Every month, the Project 7 team participates in a 7 Day Chapter. For those of you that are not familiar with 7 Day, we basically give up one day out of the month and volunteer in the community. Last December we had the opportunity to spend a day at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa. Some of us got to serve, while the others washed dishes or did whatever else needed to be done in the kitchen.
Carrie and I (Atila) were on dish washing/drying duty. Through this opportunity, we were able to work along side of the other volunteers and employees in the kitchen. We asked them about their stories. Some were inspiring. We truly admire the passion and hardwork that the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen volunteers/employees put into their work. Every day, they provide warm meals for the hungry in Costa Mesa. They love people and they show it through their actions.
Project 7 exists to give back. The whole point of our existence as a company is to serve and help. But for us to be able to volunteer a day out of the month, and step out of our office and physically serve the people in our community allows us to remember why we do the things that we do. Looking someone in the eyes while you serve them is a completely different experience than reading about it online or seeing pictures of it.
We are thankful for the hardworking nonprofit organizations in our community. Chances are, there is one in your neighborhood. Get involved by donating your time. Let us help you start a 7 Day Chapter. Donate one day out of the month to a cause that you care about and experience the joy of serving.
Project 7 founder and CEO talks to Catalyst about 5 tips for assimilating an effective team.
In recent months, the Project 7 team has grown dramatically. Since we moved to California this summer, we've hired Ann Fong (formerly with Trina Turk and Paul Frank) as our CFO/VP of Operations, Laura Wasser (formerly with Hurley and Vans Warped Tour) as our VP of Marketing, and Scott Patt (formerly with Hurley and Converse) as our Chief Creative Officer.
This week as we sat around our conference room table at our Monday morning staff meeting, I realized it was two people's first day and three other people's first month. What was a nimble and hard-working team of four is now a talented and diverse group of fourteen. I quickly realized that it was imperative that we laid down some ground rules to help the team assimilate and reduce inefficiencies and potential awkwardness.
Here are five quick and easy tips I shared with the group in hopes of assimilating an effective, and unstoppable, team.
1. Take ownership. Don't assume that someone else has it covered. Make sure you have it covered. This is especially important on a small team and one that is growing. The stuff that falls in the cracks can make or break a year.
Click here to read the read on the Catalyst blog.
December 21st marked the beginning of the Northwest Arkansas 7 Day chapter. We had the honor of sharing our first event with a local 2nd grade class from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Bentonville. They were a blast!
The 2nd grade class helped us fill Christmas stockings with lots of goodies for kids at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. This shelter provides a safe haven, high quality care and hope for the future to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Since opening in 1993, the Children’s Shelter has cared for more than 5,500 children from throughout the state of Arkansas. Their capacity of 48 beds, state-of-the-art complex, on-site school and on-site counseling services make them unique among children’s emergency shelters in Arkansas and our region. The combination of these features creates a stable, secure and loving environment where the hurts that children have experienced can begin to heal.
Part of the joy about today was not only delivering the stockings to the shelter, but the eagerness and excitement our 8 year old volunteers displayed when we asked them for their help. At such a young age, they too have the same desire we have, which is to help those in need of having their spirits lifted. This group of 2nd graders proves there is no age restriction to giving…anybody, anywhere, anytime can help CHANGE THE SCORE!
Do you have a 7 Day chapter? If so, we'd love to hear your 7 Day update. If not, go here to learn more about starting a 7 Day chapter in your area.
“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”
William Arthur Ward
Thank you for your support of Project 7 in our work to right some wrongs - to hope for peace, to feed the hungry, to quench the thirsty, to teach them well, to save the earth, to heal the sick, and to house the homeless.
Together we can 'change the score.'
Struggling to nail down your resolutions for 2012? What if you made New Years resolutions that are a little different than from the ones you've made in years past? What if your resolutions were focused on your community and ways that you create a better world?
Here are 5 simple suggestions as you craft your resolutions. Suggestions that incorporate Project 7’s efforts to Heal the Sick, Feed the Hungry, House the Homeless, Quench the Thirsty, Teach them Well, Hope for Peace and Save the Earth.
1. Select an issue.
There is so much hurt and suffering in the world, and often times we can easily become overwhelmed and feel helpless. Somewhere along the way we have believed the lie that if we can’t help everybody, we shouldn’t help anybody. We have to start somewhere, and this new year, why not find a cause that is closest to your heart. Whether it’s feeding a hungry child down the street or giving the couple of bucks that it takes to provide malaria medication for someone in Africa in order to save their life, we can join hand in and hand and Change the Score little by little.
2. Get informed.
If you don’t know where to start, Project 7 can be a great resource. We have already chosen 7 causes that we are extremely passionate about and we will not stop until we knock down these problems one by one. Visit project7.com to learn more about these causes and how you can help us make the world a better place.
We understand that there are a lot more than 7 problems in the world. What you are passionate about may be something that is not in the scope of our 7 projects. Don’t you worry. We have amazing friends and partners that are doing some incredible work through out the world. Visit our 'how we give' page to learn more about them.
You can also stay informed by following us on Twitter and Facebook.
3. Choose products for good.
Often times, it is easy to feel that if you are not physically involved in helping someone, then you can’t make a difference. This is not true. Helping people has become incredibly easy. In fact you can do help someone in need by simply purchasing a pack of Project 7 gum at your local Walmart.
For example, every tray of Project 7 Feed the Hungry mints will provide 7 meals in American communities, or a tube of Save the Earth gum will plant a fruit tree.
For a full list our Project 7 products, visit our online store.
4. Start a 7 Day Chapter.
What is 7 Day, you ask? It’s a national movement engaging and inspiring people just like you, to offer their time to make a difference in our world. It’s as simple as teaming up with individuals in your area once a month to lend a helping hand to those in need. Project 7 wants to make it as easy as possible and provide you with the tools to impact your community.
Why not start a club on your college campus? Or with your high school ministry? Or with some colleagues from work?
Visit changethescore.com to learn more.
5. Use your gifts to make a difference in the world.
Each and everyone of you has a unique talent. For some, it may be singing, painting, speaking or whatever. To not use these talents is a waste. Find what you are gifted with and use it to make the world a better place. Write a song, make video, etc.
