it's all about the community

I truly believe that you can make your community a better community by giving back.  So many of us are blessed with talents or spare time (even if it's one hour a month) that we can share with others.  I have a knack for being overly organized, planning events, and getting my friends to pitch in (whether it's donating equipment, time or money) to make something happen.

I have chosen to volunteer my time over the past 2 years to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.  This amazing new (to Charlotte) organization does not have any personal, deep tie to me except that I desperately feel for these families in need.  I have been blessed with amazing parents and grandparents, pretty good health, and extended family / friends who have never had to use the services of this organization.  However in that same breath, there are unfortunately so many people that do.  And they are people just like you and me.

There are so many things you can do to help out ... simple things, like dropping off rolls of toilet paper, alarm clocks, laundry detergent or a favorite book.  Those little things make a house a home ... just like they make your house a home.

While I have baked cookies on a Saturday afternoon or prepared meals for the families in the house, I have also helped raise thousands of dollars to help keep this house going.  I have been fortunate enough to co-chair one of their signature events for the last 2 years ... Girls' Night Out | An Evening for Glamour and Giving.  I am proud of this event ... not in a "look at what I have done way" but a ... WOW, thank you for donating ... kind of way.  It amazes me that people in this community have such open wallets during this financially trying time we're in.  Over the last 2 years, we have raised over $39,000 to help support the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.

Below are some fun images from this event.  Hopefully this will show you that "volunteer work" can be fun, rewarding, humble ... even glamorous at times!

Girls' Night Out - 2010

{images courtesy of Cunningham Photo Artists}

 

Girls' Night Out - 2011

  {Images Courtesy of Catch Light Studios & Lucy Parker Photography}

Passions and Awesome Friends.

This is a bit more of a personal note for those who have blessed me and who I can humbly help out.

 . . . . . . . . .

I am so blessed to have amazing friends who I am so passionate about.  Also I have a passion for designing things.  Logos.  Invitations for a friend's birthday party.  Announcements.  Email invitations, even.  But when a friend is in need and that need also consists of a new logo or a baby shower invitation.  I get excited.  Really excited.

Recently, my friend and her hubby were going through a financial 'crisis'.  They had a roof over their head, but they needed to keep that roof over their head ... and the cute little heads of their 3 kiddos.  They enlisted in a Dave Ramsey class at their church.  Her take away as a stay-at-home mother was to make a new business that incorporated her true God-given talent ... all while raising their kids.  She humbly asked me to help her with a logo.  I was humbled in return - but super excited to be able to share in her new adventure.  She had an idea, and knew what colors to use, but that was it.  I was able to help her bring her ideas to life ... and VOILA!  A new logo!

While I don't have space to share them all, I do want to share a few logos and invites that I have made to help some of my best friends that I have.  Some are fun.  Some are serious.  Some are helping people make money ... but they are all done with love!  Enjoy!

The GAP

Nope.  Not the GAP clothing store.  Not the train GAP ... or the other infamous "GAPs" out there.  Another kind of GAP.  The Green.  The Atrium.  The Plaza.  My kinda GAP.

The GAP needed to be noticed.  So, some incredible marketing happened.  COLLATERAL kind of marketing.  Swanky marketing.  Pieces I was excited to share with companies.  Pieces they WOULD NOT want to throw away.  Why? Because they had amazing photos.  They had descriptive text.  They were glossy.  They had our fancy new website addresses listed on them.  Yup ... we were the new GAP.  With a new slogan nonetheless.

The Green.
The Atrium.
The Plaza.

When you came to visit one, you were going to see them all .... and fall in love.  People came.  People fell in love.  People even got married.  People wanted to look at all the spaces.  AND .... people actually commented on the new fancy marketing pieces.

After all, the perfect occasion DOES indeed start with the perfect location! Does it not?!?!

You can indeed birth a website . . .

I have now "birthed" 4 websites.  I don't know what you actually call it.  I call it making, some call it designing.  Call it what you will, but I know my boundaries.  For example - I can write copy, but I cannot technically map a website ... although I can give you my 2 cents about how it should be mapped.  There are special people that do that.  They are adorable and smart.  Some people call them nerds.  I call them brilliant.  They listen to me, they get the picture I have in my head as I am saying it.  AND they are okay with revisions ... because they are passionate about their work.

Skylights Newsletter

r.e.s.p.e.c.t.

I will have to admit ... most jobs aren't that intimidating to me.  However, we all face "those" tasks ... you know, the ones that we've never done ... but we just have to jump in feet first to make it happen, right?  Right.  After taking on Skylights Newsletter, I respect magazine writers MUCH more now that I ever have.  New topics every quarter.  New photographs every quarter.  New events.  New blurbs.  We're going GREEN.  New retail tenants.  New. New. New.  Every quarter.  I quickly learned that you can indeed make another article about a new tenant interesting.  And yes, people wonder why dynamite is indeed the cause of their desk rattling EVERY day at 3pm.  It's because we're blasting a 85 foot hole on Tryon Street.  I learned how to make a high gloss newsletter Green, I learned so much about the art on the property, and more importantly ... people read it.  So, here's a snapshot of a few newsletters.... and my favorite one is at the bottom.  Yes - it's the one about the 85 foot hole.  I did have to walk down into it ... I wanted to make sure that those weren't little toy Tonka trucks hauling out all that dirt.

Topping Out

real dream :: real estate :: real big event

When you're in commercial real estate - and your job includes managing events, you drool over challenging events that happen on your properties.  Especially new properties.

Yes - you read that right - NEW - sparkling new properties ...

Oh wait and then you hear the foreman telling you to put your hardhat on {does it hurt that mine has my monogram on it? ... why no!} and where are your steel toe boots?  Okay - steel toe boots with this lovely skirt?  Note to self - buy some outfits that I can wear to my corporate event meetings AND the construction site.  "Oh....and by the way", the general contractor chats... "we need 2 events back to back."  No problem-o.  What did you just say? 2,500 people during the day and 200 the next night? Oh - okay! {Silent excitement all on the inside. At least I know the caterer is going to give me a bargain of a price on this one.}

Here are some images from that evening:

The beam signing {the beam was hoisted to the top of the building that night . . . definitely fun to watch}.

A peek inside the event where dinner and dancing happened.  Yup! We traded in those hard hats and steel toe boots for a little more swank attire.

Here's a snapshot of the invitation for that evening...