Final Meeting :(

Right at this very moment, Team Effect is in the process of our final meeting. We are very sad that this part of our lives is ending tomorrow. We have grown together as friends and have created a bond between us that will never break. It has been an amazing run, and we truly are sad to see it end.

Today we surprised the teachers at La Causa with some Bruegger's Bagels! They were so happy to have a little treat to get them through the day. It was so nice to be able to personally effect the teachers since they deal with so much on a daily basis. Teachers need to be appreciated every day and this one way to thank a few of them.

While down at La Causa, we dropped off a computer and TV that John, Beth, Richard, and Michael donated! It was so cool to see our causes coming together.

Finally, while the members of Team Effect were working hard tonight, a couple AMAZING honorary members went out to perform some more random acts of kindness. They went to Walmart and bought groceries for two families and work boots for a man. They also went to Taco Bell and bought some food for some people. They then posted random post-it notes around campus to inspire people to have a great day. We're so excited to see the reactions of people in the morning!

Kapco has been amazing throughout this whole ordeal. We cannot begin to thank them enough for giving us this great opportunity. None of us thought we could do it when this challenge was presented to us. We learned that we are more than capable of making a difference in people's lives. We have learned not to take anything for granted, and we have grown together as a team and as friends. Thank you, Kapco, for the resources to make a difference in others lives and well as our own.

To all of you who donated or supported us in any way, even just with words of encouragement-Thank you. We could not have done this without you. To know that you believed in us helped us push through and finish. It has been amazingly wonderful to have all the support that we have.

Finally, to John, Beth, Richard, and Michael-you are a part of our families. We love you like family and want to thank you for taking us in and letting us be a part of your lives. We have learned so much from all of you and our eyes have been opened up to new things. We cannot even begin to express how much you have touched our lives. We loved just hanging out at your house with you and being ourselves. It has been an amazing 10 days with you, but we feel like we've known you forever. Please let us continue to be a part of your lives.

We will be sure to post tomorrow to let you all know the results of the final judging. No matter what happens: Don't underestimate what one person can do. The smallest acts make the biggest impacts. It has been an amazing ride :)

So Tired.. But SO Worth It!

We may be broke by the end of this competition from buying too much coffee, but at least we're having fun! :)

I (Hannah) was on the air with 97.7 The Big Dawg this morning to update our supporters up in Door County and announce our mission statement one last time. After our morning classes, Lindsay and I went and withdrew a large sum of money from the bank. It's so fun withdrawing all that money and knowing all the good it will do!

Lindsay set off on a road trip to Grand Geneva (in Lake Geneva) to set up an amazing weekend getaway to surprise John and Beth (Michael's parents). While she was doing that, Hillary, James, Jenny and I went to La Causa to meet the President and CEO of La Causa and his wife. They read books to the children in their new library! It was awesome seeing it put to good use! The overflow room is turning into quite the cozy reading room, and we couldn't be happier that we have enough books to merit an overflow room! At La Causa we also visited the computer lab that was destroyed in last summer's flooding. They recently put in new flooring, and the room is ready for the donated computers to be moved in tomorrow! We are still planning on buying them new tables as well as tons of educational computer software!

Lindsay, James, Jenny and I bought a ton of bouquets of beautiful flowers and headed over to Children's Hospital. The nurses were in a meeting on the floor we could have visited, so the receptionist took them up to the nurses to surprise them. We wrote notes of encouragement and thanks, and added our blog website on the bottom. The receptionist told us no one had ever thought to just randomly bring nurses flowers before! We love our theme of helping those who help others!

Lindsay, Derrick, Amber, El and I just got back from an amazing night at Michael's house. They are extended family to us, and even though the Challenge "ends" Thursday, we have plans for a party after Spring Break and a Brewer game, and that's just the beginning! There is no way we will allow ourselves to lose touch with this amazing family. I had been e-mailing Michael and recently asked him if there was anything at all that he still needed/wanted. Michael responded that there definitely was something he wanted, but it wasn't for him -- it was for his big brother Richard. Richard really wanted to go see the Black Eyed Peas concert on March 11th, and Michael wanted more than anything to be able to give Richard the opportunity to go. After okaying everything with Beth, we bought tickets for the whole family to attend the concert! This is even more fitting because the concert is right before Richard's birthday! We gave Richard the tickets in a birthday card and he was absolutely floored! His face was priceless! Michael's request is just another testimony to the selflessness of this family.

Then, we presented John and Beth with the gift card for Grand Geneva. The card has money on it for an amazing room, credit at the spa, and credit for a delicious dinner and brunch! Once they pick the weekend they will go, we have a few more ideas up our sleeves, too :) We told John and Beth that we all figured that hadn't had a get away with just the two of them in a long time. After much thinking, they realized they had not had a weekend alone since Richard was born-- almost 14 years ago! We are so thrilled to be able to surprise every single member of this family. They all mean the world to us!

We spent the rest of the night looking at old pictures of the kids, chatting, eating Beth's cookies and we even had a dance party up in Michael and Richard's bedroom. None of us wanted to leave, but unfortunately it's midterm week (great timing, we know! :-P), so there is much to be done.

We could write forever about all of the ways this Challenge has touched us, but we'll spare your eyes :) We hope that what Team Effect is doing is giving you all motivation to live out our mission statement and let your lights shine!

Random Acts of Kindness Day!

Still motivated by the amazing random act of kindess experience from yesterday at the fire house, we took the afternoon to perform more acts today!

We started by picking up the high schoolers at WISCO and then visiting the VA Hospital. We brought the 50 cards that WISCO students had decorated during the day on Friday, and one of the hospital's PR guys took us throughout the hospital so we could personally hand out cards to the Veterans. It was such an uplifting and humbling experience. We thanked each Vet for their service to our country and told them to get well soon. They profusely thanked us for not only the cards, but also for thinking to take the time to visit with them. One woman told me just seeing our smiles made the whole week better. Another man looked me straight in the eye and told me it was his privilege to serve us. What great respect we all have for these men and women! Such simple acts, something as free and easy as a smile, can make a huge difference in the lives of others. We definitely plan to return to the hospital, even when the Challenge is over, to visit with these amazing men and women!

After our eye-opening hospital experience, we split into two groups to tackle random bus stops throughout the city. At the bus stops, we served hot chocolate out of the backseat of our vehicles (shady, we know :) ), and gave out money to cover the bus fare. We received many "God bless you!" and "What a blessing!" We had so much fun interacting with people from all walks of life. It was even more fun explaining the idea of "random acts of kindness" to these people. We hope they pay it forward!

We got our mission statement out through these acts by taping it onto each cup of hot chocolate, as well as on the back of each of the cards. We gave out 120 cups of hot chocolate and 50 cards!

With the unused money we had budgeted for today's acts, each group went to a random McDonald's and paid for the meal of the person behind us. Our group ended up picking up the tab for a mom ordering $32 worth of supper! We had the drive thru worker hand her our mission statement when she tried to pay for her meal. Another group went and stuck quarters in machines at a laundramat. We are enjoying mixing "planned" acts of kindness with our truly "random" ones.

It was a very rewarding day, and once again we see how a little bit of money can go a long way in brightening the lives of others!

One Month Anniversary! :)

Today we all realized that yesterday was our one month anniversary of participating in the Charitable Challenge! We have a meeting scheduled tonight and cannot believe it will be the last Sunday night meeting of the Challenge. We have had our ups and downs the past month, but the ups far outweigh the downs, and we all cannot fathom our lives without the Challenge! We can only hope we have touched others in this challenge even half as much as the people of this challenge have touched us.

As Lindsay mentioned yesterday, five of us surprised Michael and Richard at the Admiral's game! Their parents told them they were just meeting neighbors at the game, and then we showed up! Michael's face was priceless! Our special dinner was fantastic, and we sat in Row B for the game! We were close enough to pound the glass after each Admiral's goal! It was so fun sitting together; We all have become so close that we can make jokes, laugh at each other, etc. just like old friends. The game was amazing too: Admirals won 7 to 6 in overtime! After the game the boys got to tour the locker room and get autographs, and then they were taken to see the Admiral's bench. It was a great night of bonding and VIP treatment :)

This morning was one of the single most fun activities we've done in the Challenge: We went to the Wauwatosa Fire House on Underwood and served a brunch to Crew #3. We spent four hours together, and we had SO much fun. The morning started with a tour of the house, an introduction of the men, and then we got to put on all of their gear and pose for a few pictures! We were all on cloud nine :) Then we all cooked together. We teamed up to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast and most importantly: STEAK! We wanted to spoil these guys with this random act of kindness, because they do so much for the community (in fact, a group of them had to go out on a call right before brunch was served). The guys of Crew #3 were incredible, and we spent the whole morning making fun of each other. They were impressed with our thick skin :) We really hope we can continue a relationship with these guys! They deserve the special treatment!

We're headed into the home stretch, and still have a few more tricks up our sleeves :) Tomorrow we do a few more acts of kindness. Maybe we'll see you at a bus stop! :) Please plan on coming this Thursday to Discovery World at 6 for our final presentation!

Have an amazing week, and go out and do your own random acts of kindness!

Time is Winding Down

It has been way too long since our last update, so we have a lot to update! First of all, after spending the past week with Michael's family, we have all realized just how much we are learning from them. They are an amazing family with an awesome outlook on life. Every time we go to see Michael, Richard, Beth, and John, all of us just cannot contain our excitement! They always welcome us with open arms and we never want our time with them to end. We thank God everyday that He brought this family into our lives :)

So what have we been doing this past week? A LOT! First, on Wednesday we were able to finally meet with our high schoolers. They are AWESOME! Our WISCO students are just so ambitious and ready to help in any way that they can. They set up a card-making station at their school on Friday and we have many card to bring to the VA hospital on Monday.

Tomorrow (Sunday) many of us will be visiting one of the Tosa Fire Houses and cooking brunch for our local firemen! We wanted to give back to them since they do so much for our community. We are all very excited about this!

Monday we plan on going to the VA hospital and delivering the cards and maybe some flowers or cookies as well. These Vets have done so much for our country and we want them to know that we appreciate it. We will also be going to a bus stop and handing out hot chocolate for the people waiting in the cold for the bus. We're also very excited about this!

Now for an update on what we've been doing for Michael and his family. On Wednesday, which also happened to be Derrick's birthday, Derrick, James, Hillary, and Hannah met Michael and his family at the Bucks game. They were upgraded to lower lever tickets (thanks to Bango) and had a great time! Team Effect presented both Richard and Michael with Bucks jerseys and they were so excited! They were also able to go on the court and shoot around after the game! It was a great night for everyone!

On the way back, Derrick helped an old woman shovel her driveway. She was so happy that she tried to give him money, which he refused. He gave her his phone number in case she ever needed anything else done. He was rewarded by the surprise birthday celebration (ice cream cake included) when he got back to school.

Back to Michael...yesterday, many of us were able to go meet Michael and Beth at the hospital before his appointment. Unbeknownst to both Michael and Beth, we gave Michael a Nintendo DSI! He and Beth were so happy! It was so nice to be able to give Michael something he always wanted. Michael and his family gave us a card thanking us for all we have done for them. They wrote a nice note in the card and while James was reading it out loud to us, many of us girls started tearing up. This family has just been such a bright spot in our lives this past week.

Tonight, Hannah, James, Amber, Ben, and myself (Lindsay) will be attending an Admirals game with the family! Hannah and I are able to get there early and have dinner with the family (everything provided by the Admirals) and sit in lower level tickets. After the game, Michael and Richard will be able to go into the locker room and get autographs! The best part is, Michael has NO IDEA this is all happening! He think they're just going to the game with their neighbors. We cannot wait to see his reaction!

There has been so much happening this past week, it had to be a long update. We want to thank everyone for their continuous support! We couldn't do it without you all!

Oh yeah...here's a link to "The Morning Blend" that Team Effect was on yesterday morning! It was so fun. Be sure to check it out! http://www.themorningblend.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1474/xmid/41897/Default.aspx

Have a great day, everyone! We'll update again tomorrow!

All It Takes is One Day!

Team Effect spent Sunday brainstorming different ideas for Michael's ambitious wishes. We reunited at night for a group meeting, and we left with tons of ideas and many, many contacts to reach.

We had a few breakthroughs today! Assuming Michael and his family don't read this blog (we don't want to give anything away :) ), we've made some connections with various people for both the Bucks and the Packers and are excited for the family to experience what we have lined up! We are never satisfied though, and are all still working like crazy to get Michael and his family even more. Words cannot describe how wonderful this family is. Their faith shines through, and when I was chatting with Beth on the phone earlier today, I could not stop gushing about her family and she couldn't stop gushing about our group! We are both helping each other more than we ever could have imagined, and the actual wish-making hasn't even happened yet!

This morning we met with the principal at Wisconsin Lutheran High School down the road. They are the high school Kapco matched us with to mentor. Unfortunately, WISCO was not very aware of what their involvement in the Challenge is, so we needed to meet with just the principal today to straighten things out, and we will meet with the team of high schoolers on Wednesday. Nothing is coming easy this round! :)

We are also still thinking of Random Acts of Kindness! We have some fun ideas and are definitely open to more! Write on our wall or e-mail us at teameffect2010@gmail.com if you have any creative ideas! Another way you can help: If you know of anyone or any organization looking to get rid of old computers, please let us know! La Causa definitely has a need for them, and we're eager to help out!

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, ideas, support, etc! Have an amazing week! :)

Round 2 begins!

What a great day for Team Effect today! Since Amber already posted about all the things we have to do for round 2, I'll just give a quick update as to what we have done so far.

This lovely Saturday started off bright at early with an early morning trip to La Causa to start the murals. Tanya was so sweet when we got there this morning and had doughnuts ready for us! Coach Hermann began some awesome art work and will continue throughout this week until he is finished. Thanks for all your help, Coach!

Hannah contacted our "wish child's" mom already on Thursday night when we got back from the kick-off. Beth is probably one of the funniest and sweetest mom's I have ever had the pleasure of meeting :) Most of the members of Team Effect (plus a girlfriend) actually surprised Michael at his championship basketball game this afternoon! They didn't pull out with a win, but Michael played great and fought hard. We gave him some Buck's tickets and we hope that helped him feel better after a tough loss.

After Michael's basketball game, Michael and his amazing family came to WLC and watched the men's basketball team play their last game of the season. They were able to sit court-side with us and Coach Noon gave him a jersey and had all the basketball players sign it. It was so much fun!

Before heading over to a little pizza party in the Underground with us, James, Michael, and Richard (Mike's brother) played a game of "HORSE" and shot around for a little bit. They were having such a great time. We then had a little dinner with pizza and soda to get to know the family a little bit more and see what we could do to help.

Michael and his family are absolutely amazing people. We had a great day with them and know that it will continue throughout these next 9 days and after as well. They are humble and kind and so easy to talk to and relate to. Team Effect cannot wait to continue to work with Michael and his family.

Derrick also did our first random act of kindness today! While he and Liz (his amazing girlfriend) were over by Mayfair Mall, they noticed a car stalled in a left turn lane. They bought him some gas, but the car still wouldn't start, so they drove him to where he needed to be. Great work, Derrick!

That's all I have for now. Keep checking back for more updates!