It has been 4 days since our launch event and I am only now caught up enough to have a few mins to sit down and compose my thoughts around the evening!
- We self catered the event for over 40 people,
- We sold out of all of the softcover books,
- and an amazing time was had by all!
(everyone kept saying it, so it must be true!)
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Full launch event photo set can be found HERE
I honestly can't believe that it has been 11 months since sending the very first email about The20Project. According to our editor, Theresa, most books take at least a full year or two to get published and this short turn around time is essentially unheard of. Those of you who know me though, probably aren't surprised in the least! Once I set my mind to something - I see it all the way through (another thing that isn't very common).
The week leading up to the event was a whirlwind of activity, running around, ordering supplies, getting stuff printed, and making a myriad of tiny decisions that lead up to the final event! I know that I was running on very little sleep trying to balance all of this and work at the same time.... although the lack of sleep was worth it with the reviews on the Choux Beef Buns ;)
The week leading up to the event was a whirlwind of activity, running around, ordering supplies, getting stuff printed, and making a myriad of tiny decisions that lead up to the final event! I know that I was running on very little sleep trying to balance all of this and work at the same time.... although the lack of sleep was worth it with the reviews on the Choux Beef Buns ;)
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Presentations
To kick off the evening, I thanked our sponsors who were kind enough to donate draw prizes and the money to make the event the success that it was!
Our guest speaker for the evening was Margaret Benson, a CF survivor and double lung transplant. As always she did an amazing job speaking about her life and the challenges she overcame. To say the least it was a tough act to follow. So, when I had my time to speak, I actually called in a favor.... I connected with Tino Makuvire, who is a Makomborero student, currently studying on scholarship at McGill University. His video allowed me to highlight the importance of this project and giving back (his video is also on the Giving Back page if you want to see it).
In the end I shared my own lessons learned from the project:
I truly hope that this project is able to positively impact just one person, to make better decisions and to understand that they are not alone in the world. Not every story in the book is for everyone - but hopefully something in there resonates with you!
- Kingwood Capital - $1,000 cash donation
- BeedieGroup - $1,000 cash donation
- Vij’s - $100 gift card to Vij’s on West 4th
- LUSH – 2 gift baskets totaling $100
- Alison Columbus, Brand Ambassador for Nerium International - $200 gift basket of age-defying skin care products from Nerium
- ZAG Global – the brand that manufacturers the Zend product line - $50
Our guest speaker for the evening was Margaret Benson, a CF survivor and double lung transplant. As always she did an amazing job speaking about her life and the challenges she overcame. To say the least it was a tough act to follow. So, when I had my time to speak, I actually called in a favor.... I connected with Tino Makuvire, who is a Makomborero student, currently studying on scholarship at McGill University. His video allowed me to highlight the importance of this project and giving back (his video is also on the Giving Back page if you want to see it).
In the end I shared my own lessons learned from the project:
- A little bit of pressure is a good thing!
- Commitment is hard.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Your journey is your own…. Listen to others’ wisdom but make your own decision!
I truly hope that this project is able to positively impact just one person, to make better decisions and to understand that they are not alone in the world. Not every story in the book is for everyone - but hopefully something in there resonates with you!
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Next steps.....
The clean up from the launch is complete, books have been re-ordered and are on their way to my house to be packed and distributed out before the end of the month (to both our kickstarter family and new orders!). Hopefully the word gets out about The20Project and I have two more months before switching gears from project founder back to student.
Big Thank You's to:
My contributors from around the world, our graphic designer (Bridget), editor (Theresa), logo & t-shirt designer (Ryan), Pull Focus Film School (and our video participants), Kickstarter supporters, and our organization committee for the launch event (Margaret, Michelle & Sandie with special mention for Jill & Kara!) I could not have done this without you.
Just one more thing, I do have a small favor to ask of you.... please spread the word about The20Project. Please share our website, share our blog and if you have read the book - either send us a review or tell us how it has changed your life! We are also happy to host guest bloggers!
Much love out to you all,
Hilary
Big Thank You's to:
My contributors from around the world, our graphic designer (Bridget), editor (Theresa), logo & t-shirt designer (Ryan), Pull Focus Film School (and our video participants), Kickstarter supporters, and our organization committee for the launch event (Margaret, Michelle & Sandie with special mention for Jill & Kara!) I could not have done this without you.
Just one more thing, I do have a small favor to ask of you.... please spread the word about The20Project. Please share our website, share our blog and if you have read the book - either send us a review or tell us how it has changed your life! We are also happy to host guest bloggers!
Much love out to you all,
Hilary
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