugh ruefully the most, out of all of them…well, I’ve fallen short of this goal during second period.  due to a handful of financial setbacks and other chaos, in addition to less-than-admirable financial discipline, i’ve reduced my monthly payments to maybe 3/5 of the original amount.  this will leave a significant gap between my current level of payments and my aspired goal, so the plan is to use part of savings to make up the difference at the end of 2010.

 

personally, i feel as though i’ve “copped out” on this one.  once i gave myself permission to dig into savings to meet this goal, i slacked off on my fiscal discipline.  it was later in the summer, however, that several significant expenses emerged, making me seriously stumble a bit in terms of judicious spending.  i had some automobile repairs that needed to take place, as well as traveling to be done.  these things in particular were a drain on my finances, but i felt they were justified.  in addition, it appears that the rebate i received from federal taxes for the year 2008 was too high.  i’ll be appealing that decision by the end of the month…the bastards.

 

to fix this, i’ve scaled back on my “entertainment” budget even more.  i’m pretty much done with going out to see movies, for example, since i’ve only been disappointed with the majority of the films i’d seen this year (my selection criteria notwithstanding…basically, other people invited me to go with them to see films they wanted to see).  eating out for regular meals is now twice a week at most, six times a month or less, and is usually reserved for more significant occasions.  to lessen the stress on the car i drive, my bicycle is back on the road; this is possible now that the summer is coming to an end and it’s not hot and oppressively humid outside.

 

enough bitching about this one; i could easily complain all day long about it.

 

CAN I DO THIS? as mentioned before, i copped out on this goal.at the end of the year, i’ll use savings to make up the difference less $8,000.  i’m not ashamed of this outcome, but i realize i can do better, or can at least make the end of the year less of a significant drain on my finances if i increase payments even a small amount.

 

GOAL #2: Publish at least 1 board game this year.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? the board game design class has occupied my attention lately.  however, it brings me no closer to this goal.  apart from the four or five game prototypes i already had ready to push forward, i’ve developed another: players are body-snatchers working for medical students at a prestigious medical institute in baltimore at the turn of the 19th century.  again, this is great news, but the actual act of publishing hasn’t occurred just yet.

 

with only four months remaining in the year, and no artwork, no letters to publishers, and no single product ready to go out the door, i’ve again hit a wall.  to address this, i’ll need to dig into the two following areas to have any measure of success:

• finding an artist to complete artwork for me on at least one project.  the one i recruited for “my pet robot” is inundated with other art projects, and to be honest i doubt the work will be done within adequate time even to ship out prototypes by the end of the year.
  
• finding printing resources to develop adequate prototypes

 only after those two conditions are met can i prepare and ship prototyps to publishers (found in my handy-dandy book, “the game inventor’s guidebook” by brian tinsman).  at the very least, i can still publish something through the game-crafter website.  but i’ll still need artwork for that, at least.

 

software development remains a perennial distraction.  i’ve taken on a band-related project, with the hopes i can finish something in time for the pending album release in early october 2010.  additionally, it’ll be a flash application, to allow anyone with internet access a chance to play the game on the dmfs website.  this is a tempting goal, and a project than can be accomplished; the guys in the band seem stoked on having it done as well. i’ve allowed this project to stand in my way of goal number 2, it seems.

 

CAN I DO THIS? i’m still confident that it can be done, although definitely discouraged.  regaining focus will help maintain this goal as a realistic one for 2010.

 

GOAL #3: Bike Odyssey 2010: This time, with a partner.

 

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? it’s done!  i’ve listed a few write-ups about it at the page dedicated to bike odyssey 2010. progress exceeded expectations, definitely. all things considered: while being the most physically demanding, this goal seems to be the easiest of them all.

 

GOAL #4: Develop two significant program aspects for [the day job].

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? i’ve truly hit my stride in the new position as “outreach and trainer” for our in-house re-entry program for current and former inmates with a history of drug charges.  i visit inmates in prisons two or three days each month, in various institutions–sometimes two different prisons in a single day.  we’re now a two-person team (instead of me struggling to complete all aspects on my own), and my supervisor and i work together excellently; a dedicated job coach is slated to begin working with us by the end of september.  finally, funding has been approved for the following year–at least, as far as we can tell.  whether or not i’ll have the same job at the turn of the next fiscal year (july 2011) is an interesting question, though i’m not so concerned my job is in jeopardy.

 

a significant highlight for the past month is that of the completion of a three-week employment readiness course that i authored and administered, largely on my own.  within that time, six former inmates had their resumes updated, acquired new clothes for job interview and the first day on the job, two videotaped practice interviews, developed an individual development plan (or “IDP”), picked up all essential IDs and federal fidelity bonding papers, scads of in-house life skills training, and lunches every day.  it’s money well-spent, in my opinion.

 

in the coming months, our office will be relocating to a larger facility closer to my home.  it’ll be even easier to report to work.  i am also in line to acquire another national certification: the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification; i’ll need to coordinate the scheduling and tuitiion with my executive director, but i will dig into my own savings to pay for this if necessary.

 

CAN I DO THIS? i think i’ve actually succeeded at this goal, whether i know it or not.  my supervisor and executive director are both very happy with my performance, and the program has clearly taken off in a very positive way.  as one of four vendors for this grant, we’re one of the stand-out difference-makers, and i’m pleased with the distinction.

 

TWO THIRDS OF THE YEAR IS OVER! it appears that i’ve allowed myself to become distracted from two of my remaining goals now that i have some initial success under my belt.  the remainder of the year will be all about regaining my focus and drive to bring these other goals as close as possible to completion.

Tags: Uncategorized, bike odyssey, board games, cycling, day job, dmfs, game-making, music, personal, writing by editor
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from the editor:

in an effort to wrap up several projects before my 2nd period assessment of 2010,  i wanted to post my debriefing of the actual bicycle-riding portion of the bike odyssey 2010 benefit and ride.  so here it is.

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 BIKE ODYSSEY 2010: A DEBRIEFING
——————————-

———————
DAY ONE: 7 June, 2010
———————
Today’s ride both began and ended smoothly.  I had two flat tires outside of Edgewood (the second because I neglected to remove the metal staple that punctured it the first time), while Boson had one flat.  Other than that, things couldn’t have gone much better.  The weather was gorgeous, and Sam’s speedometer indicated our average speed was around 14mph.

I originally thought the bridge (Hatem Bridge in Havre De Grace, MD) would be a major issue.  It’s essentially the only bottleneck during the entire trip.  My original ride–a pickup truck–would have hauled the four bicycles and passengers easily, but they had to back out due to personal commitments/family obligations.  So the “plan B” was to request the assistance of my parents, who live locally.

Of course, they gladly accepted the task, but my mother definitely does NOT have a pickup truck.  My stepfather does, but he was at work all day and unable to assist.  So cramming four bicycles and passenger into my mother’s sedan was simply not possible; we anticipated multiple trips.

Fortunately, that all changed the day of.

We met my mother in the parking lot of a fast food burger joint.  As the other guys were inside refilling water and picking up snacks to re-energize, I was outside with my mother trying to most-efficiently arrange my bicycle and some of the other cyclists’ panniers in her Nissan Altima.  As I fretted about, she nonchalantly glanced across the car in my direction, and said, “Why don’t you ask that guy?”

Looking behind me, not two spaces away, was a construction contractor sitting in his pick-up truck, chomping away on a sandwich.  “I’ll pay that guy forty bucks.  Just go ask,” my mother added.

So, two minutes and $40 later, the four of us made our way across the Hatem Bridge in Havre De Grace, Maryland.  This easily caught us up on some of our lost time (thanks to my series of flat tires).

For now, the rest of Day One has proceeded without incident.  We at at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch/early dinner; it was Boson’s inaugural visit, which he enjoyed via chicken-fried steak.  Later I introduced the guys to (an original card game called) “My Pet Robot,” which turned out to be a fun experience for everyone.  Boson’s suggestion for a card: “Reverse Direction” which reverses the direction of play, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

For tomorrow: Sam seems anxious about rain, which is forecast for Wednesday (9th June).  So we all agreed we’re going to simply break for a meal in Denton and press on for perhaps another 30 miles in an effort to reduce travel time on Wednesday.  If all goes well, the crew will end up at the shore sooner.

We’ll see how it goes.  Everyone is enthusiastic.

Highlights from “songs of the day”: “Let Me In,” “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” and “Star Me Kitten” by R.E.M.; “Never Gonna Get It” by En Vogue.

Other highlight: we passed a signal truck labeled “run-with-jazz.com”, (I couldn’t find the website, BTW) next to which was a young lady running down the road.  She started in Los Angeles, CA, and will end in New York City.  Her start date was 1 September, 2009 but she was out for two months with an injury.  We passed her in Edgewood, MD.

Stats for Day One (via Sam’s ride computer):
53.48 miles
3 hours, 39 minutes of biking time
14.6 mph average
32.5 mph max speed

———————–
DAY TWO: 8th June, 2010
———————–
We started off today with a trip to The Waffle House.  I successfully met Boson’s challenge of speaking with an approximate German dialect for the entirety of our breakfast there.  Sam was not impressed.

Highlight: we met “Jason” on the road; he’s bicycling from Lancaster, PA, to Salisbury, MD, in one day…a whopping 200 miles!  He traveled with us for a bit, then we passed him when he stopped to take a phone call.

Today we chose to stop in Denton (Day Two’s original stopping point) only for lunch, and continue for at least another 30 miles to Georgetown, DE.  Only 30 or so miles left for Day Three, and we’re done!  Rainy weather is predicted for tomorrow, so we’re planning on starting out at early as we can manage.  Our goal is to be on the road by 7:30am.  We will wake at 6am.

We saw a llama (or alpaca) farm today!  It was on the far side of the highway in Delaware.  When we passed, we were hooting and hollering at the animals; it was amusing to watch them stand up and walk closer to the fence to have a better look at us; you could almost hear them saying, “What?  What’s that?  Hey, who are those guys talking to us?”

Anton and Boson had their first-ever cherry lime-aids from Sonics, and were pleased with them.  I had my first-ever “Ocean Water” drink from the same, and was pretty much disgusted.  I thought it was normal bottled water or something; instead, it came out looking like the brilliant blue found in an above-ground swimming pool or something.

We are all immensely excited to be down at the shore tomorrow!

———————–
DAY THREE/FINAL REMARKS: 9 June, 2010
———————–
In summary: the trip went excellently!  The main focus for the future trip should be on how to make it even better (but of course!).

PACKING AND PREPARATION:

• packed lightly, as we split repair gear amongst the four of us.
• four flats total, split between 3 of the four riders.  This is normal; remember to double-check tires for foreign objects once stopped.
• each rider needs at least one spare innertube (fitting their bike tires) and their own patch kit.  I forgot one for my bike ( ! ) and ended up taking one from Sam that wasn’t the proper size.
• major tune-up actions (brakes, truing, lubing, etc.) happen during overnights, unless the repair is essential to keep the bike moving (a broken chain, for example).
• keep food diverse between riders; offer to share.
• me personally: I had a lot of room to spare in my two panniers.  I decided to pack extras (camera, board games, fresh fruit).
• make sure at least one rider carries a decent air pump.

ROUTE:

• worked great!  No complaints, no navigational hazards.
• for next time, I’m considering a two-day trip, 85 miles/day.
• added more miles to Day Two, which reduced time for Day Three.  Day Two = 90 miles; Day Three = 30 miles.  We biked only two hours on Wednesday, and were finished by 9:30am!

RIDERS:

• send personal invites to friends already interested in cycling.
• four total riders is a good (perfect?) number.  There’s enough room for the riders and their partners/drivers home at the beach house.
• stress that it’s not a race; it’s about putting one foot in front of the other until the day’s miles are done.
• co-ed seems to be a viable option; keep an equal ratio (2m/2f) if that’s the case.

BREAKS/STOPPING:

• maintain communication: who needs to stop, when people want to stop or keep going, etc.
• start each day with an explanation of the route, the day’s plan, etc.
• anticipate a few stops for minor repairs (patching flats, popped chains, etc.) and take it in stride.  These are almost inevitable.
• refuel yourself at each stop you make even if it’s just a small mouth-full of trail mix.
• refill water & sports drinks whenever possible.  It’s all right to appear to have too much to drink, because you’ll eventually need it.
• no recommendations on specific foods, but eat proteins and carbs.  Don’t eat too much at once unless you factor in time to digest.

BICYCLING SAFETY:

• always wear a helmet when riding.  You are moving very close to automobiles; safety is an issue.
• stay in shoulder area; use bike lane markings and signage to your advantage.
• when crossing merging lanes/ramps/intersections: keep the group together, staying in the shoulder.  When lane is available and the intersection/stoplight is near, “take the lane” and cross the merge area as a group.  Maintain line of cyclists as close to right-hand edge of the lane.  Rear rider should make the “clear!” announcement.
• use hand signals so automobile drivers know where to expect you.
• ring your signal bell when approaching pedestrians or other cyclists, or animals.  Make noise so others can learn of your location.
• front rider makes “clear” call at intersections, stoplights, etc. (unless it’s at a merging lane as above, and the group is close together)
• drafting is great!  Practice riding together so that bicycles can stay within 2 feet or closer to one another.
• switch order of riders frequently.  This eases fatigue for all riders, and increases the group’s pace in general.  Practice “off-shoulder” formations (the next rider in line is slightly off to he left of the rider in front of them).
• keep the group together.  Packs are more efficient; stragglers are safe in the group.  IT IS NOT A RACE.

Tags: baltimore, bike odyssey, cycling, personal by editor
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here’s the plan for bike odyssey 2010.  for those readers who are unaware (but might still give a damn), bike odyssey started back in 2007, and finally came to fruition for the first time in 2008.  because i enjoyed the experience so thoroughly, i decided to reinstate the tradition–but this time bring a partner along.  surprisingly enough, three people have agreed to join me this year, and we’ve been biking together in the past couple months in an effort to train up for the main event.  as of this writing, it happens in four days (!).

so what is it, exactly?
bike odyssey 2010 is a bicycle trip from baltimore, md, usa, to ocean city, md, usa.  the entire trip is approximately 170 to 175 miles (eh, what’s a few more miles, anyway?).  the route ambles northward along a major u.s. roadway; once we’ve skirted around the north end of the chesapeake bay (helped by a pickup truck–for less than a mile–to cross the susquehannah river, because bicycles are not allowed on the bridge), we’ll be easing our way south towards the eastern shore.  eventually, we stop at a relative’s beach house and stay there for a couple days.  we’ll have family and friends meet us in ocean city later in the week, and they’ll drive us home after a few days of rest and relaxation.

the trip takes about 2.5 days, riding steady for 6 hours or so each day.  we’re staying in hotels during the evenings of the two days on the road.

what’s the big deal about all this, anyway?
at first glance, there’s nothing remarkable about the trip, other than the fact that it’s being done.  not everyone considers riding 170 miles over three days very enjoyable.  but i do, and the guys biking with me do, too.

additionally, this year i wanted to make the trip worthwhile to more than just us riders.  i took on a fund-raising benefit for a local baltimore homeless shelter.  my goal for this effort is to eventually raise $1000 to benefit the shelter and its residents.  prospects are good; at the initial fundraising benefit we raised just over $300, and later donations (as part of a “pledge-per-mile” program i developed) have just about doubled that number.  although i’m doubtful the full $1000 will be raised, there’s no reason to not keep trying.  plus, there’s still time, so more funds may come through somehow.  we’ll see.  but regardless, the shelter staff are appreciative of the funds and other resources we’ve collected for the shelter so far,  and every little bit helps.

why a bicycle?  why this?
way back in maybe 2004 or 2005, i made a vow to purchase a bicycle once local gasoline prices went up to $2.50 per gallon.  essentially, i wanted to save money; maybe i wanted to be a little healthier, too.  so when the fateful day came to pass (it was inevitable, naturally), i went to a department store and bought my first bicycle i’d ridden since college for about $99.  i was able to make short trips around town to visit friends, do errands, and take leisurely trips out and about in my spare time.

as time went on, my finances waxed and waned due to a period of “career transition.”  i was shifting from a semi-corporate job into the non-profit sector, and i was continually looking for ways to reduce expenses.  riding a bicycle became less and less a leisure activity, and more a viable mode of transportation.  at the age of 30, my last car finally died, and i ended up being car-less for a few months for the first time since i was 19 years old.  around that time–the hot summer of 2007–i suddenly hatched the plan to ride my bicycle to ocean city.  i have a relative who owns a summer house over there, and i have a open invite to stay when i please.  i hatched a plan to make my way there in august of that year.  i asked friends and family to help me out financially–i had just finished up a year-long americorps term, and funds were drastically limited.  i was also still out of work at the time, so i spent my days riding my bicycle, volunteering around town at various projects, and eating ramen noodles or peanut butter on toast.

as the date for the trip drew near, i suddenly had to change plans.  one of the bands i’m in was invited to travel across the country and participate in a televised audition for a spin-off of the american idol television show.  the bike trip was put on hold.  i eventually was hired by a non-profit organization (with whom i’m still employed now) and began to personally, emotionally, and financially regroup.  the trip with the band was a blast, of course, and was a superb uplifting experience for me in a number of ways.

before i knew it, early 2008 had come along.  the idea of the bike trip had never left the back-side of my mind, however, and i became more obsessed with the notion of achieving that personal goal.  i would bike to the day job any day that it wasn’t raining or snowing, and that the temperature was over 35 degrees fahrenheit.  i would take solo trips out to shopping malls a dozen miles away, eat a snack, and bike back home.  i would bicycle 20-mile round trips to pick up groceries.

eventually memorial day weekend 2008 arrived, and i left for ocean city.   two and a half days later, i was looking a the atlantic ocean.

it’s not easy for me to articulate the sense of accomplishment i had felt, perhaps because it had resonated with me personally at such a profound level.  the past year and a half or so had been a very trying time for me in terms of my personal life, and although the original trip had been delayed, eventually achieving it seemed not so much completing a task, but more like opening a door to many more possibilities and opportunities.  since that time, i’ve felt less inhibited by personal boundaries, anxieties, and social mores.  i feel less angry and frustrated.  i realize that careful, thought-full planning can eventually bring positive, long-lasting results.  i had felt i finally achieved one of my personal goals, after having endured close to two years of meeting resistance.

so i wanted to do it again.  at the beginning of 2010, i established four annual goals for myself. another bike odyssey is one of them.  so i’m doing it again, but this time it’s “bigger and better” than its precursor.  that’s the part of accomplishing goals that seems the most attractive to me: once one major success comes along, you’re encouraged not just to repeat it, but to take more risks, to “turn it up a notch,” and to expand your boundaries even further.

this is the main reason i wanted partners this time around.  i will never forget how intense the achievement was for me.  if i can encourage someone else to answer that call, and to meet that challenge, then i’ve done a profoundly rewarding service for someone else.  it’s doubtful that a single bicycle trip will always blast someone’s perceptions wide open–as it did for me–but at the very least it can open their experience to more opportunities.

i’m totally excited for you! how can i support bike odyssey 2010?
hell, i’m glad you asked!  you can download the “pledge per mile” form, and then e-mail me to arrange a pickup.  we’re accepting pledges until midnight, june 13th, 2010.

thanks for reading.

Tags: bike odyssey, personal, writing by editor
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the following is editor’s self-assessment of the bike odyssey benefit 2010.  maintained here for posterity, indeed.

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Well, the Bike Odyssey Benefit show is finally over. I want to review this process to see what went well, and what needs work. Debriefing and evaluation is all part of the learning process that will make future events more manageable and successful. I will refer to this list when any future projects or efforts come to pass.

 

IN A NUTSHELL: I can throw a good party, but I’ll be damned if I can make it affordable. I have yet to succeed financially in any major fund-raising effort I start; this was no exception. At least the food and bands were excellent.

 

VENUE: The natural choice was [the community center]. I volunteer there several times a month; the space is definitely large enough to accommodate the guests; the shelter is on the property. I’ve a good working relationship with the regular organizers, and developing the proposal and guiding it through acceptance was a breeze. In being a steward for the space, I have keys and open access to all needed rooms in the building.

 

RAFFLE: I sent out 70 or so requests for raffle donations; I ended up having 6 raffle items. The good news is that I definitely had enough prizes relative to the attendance for the event. However, the prizes lacked the diversity I wanted (two of the six were from bowling alleys), and I wanted more of a response over all. I’m not going to blame this lack of effectiveness on the sorry state of the economy; I can’t really address that on my own. But I realize I hadn’t followed best practices in doing this. Some suggestions to improve the response rate on this front include:

• more response time. Sending out the letters earlier will give recipients more time to mull it over. I actually had a recipient who wanted to donate, but they had received the letter late and ended up not bringing me the donation in time. I think this abbreviated response window was a major factor, and it’s definitely within my realm of control. Give recipients a month, at least. I feel I personally slacked on this, because it’s unfamiliar territory for me; that’s reason enough to spend extra attention on it in the future.
• approach people in person to solicit donations. I am personally not comfortable with this method, but I have been told it’s a dramatic improvement over simply sending out letters. To make this successful, I will have to recruit someone else (or several someone elses) to do it for me. I do not like being a commission-driven salesperson.
• emphasize businesses I know and appreciate already. The flip side of disliking sales tactics is that I tend to be very loyal and steadfast in my own sense of “brand loyalty.” I have local businesses I always support, whom I visit frequently, places with servers I always tip well in particular restaurants, etc. In essence, I may be able to “trick” myself into soliciting these businesses face-to-face in an effort to acquire donations in the space of normal conversation.

One ticket was included with admission; additional tickets could be purchased for $2 each, or 3 for $5. This seemed appropriate.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: This was great and bad simultaneously. I had three acts lined up for the evening, which was plenty. Then another act called on the organizers of [the community center] and asked if they could jump in on a bill for a locally-driven show. They’d been wanting to play there for a while, and they are an interesting band in a similar vein to the other acts I’d booked, so I figured we could fit them in without a problem.

Unfortunately, it made the other acts much too pressed for time. The event ran over time as well, which for various reasons is a major no-no at that space. The extra band sounded fantastic, and they turned out to be a bunch of really cool guys and superb musicians…Logistically it was a bad move.

How to solve this? There are a couple ways to approach it.

• Hardline the band lineup. Say no to last-minute requests after planning is complete.
• Have additional people in a tech role to assist bands and facilitate change-over so that time is maximized.
• Start the event earlier. It would be easy to have an event like this in the same space, but on a weekend instead. That would result in an earlier start time, and more flex time for performers.

 

DRINKS: we acquired a temp liquor license for the event, which was helpful. I received no alcohol donations, so I had to purchase the alcohol myself; there’s still some leftover, and I ended up not including the drink take in with the rest of the funds for the shelter, and so I’ve paid myself back for it. But the arrangement worked well. I actually copied it from a previous event: Attendees receive a “drink ticket” as part of admission, and drop off the drink tickets at the bar to have a beer or wine. If they want another drink, they simply purchase another drink ticket (from a nearby table) and drop it off at the bar. This keeps the bartender from having to worry about making change, and lets them focus on slinging the drinks.

I used little plastic cowboys and indians as drink tickets too, which seemed to go over well. Drink tickets cost $2 each; this worked out well, as there was wine (red or white) and beer (Natty Boh). There are two and a half bottles of wine and maybe a 12-pack of Boh leftover (out of eight bottles and six 12-packs). This is a fair overhead, especially considering I have a lot of drinking friends and I’ve made my money back.

 

ADMISSIONS: I set admissions as a sliding scale ranging from $6 to $10. This seemed appropriate for the event. I included entertainment, complimentary food, one drink, and one raffle ticket with admission. There was a special discount rate of $5 for those who brought in a donation of towels, bed linens, or underwear for the shelter.

Although the financial take wasn’t impressive, I can’t complain. It’s in line with estimated attendance, when factoring in the donations received as part of it. I may consider revising this price plan in the future, but at this point it seems about right. I doubt admission price was a discouraging factor for those who didn’t come.

 

FOOD: I think this went over great. I wanted to keep things simple, as I’d received only one food donation (bread from a local bakery). I think I had just woken up from a night’s sleep—or maybe it was just as I had settled down for the night—when I decided to go with “bicycling food” as the offerings.

By “bicycling food,” I mean food that would be eaten by cyclists while on a long bike trip. I had a “PB&J sandwich station” where people could make their own sandwiches. There was also fresh fruit—apples, oranges, and bananas—and an assortment of granola bars. I incorporated the bread donation into the bread used for the sandwiches, so it’s not gone to waste. There was complimentary water and pink lemonade (brewed on-site in a large decorative decanter).

We had plates and spreading knives from the shelter kitchen, so there was no excess waste of paper plates and plastic flatware. Serving platters were also supplied from the kitchen stores. We did spend time washing up at the end of the night, but I think that was a better alternative to producing excess trash.

I succeeded in providing relatively healthy food choices, and I heard no complaints. I’m very happy with the food situation. The key to its success is that while it fit with the theme, it was still very simple and low-maintenance. People dug into it, and it was all delicious nutritious food. I didn’t want to resort to “pretzels and chips,” so I’m very happy with all of it. Best of all, I’ll have no problem eating the leftovers.

 

ATTENDANCE: This was unsatisfactory. Estimated attendance was around 50 people, which includes about a dozen performers. Frankly, I wanted to see more. However, this highlights another of my weaknesses: promotion.

I don’t have a natural talent for promotions, and I’ve yet to develop the skills in place of that. I’ve a tendency to drag my feet in terms of effective solicitation techniques; this is something that needs to be eliminated if I’m to succeed in these kinds of events in the future.

There was only one other major music event that would have drawn from the same audience pool; they’re a national touring act based here in Baltimore, so that may have been significant. But again, I can’t lean on that too much; it’s out of my control, and meanwhile I readily admit that I have shortcomings in this area.

 

PROMOTION: This is probably the only good thing that has come out of Facebook: promoting events to your friends and acquaintances online, for free. I invited over 200 people to this event myself, and more were added to the invite list by other attendees. As a result, I think over 500 people knew about this event happening last night.

A good friend of mine also composed a truly beautiful poster design, and I was sure to move that around as soon as it was done. I edited the original in Photoshop to add in times, admission, and other necessary info, and then made about 100 copies.

The bookstore/cafe that partners with the venue has a “dedicated flier person,” who has taken it upon themselves to distribute fliers for upcoming events related to the bookstore/cafe and [the community center]. I don’t really go out much (or if I do, it’s to a handful of out-of-the-way places, and in any case not clubs or other places the posters would be distributed), so I have no idea where they all went. Again, I personally avoid this kind of action anyway, so anything that someone else has done would be better than I would do myself.

That being said, I would prefer having a person dedicated specifically to the event, savvy enough to visit the various establishments in town, creatively soliciting some flier space in these worthwhile places.

 

PLEDGE PER MILE PROGRAM: I developed the PPM program in an effort to further link the bike ride itself to the shelter benefit. The main idea behind it is that people will pledge to donate money as long as we finish the ride to the shore. In return for donating to the shelter, donors will receive a thank-you gift. There are different gifts based on the amount donated to the shelter. For example, a donation of $5 earns the donor an Ocean City shot glass; $25 earns them a pound of fudge or salt water taffy; the biggest gift (me having my photo taken at one of those old-timey photo places, while dressed as a can-can girl) is set at $100. This level has already been claimed…I reckon I need to follow through with it now!

One thing I need to make clear about this for myself is that I must pay myself back from the donation funds for any thank-you gifts I purchase. This is regardless of the amount of donations I receive. I know I’ll be tempted to say “Ah, what the hell,” and simply give all the money to the shelter, particularly if the amount of donations is less than I want. I literally cannot afford to do that; it will be very expensive, and it’s basically like me giving more of my own money to the shelter instead of other people. I’ve personally spent somewhere close to $300 on this event, and I’ll have spent plenty more by the time the bike trip is finished. Someone else can foot that bill.

There’s a lot of potential in this program, and judging on how short I am of my $1000 goal I will need to test that potential. Steady marketing and promotion is what will make it work; I’ll need to step up my game in these areas to ensure success.

 

NEXT STEPS: In Summary: Press the Pledge-Per-Mile Program heavily until we leave for the bike trip. Train on my bicycle with the rest of the team. Eat well, stay healthy, and reduce stress.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: I have a goal of $1000 in combined cash and supplies donations. I’m almost at the halfway point. The “Pledge-Per-Mile” program might push us over the top, but that remains to be seen. Final numbers will be tallied about a month and a half from now, once the bike trip itself is complete.

 

UPDATE: After speaking with one of the chief organizers of [the community center], I feel somewhat better about the lack of response and generated funds. I’ve been told that as far as shelter fundraisers go, I had done relatively well. There had been several fundraisers in the past, I’d been told, with absolutely dismal turnouts and negligible amounts of funds raised. So I don’t feel it was a waste of time, actually, when seen strictly from a monetary point of view. In any case, I’ll pass my final judgment when all pledges have been collected and the final cash value of the fundraising effort has been tallied.

Tags: baltimore, bike odyssey, cycling by editor
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BIKE ODYSSEY BENEFIT 2010
Celebrate countryside bicycling, a local shelter, and live music all at once!  The Bike Odyssey Benefit 2010 is a unique resource-raising event for Heart’s Place Shelter, the only Baltimore shelter that houses men, women, and children in an effort to keep homeless families united.  Support the work of this great shelter at 2640 on Friday, May 14th, by coming to the BOB…Live music and entertainment from local Baltimore performers (gypsy-folk-rock gods Good Guise, boot-stompin’ geetar-pickers Bobby E. Lee & The Sympathizers , and old-timey cover barons Wild Bonerz!), food and drink, raffles, and more!

Doors open at 8pm, and admission is a sliding scale of $6 to $10.  Special discounted price of $5 for those who bring in donations of underwear, bed linens, and towels for use at the shelter and by their guests. [Read more →]

Tags: baltimore, bike odyssey, cycling, food, music by editor
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