Fundraising is in full swing! Boston starts at the end of July and I would love to have 5 people today donate $10 each to help end breast cancer!

http://www.the3day.org/goto/sf12drew


Every dollar counts in saving someone's life.

Don't Judge a Charity by Its Expense Ratio

There is only a few months until July when 3-Day season kicks off with Boston! As I prepare for the event, getting rosters, calling the team, scheduling flights, I came across an article today that fits the way I feel about charities in general, but also about the way people think. The gist of the article is about the common measure by which people judge charities and ultimately contribute to. The popular measure is the percentage of adminstrative costs or expenses in relationship to how much goes to the cause.

I can see where this can be a problem. We've probably all heard the stories of how much Girl Scout cookies cost and how much actually goes back to the troops. We see stories in the paper about the high compensation of CEOs and executives while the average American struggles to make ends meet. We use past experiences as our guidelines to make snap judgements, which the article refers to a study about how the brain thinks.

Basically, our brains have 2 ways of thinking. The first way is the easy way, we look something over and using our past experiences we make a judgement call. The second way is a lot harder where there is actually an analytical side to handle complex issues. The problem is that it takes work and the brain natually shifts to the easy way.

So think about this. If Apple, the world's most valuable company right now, had an expense ratio of 20%, would you say that it is being mis-managed? How would you tell? You might respond that it takes more than that to assess if the company is not living up to its shareholders, such as stock price, debt to equity, sales turnover, new product successes, etc.

Then should a charity only be judge by one measure?

Check out the story The worst way to judge a charity
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First two crew assignments, it's official

Great news coming in the last week. My first two crew assignments are confirmed! Batting first, Boston, where I will lead Pit 2. Catch me and my good friend Elle Peji in July!

San Francisco comes in September and I will be Camp Logistics captain! Woot woot! I'll be teaming up with more friends, Stephanie McGinty, Camp Coach and again with Elle Peji!

San Diego is still out ways, but more to come on that assignment.

Going for 3 with 3 Day!

Well, the 2012 season is in preparation and will kick off in July. Over the last several years, I have attempted but never succeeded in attending 3 events in one year. For one reason or another, something has prevented me from reaching that goal. This year, I am determined to make 3 events.

It will start with a return to Boston, where I crewed in 2007. Boy was it HOT! After a couple months, I'll return to the SF 3-Day, right in my backyard. To round out the year, I'll hit San Diego in November which has moved up a week, hopefully to take advantage of any remaining good weather.

As for assignments, having experienced leading Youth Corps last year in AZ, I am looking forward to repeating in San Diego. You can catch me and my good friend Elle Peji at Pit 2 in Boston and it is my expectation to lead Camp Logistics again in SF.

The captain meetings are already happening for Boston, my hotel is booked, and I just need to find a reasonably priced flight. I can't wait to get back to 3-Day where we believe it's the way the world ought to be.

Please support the fight by donating today! It's estimated that in 2012, there will be 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer and almost 40,000 deaths from breast cancer.

We Close Another Chapter on 3-Day, Farewell 2011

So we've logged another 15 events for Susan G. Komen's 3-Day for the Cure. I think it is a little bittersweet that while breast cancer is not yet a thing of the past, millions of dolllars have been raised this year that will go to programs designed for research, prevention, and awareness. I think it is a little sad that for all the money that is stacked up in the name of fighting breast cancer we can only go as fast as researcher discover new learning about how to stop it. So until then, the best we have awareness and prevention along with modern equipment for finding and eradicating.

I think also bittersweet is that I will personally be looking forward to another year of 3-Day for the Cure in 2012. I long for the day when I can say that I no longer need to participate because the answer has been found.

Until then, I bid 2011 farewell. I had an awesome time in both San Francisco and Arizona! I am planning 3 events next year where I hope to make it to Boston, repeat in SF, and hopefully return to San Diego. There are so many people I have enjoyed reuniting with as well as meeting new people who share the same passion as I do.

So if you have something you would like to share or remember, leave a comment here! See you all next year.

My Newest Favorite Team to Crew

Well, AZ 3-Day has come and gone. All the hype leading up to event was all it was cracked up to be and more. If there is one thing I need, it's challenge. No crew team has ever come close to Camp Logistics, until maybe now. Yes, I am talking about the Youth Corps team. Led by one leader for every 5 young adults, this job works you physically and mentally. The first sign that it's a challenge should be when you realize there is a background check. "Passed".

For those of you who don't know, the Youth Corps has been a concept at the Boston 3-Day for some years. It is a program that gives young adults a chance to be on event, work as crew works, and experience a sense of community for a common cause, the end of breast cancer. Young adults anywhere from 11 to 16 can sign up, but they must write an essay and more importantly, they have to raise at least $500 to be on the team. I was pretty excited to learn that our team of 9 raised $6,000 for the AZ event.

One of the things I find so awesome about this team is that it gives young people a chance to experience community, leadership, and a sense of giving back. Often, there is a personal connection to breast cancer. It's hard nowadays to find someone who hasn't been touched by this disease. However, we all work for a world where someday, we can reach a point where we can talk about breast cancer as part of our past...the way a kid today might question when someone talks about rotary telephones.

I think what's exciting about the team is the innocence brought to bear on an event that is centered around something so horrible. It gives me a sense of hope that future generations care as much about eradicating breast cancer. I find it refreshing to see an energy that has been lost in others, an energy I almost lost.

So you might ask, "Was it the Youth Corps that gave you a different perspective or merely a change in jobs?" And I would respond, "Both." I've been looking for something different for some time now. However, I knew it was going to have to be something more rewarding than what is currently offered. Fortunately for me, it was made possible and it turned out to be the right combination.

Will I give up Camp Logistics? Highly unlikely. I love that job way too much, but I certainly have a new team that I can see myself putting a lot of energy into!

A Year of 3-Day Firsts for Me

So I'm sitting here in the crew tent before Crew Day starts in AZ and I have a lot of time to reflect. I'm realizing how much this is a year of firsts for me when it comes to 3-Day.

5. This is the first year I am doing AZ!
4. This is the first year I am leading a team other than Camp Logistics (Youth Corps)
3. This is the first year since 2005, that I won't be going to San Diego. Kinda sad about that one.
2. This is the first event I won't have any Ka'Nunu Ohana on event.
1. This is the first time ever (started in 2003), that I will get to see Opening Ceremonies!

I'm sure this weekend will be bound full of firsts and I am looking forward to new beginnings.