A 10 Year Celebration Not to Miss!

Wow, does time fly by. I think it has always moved quickly for me because I have always been in corporate sales. The “End of the Month” or “End of the Quarter” was this scary looming date that seemed to move faster than a locomotive and speeding bullet put together. Even though I am now out of sales, by doing marketing and promotional activities, upcoming deadlines and dates to finalize projects still keep the timeline tick tocking away.

I think back to 10 years ago. Wow, a DECADE ago, and wonder, what was I DOING? How have I progressed? How have I digressed? (ok, don't answer that) Do I look any differently? (ok, don’t answer that one either) If I try hard enough to see 10 years ago in my mind, I recall I was a crazy kid, a few years out of school, working, dating, going to Dewey Beach, enjoying life and I would venture to say, the term “adult responsibility” had not yet fully sunk in to my beer drenched, apartment sharing, dented car driving young self. And what were OTHER people doing 10 years ago?

If we got into a time machine, and set if for 1996, and asked it to take us to Susie Kay’s life, we’d see a school teacher who decided to leave her job to start a non-profit to make a difference in the lives of high school students, whom she believed in, and knew they had the ability to go to college, but didn’t have the means. Susie Kay risked everything in order to help better the lives of hundreds of students. She is the Founder and President of the local philanthropy “Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund” and on February 27th, 2007, the HDSF proudly will celebrate its 10th Anniversary at the downtown Ritz Carlton.

Wow Susie Kay – you should be SO proud of yourself, because everyone else is. Susie has been a friend and someone I have looked up to (well not physically, she is a tiny little thing, and I look like the Jolly Green Giant next to her) in every way. She is the hardest working, most dedicated leader for her cause I have ever met. Everyone who meets her loves her and has such respect for her. And on top of this, the girl KNOWS how to have fun. Trust me, she is not ALL business. She knows how to dance and parties like the best of us.

Many folks have been along to help with the HDSF for years, including George Newstrom (who was at EDS at the time and the first big donor, great story, now with Lee Technolgies), Jimmy Lynn (AOL Sports), Ted Leonsis (AOL Vice Chair and majority partner of Lincoln Holdings, LLC, who own the Caps, Mystics, and part of the Wizards), Tien Wong (Opus 8), Miriam Pollin (PwC), Jan Rosen (TeleSave Solutions), Shelia Johnson (Salamander Hospitality), the Kimsey Foundation, and so many others. These people have given dollars, time, dedication and most of all BELIEF in Susie, the Mentoring Program, the students, and the true results of the Fund.

I congratulate everyone who has been involved, Susie for her perseverance, the students who have gone to college and graduated and those who are now in the program.

Please help these fine folks in celebrating AND have a blast (remember, Susie hangs with FUN people!) on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2007. The dress is cocktail, it starts at 6:30, tickets and tables are still available! (Hosts: Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson and the Honorable William T. Newman, presented by the Freddie Mac Foundation with the MC being Jim Vance from NBC4!) See you there!