Monthly Archives: January 2011

Project Q to test trivia skills and to support a cause

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Which two actors starred in Dumb and Dumber? What is the largest city in Europe? What was the first planet to be visited by a spacecraft? Put your thinking cap on and study up for Project Q, a unique team trivia competition to benefit the Adult Literacy Center at Drake University.

Project Q will begin with preliminary rounds on Friday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m. in Parents Hall on the Drake University campus. The preliminary rounds will consist of four rounds of multiple-choice questions and three rounds of short answer questions.

“No one should be shy about entering because they think they’re not smart enough,” said Kerwin Dobbins, one of the event’s organizers. “Rounds one through four should be pretty mild as far as difficulty.  We have a wide rage of categories and subject matter from music to art, geography to the 60′s, food to science fiction and so many more. Everyone has a chance of doing well in the competition.”

The trivia teams may consist of a maximum of four players. Registration fees are $10 for students, $20 for Drake staff and faculty and $25 for community members. All of the proceeds made from Project Q will directly benefit over 100 Polk County residents who are struggling readers, writers and/or spellers. According to the U.S. Census, 90,000 Polk County adults lack functional literacy, and the Adult Literacy Center is working toward decreasing that number.

“The Adult Literacy Center at Drake University has been in existence for 26 years and is funded almost exclusively by grants and private donations,” said Dobbins. “More than any amount of money we could raise, my hope is to raise awareness about the center and all the good work it does.”

The preliminary round winners will be put into the final round of competition, which will be held the next day, Saturday, Feb. 5 at noon in Sheslow Auditorium on Drake’s campus.

Thanks to a slew of gracious sponsors the prize list for Project Q includes: a free night’s stay at Embassy Suites on the River, tickets to Young Frankenstein at the Des Moines Civic Center, tickets to the Iowa Cubs baseball season, a party pack to the Blank Park Zoo, a mug and gift card to Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure, Raygun t-shirts and a $100 Gift certificate to Chef’s Kitchen.

To register for Project Q visit their website. You can also stay up-to-date with Project Q by liking Project Q on Facebook.

Connect with young professionals at YPC’s annual “Kick Off Party”

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Young Professionals Connection (YPC) is hosting their annual “Kick Off Party” on Friday, January 28 starting at 5:00 p.m. at People’s (216 Court Ave – 3rd Floor, Des Moines, IA). The event will include free food from AK’s and Fong’s Pizza as well as giveaways, live music, drink specials and a chance to meet other young professionals in the Des Moines community.

If you’re not a member of YPC don’t worry – you don’t have to be a member of YPC to attend this event. YPC’s 2011 president, Jason Wells, is encouraging anyone who loves Des Moines or who wants to have a great time to stop by the “Kick Off Party.”

“Young professionals should attend the YPC ’Kick Off Party’ because they want to have fun!” said Wells. “It sounds cliché, but it’s the truth. Even if someone doesn’t have time to dedicate to YPC, why not just come celebrate everything we love about Des Moines, eat some good food and maybe win some prizes while you’re at it?”

At 7:30 p.m. the event will move over to the smaller area of People’s where attendee’s have the opportunity to enjoy the local piano talent of Tony Bohnenkamp. It’s even rumored that Wells will shave his head if 300 people attend the event…

If you’d like to learn more about YPC, visit their website, like them on Facebook, follow them on twitter and/or check out their new “Why I YPC” video.

YPC’s Mission: “To promote an environment that attracts and retains young professionals in Greater Des Moines. Our efforts focus on connecting young professionals to each other and to the community through social, civic, charitable, and professional development endeavors.”

Mentors needed throughout Des Moines

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“The dedication of mentors has helped countless young men and women succeed when they might have otherwise fallen short of their full potential,” said President Obama in his recent Presidential Proclamation designating January as National Mentoring Month.

In honor of this month, I want to share a little bit about two great organizations within the Des Moines community that I mentor with – Everybody Wins! Iowa and Mentor Iowa. While both of these non-profit organizations utilize mentors, each organization has a unique mission.

A group of students and volunteers at an Everybody Wins! Iowa "Power Lunch." Rosie from the DSM Public Library visited us to celebrate reading during Power Lunch Week.

Everybody Wins! Iowa is an organization that is dedicated to increasing children’s success in school through reading and mentoring experience, whereas Mentor Iowa is dedicated to providing mentors for abused, neglected and delinquent children who are under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court.

I volunteer as a mentor with these organizations because I believe mentoring is a great way to give back to Des Moines by supporting children who will grow up to be an important part of our future and community. Through mentoring I hope to give my mentee’s a steady presence and a positive influence in their lives, while sharing a bit of knowledge and guidance along the way.

As is the case with most non-profit organizations, volunteers are crucial to Everybody Wins! Iowa and to Mentor Iowa. Without the support and the assistance of community members, these programs and services would not be possible.

“The volunteers we have are the vital ingredient to making a positive match for a child referred to our program,” said Marty Lester, Executive Director at Mentor Iowa. “The Judges who refer the children to our program understand the importance of a positive adult role model can make on the life of a child.”

My Mentor Iowa mentee and I showing off our "Mona Lisa" inspired artwork that we made at the Des Moines Art Center.

I choose to mentor for both of these organizations because I believe in their missions and the positive impact that they are making in the lives of local children and families. I also enjoy that both organizations offer volunteers a unique way to become active within Des Moines, while helping much deserving children.

“Everybody Wins! Iowa and Des Moines need each other,” said Tyler Weig, Executive Director with Everybody Wins! Iowa. “We rely on the generosity of Des Moines residents, both in time and dollars, and Des Moines is a stronger city because of it. When children are successful, the city is successful.”

Currently, Mentor Iowa has over 60 kids on their waiting list who are in need of a mentor. Similarly, Everybody Wins! Iowa is always looking for volunteers to assist with their school-based “Power Lunch” and “Power Breakfast” programs.

“There are children in central Iowa ready for someone to care about them, to be a positive role model for them, and to nudge them in the direction of success,” said Weig.

If you’re interested in learning how you can help by becoming a mentor or by donating to these organizations, please visit their respective websites (Everybody Wins! Iowa – Mentor Iowa) or feel free to contact me personally.

Second GuacUp: recap and event photos!

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The second GuacUp was a success and over 80 Des Moinesian’s, guac lovers, and social media guru’s alike showed up to gather, share guacamole, have a few drinks and enjoy some time networking with each other. And needless-to-say, the night was filled with tons of guacamole-themed phrases such as: “guac on,” “guacstar” and “guac n’ roll.”

Thank you to everyone who attended the event! A special thanks goes to Dos Rios for hosting the event and providing a few drink specials, Urban515 for providing Urban Card owners with a 20% off deal at Dos Rios and to Dwolla for setting up payments through Dwolla for the evening.

Insider Information: Make sure you mark your calendars for February 22, which will be another networking event at a local restaurant with some GREAT specials. Do you like 1/2 price drinks, giveaways, coupons and free food? Good, I thought so. Stay tuned – more details to come soon!

If you missed the GuacUp or just want to relive the evening, take a look at all the tweets from the night (some are pretty entertaining) and browse through the event pictures below!

No slides are available.

Holy guacamole! Second GuacUp event to be held at Dos Rios

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Last year I tried Dos Rios’ fresh guacamole for the first time…and I have had a craving for it ever since. I mentioned on Twitter how much I absolutely love Dos Rios’ guacamole and I got an overwhelming response. I soon found out that there were a lot of other people in the social media community around the Des Moines area who also enjoy Dos Rios’ guacamole – so I decide to run with the idea by creating the GuacUp.

The GuacUp is a social event with the opportunity to network and it’s all based around food – in this case guacamole. The first GuacUp was a success and brought in approximately 60 people to Dos Rios to try the guacamole and to meet new people who also enjoy the food and social media scenes around Des Moines. The event was also featured in the Business Record article, “Groups use social media to promote restaurants.”

“I was really impressed by the crowd at the last GuacUp,” said Emilee Richardson, Public Relations Specialist with IRIS and one of the event’s attendees. “It’s a simple idea, really… A gathering of people who enjoy guacamole. But because it’s so informal (and probably because SO many people love Dos Rios’ guac), it’s a great way to meet new and interesting people.”

When’s the next GuacUp? The second GuacUp will be held on Thursday, January 20, 2011 from 5:30 – 8:30 PM at Dos Rios Cantina & Tequila Lounge (in the back room) located at 316 Court Avenue in Des Moines. Come and enjoy some guacamole, as well as the drink specials for the night, which are $4 margaritas and $5 mojitos. And if you’re not a huge fan of guacamole, don’t worry! There are plenty of other appetizer options at Dos Rios that are well worth trying. I’d recommend the Queso Fundido or the Tres Salsas de Dos Rios…they are both great alternatives!

If you’d like to attend the event (or see who’s attending that you might know), check the RSVP from Twitter or search for the event under “GuacUp” on Facebook. As of right now there are already over 50 people who have RSVP’d!

Want to learn more about the GuacUp? Take a look at my post from last year, which explains what a TweetUp is and how the event got it’s name.

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…no, it’s Superman…in Des Moines?

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If you can get your hands on the newest Superman comic book…look closely. Within the first couple of pages you’ll spot the legendary “man of steel” in front of some of Des Moines’ landmarks. The newest edition of the Superman comic book, issue 707, is out and the artwork features several popular landmarks in Des Moines, including the Iowa State Capitol Building and 801 Grand.

In recent editions of the comic book, Superman has become more “grounded.” The story line has Superman traveling across the country, a good portion of the time on foot, as he tries to find himself and tries to reconnect with people that he’s protected in the past.

Issue 707 includes Superman stopping a malfunctioning helicopter from crashing into 801 Grand, which as the text bubble states is “the tallest building in Iowa.” (As seen in the picture above.)

I called a local comic book store, Mayhem Comics and Games, and they are currently soldout, which seems to be the case around town. Although, the store is planning on getting a new shipment in soon…so be on the look out! Each comic book is selling for only $3.00.

Heat up your winter with “Jammin’ in the Jungle”

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On Friday, January 14, 2011 it’s your turn to enjoy the tropics – Des Moines style – by taking part in “Jammin’ in the Jungle” from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Des Moines Botanical Center. As you enjoy the music of Final Mix, a local band that serves up R&B, jazz fusion, blues, hip hop and even some rock ‘n roll, your memories of the snow and winter will melt away.

Enjoy the drink specials of the night - $2.50 Bud Light draws and $5.00 sangrias (one of my favorite drinks) – along with an array of finger foods such as popcorn, quesadillas, and grilled cheese, which will be available for purchase.

This event is a great way to get out of the cold weather, to enjoy some entertaining musicians, and to attend a local event in the Des Moines community.

“When we stay local, we personally invest in your community, our neighbors, and in ourselves,” said Pam Kline, Event/Gift Shop Coordinator at the Des Moines Botanical Center. “Community patronage does big things to help re-energize and enhance the growth of the Des Moines Botanical Center and tourism in Des Moines.”

Tickets are $7.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door. To get tickets in advance (like I did!), call the Des Moines Botanical Center at (515) 323-6290.

Other upcoming events at the Des Moines Botanical Center to look for:

Botanical Blues – Enjoy local musicians as they share their music in the comfort of the Botanical Center’s Dome on Sunday’s in January and February.

Valentine’s Tropical Dinner – Treat your hunny to a unique, tropical dinner for Valentine’s Day on either February 13 or 14.

Des Moines Marketers and Social Media Guru’s join forces for Post-Holiday Cheer (and Beer!)

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The Iowa Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA Iowa) and the Social Media Club of Des Moines (SMCDSM) are co-sponsoring a unique event for a cause on January 13, 2011 called, “Post-Holiday Cheer (and Beer!).” The event will be held from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Mickey’s Irish Pub located at 1800 NW 86th in Clive.

Join these two great Des Moines organizations to get a dose of networking with area professionals, for an opportunity to win some great prizes, and to support a local charity “MovetheFood,” which is an emergency food pantry network operated by the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC).

Attendees are asked to bring either a $5.00 donation or 3 non-perishable food items to the event to benefit “MovetheFood.”

“This is a great opportunity to mingle and network with area professionals,” said Laurie DePhillips, Vice President of Membership with AMA Iowa. “You never know when a connection you make at a networking event can turn into a great opportunity. Plus, it is for a great cause and we have a TON of awesome door prizes to give away.” 

Among the list of local businesses giving away gift cards/prizes to the Post-Holiday Cheer (and Beer!) attendees are Dos Rios Cantina and Tequila Lounge, Urban515, Z’Mariks Noodle Cafe, Jethro’s BBQ, Nutri-Sport, Laserwash and Pancheros.

You don’t have to be a member of AMA Iowa or SMCDSM to attend the event – all are welcome and encouraged to join in the fun! This event will be a great way to connect with marketing and social media professionals in Des Moines all while supporting a local cause.

My 2011 New Year’s Goal

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It’s a tradition that happens every 365 days. Here we go again….a new year and another new resolution to be made. What habit should I kick this year? What can I do to improve myself? I think I’ll lose weight, volunteer more, manage my stress, and pay off my student loans…all at once. Now, let’s be serious. All of these resolutions are going to last a few weeks and then I’ll be waiting until 2012 to set them again.

I’ve heard too many times that people want to resolve to spend more time with friends and family, quit smoking, and to manage debt…and I’m not sold on making resolutions. This year, I’ve decided to ditch the new year’s resolution talk and I’ve decided to make a new year’s goal. Having a goal acknowledges that nothing will happen over night and that I’m going to constantly be working to achieve my goal. Therefore, my 2011 goal is (drum roll, please)… to run five 5K’s around the Des Moines area. To some this may sound easy, and to some this may sound crazy…but for me, it’s going to be a challenge. Running has never been something that I’ve been good at, or that I’ve enjoyed.

So why set this as your 2011 goal? I’ve decided to choose five races around the Des Moines area that support different causes and great organizations all while challenging myself to improve my health and to learn about something new – running.

I need your help! If you know of any 5K runs around the greater Des Moines area that you’d recommend or if you have any tips for a newbie runner, please post them in the comments below!

And for all of you making a new year’s goal or resolution remember: if you slip, it’s okay. We are all human. Forgive yourself and keep working on your goal!