charity
2010 SNAP! Spring Show Preview
Feb 11th
Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories include going to the park when I was six or seven years old to watch my mom’s father play the saxophone with the Army band. My dad played the drums when he was younger, so we always had a set of vintage blue pearl Gretsch drums in the basement (which my brother eventually learned to play).
I started playing cello in the fifth grade, moved on to the guitar by eighth grade, and have been singing for at least that long. Since then I’ve performed in variety shows, show choirs, a’capella and competition choirs, and most recently played with some amazing bands.
Shortly after I moved back to Columbus in 2005, I met some friends at a local bar where they happened to have karaoke going on. I hadn’t sung in a while, so I got up on stage and belted out my rendition of a Frank Sinatra classic. And the rest they say, is history…
In 2006, I became a performing member of SNAP! Performance Productions – Columbus’s most exciting, high-energy vocal and dance performance group. I was recruited by SNAP! members who happened to be at karaoke that night, and I haven’t looked back since. In 2007, I was asked to help redesign some of their visual marketing materials. In 2008, I took over as Marketing Director and joined the Board of Directors. Since then I have gone on to assist the Vocal Committee, coordinate ticket sales & promotions, and design sets for the annual Spring Show.
My point is not to brag, but to share my excitement about an organization that I feel so lucky to be a part of. Aside from being an artistic outlet in my life, SNAP! also allows me to use my talents and resources to make a difference in the lives of others. SNAP! is a 501(c)3 charity, and each year proceeds from the Spring Show are donated to some very worthy causes around Central Ohio. Since 2003, SNAP! has donated thousands of dollars to charities such as A Special Wish Foundation and St. Vincent Family Centers. This year, SNAP! has teamed up with Recreation Unlimited, which focuses on “providing year-round programs in sports, recreation and education for individuals with disabilities and health concerns, while building self-confidence, self-esteem and promoting positive human relations, attitudes, and behaviors.”
SNAP! is proud to announce that this year’s 2010 Spring Show will take place May 6th, 7th and 8th downtown at The Lincoln Theater (video):
SNAP! 2010 Spring Show Preview – Lincoln Theater
Uploaded by SnapColumbus
If you live in the Columbus area, I encourage you to mark the first weekend in May on your calendar and come out to see a performance. You will get to see some of Columbus’s most talented and creative minds perform in one of the finest theaters in the country. And it all goes to charity (what’s not to love?)!
For more information about our group, the show, or the charities we support – visit us online at http://SnapColumbus.org. You can also connect with us online at:
Facebook – SNAP! Performance Productions (Fan Page)
Twitter – Status updates and special announcements
NING – Songs, videos, and event dates for SNAP!
Flickr – Current photos of rehearsals and our members
YouTube – Videos of our performances
Social Media + News + Philanthropy
Jan 14th
I admit – it’s pretty sad that I didn’t hear about the earthquake in Haiti until this morning when I read about it online and on Twitter. To own my defense, I watch very little TV and even less local news. Unless SportsCenter covers some non-sports related event in the 15 minutes I watch before heading out the door in the morning, there’s a very small chance I will hear about it before getting in front of the computer for the day.
Here’s a Google Earth view of Port-au-Prince with before and after views of the city:
To me, this is a sign of the times. More and more people are finding new ways to discover things they have deemed “important” to them. The reason I heard about the earthquake was because my news sources (the people I follow on Twitter) were talking about it. In the old model, TV and radio stations dictated what content was put in front of me.
The “searchable” internet made much more specific (and interesting) content available to me and viewers across the world. All we had to do was go out and find it.
Today, we are able to determine exactly what content we see and hear each day. No need to go looking for it. Just set it up once and have the content delivered daily, instantly. We set up our own “stations” based on our interests (RSS feeds). Don’t like something? Just “unsubscribe” – free of charge. Find a new hobby or celebrity to follow? Just click the orange 
button and poof – it shows up in your reader.
We can see what all the cool kids are talking about or watch real-time updates of news events.
Enjoying a song you’re listening to? Give it a “Thumbs Up” on Pandora and it’ll feed you recommendations based on similar “rhythmic syncopation” or “chord structures” to what you’re currently listening to.
We can segment the sources (via folders) and people (via “Lists”) we find interesting.
Using Social Media for Good
One of my good friends from high school currently plays soccer for the New York Red Bulls, a team in the MLS. A few years back, Seth took a trip to Haiti with teammate Josie Altidore and Wyclef Jean (of Fugees fame) and was moved by what he saw. Almost immediately after returning home, he set up the Sporting Chance Foundation to raise money for the citizens of the island nation. The primary goal is to raise money for children to attend school – a luxury many Haitian families cannot afford. The second initiative is to install fresh water wells throughout the cities.
Each year the Sporting Chance Foundation holds a fundraiser at a local club in Columbus, and this year’s event is scheduled for tonight (1/14/2010) at Claddagh’s in the Brewery District. Coincidentally, news of the earthquake is has created a great deal of awareness about this region, and a few of the people I follow on Twitter were asking for ways to donate. I forwarded them the link to the Sporting Chance Foundation’s site.
Next I reached out to news stations and anchors (Andrea Cambern, NBC4i, SNP, Columbus Dispatch) to tell them about the event in hopes they’ll show up tonight and cover the story.
I told all my friends about the event through email, tweets, Facebook, and this blog. I had friends tell their friends about the event online.
And I have a sneaking suspicion that all of this online conversation (my own, and everyone else’s online) is going to turn the 2010 Haiti earthquake into one of the most successful fundraising campaigns in the history of mankind.
What do you think? See you tonight…
(Zoom in to see the devastation of the earthquake using the Google Earth application below…)