Our Original Proposal:
Shopping with Denise was created by a mother who saw the tragedy of losing her daughter. In the face of that tragedy the mother used the loss of her daughter to fuel her. Any ordinary person put in her position would have rolled over and taken on a more sorrowful outlook on life. Denise extraordinarily used her loss as an opportunity to help others. Denise’s purpose is to help those who have also faced tragedy in their lives, or those who are much less fortunate than herself. Subsequently, Denise goes out into the community and finds a local family that is less fortunate or shows to have a substantial financial need. Usually the family that is chosen has also suffered from some sort of disaster or catastrophe. In recent years Denise has used some families that have fallen victim to fires, floods, etc. in order to help them get back on their feet. The family is handpicked by Denise. Once the family is chosen, she enlists help from a group of Illinois State University students to assist in fundraising so that she can shop for the chosen family. These festivities are usually targeted to take place at the end of the year, in the months November or December, so that Denise can grant the chosen family the best holiday season possible or at least make their holiday season better than it would have been otherwise. Denise has decided to serve the community of Bloomington-Normal by annually helping a family in need for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Though I’m sure Denise doesn’t consider it a “service”, the service being provided is just that, of a neighborhood friend or a close family member who sees that you are in need of a hand. Then, Denise in her selflessness is there to pick them up and help them out for the holidays.
Shopping with Denise addresses the social issue of poverty. Annually Denise chooses a family that is in Bloomington-Normal who is less fortunate and wealthy as herself. With the help of her son’s school, the Clinton Angel Tree, and the Chicago Sun Times, Denise is able to bless a randomly chosen family and help them have a better Thanksgiving and or Christmas. Our group’s goal is to be able to bless the family with a massive Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas full of everything they need or would like to request. We are hoping to have enough funds raised to do both holidays. This will take a lot time but we have already dove into the proposal. We first looked at the social issue of the organization which is poverty. The poverty rate of Normal is 23.8 percent (Data USA) and in Bloomington the poverty rate is 12.7 percent (Data USA). With that being said, money is a major priority and will be an important element when fulfilling the needs for the organization, as well as for the community being served, regardless if the family is from Bloomington or Normal. Helping a family in the community is an opportunity that many areas have the chance to address. One of the primary ways that we can help a family in need is by doing the best we can to surpass goals with our fundraising efforts. Multiple methods of fundraising should and will be used in order to set realistic goals and fundraise effectively. We plan to host a fundraiser at a local restaurant and have anywhere between 30-50% of the proceeds go towards the supplies we need for the family chosen. We will address the local community and invite them to help us fundraise for our chosen family. The family that we will be serving will be less privileged. Therefore clothes and toys would be appropriate for the kids of the family when christmas time comes around. While household items would be more appropriate for the adults of the family. If we are able to reach our goal by the time Thanksgiving comes around we will be able to provide a meal for the family we have chosen to assist. Many families find themselves facing financial difficulties during the holiday times. Some even find it hard to put a meal on the table. It is our goal to provide the ways and means for the family we choose to have a good holiday season. Another way that we can help is by being good communicators when it comes to our interaction with our organization. This particular organization is one that is more hands on and geared towards an individual family. Differentiating this from the other potential projects, is the fact that Denise is one person, rather than a corporation or a business. Therefore, our interpersonal skills will have to adjust as well as she may need more assistance. We will take responsibility for the fundraising needs that are applicable to this specific organization. Denise may also exercise a little bit more control over the event than in other projects.
Our group recognizes that many local families are struggling. Whether that be financially or otherwise. To combat this issue of local impoverishment we would like to adopt a family. We would like to raise money for said family in order for them to have an incredible and unexpected holiday season. Denise can only help so many families on her own. One person literally cannot do it all, and we as a group think she shouldn't have to. By helping out an additional family we are able to spread her message of generosity and charity towards others.
Initially, we would like to begin with raising enough money to support a Thanksgiving dinner as well as a special holiday, including presents. Our fall back plan would be to not include a Thanksgiving dinner and spend all of the money we raise on Holiday related items. Our point of no return is November 13th and on that date, we will determine if we will need to fall back to Plan B because of a lack of funds.
Everyone in our group participated in creating the project proposal. This happened because we copied and pasted the questions from the proposal to a google doc. This way it allowed us to have everyone be aware of what we all were talking about and were able to have group discussions about them.
Midterm Assessment:
Each team member will raise at least $100 is our original goal. Now that we have met with Denise we have a better sense of what the expectations are , as far as fundraising and participation from each member. Our goal remains the same to raise $100 a person and we plan to work harder as a group collaboratively to meet our deadlines in order to earn the A we desire and continue to make this a positive project.
What percentage of your PRIMARY goal do you have completed? (money not turned in doesn't count).
Our first secondary goal is for each member to raise at least $100. Thus far we have brought in $103 and continue to fundraise and work towards our goal of $700.
Another goal of ours is to achieve an A in the class. Currently we still believe this is still obtainable.
Our next secondary goal is to meet all our deadlines. We have had 57% of our agendas turned in on time and have completed approximately 87%. We have recognized our shortcomings and wish to improve upon them. From here on out we wish to achieve the same goal of meeting all of our established deadlines.
Please list your team members (first and last names), their formal roles and summarize their contributions to date (both in terms of fulfilling their roles AND in terms of contributions to primary and secondary goals). *
What will you as a team do to make your meetings more productive? *
Provide a rationale for this grade by citing specific team accomplishments or problems: *
What changes will you make to your team’s plan / habits / timeline based on this assessment? How are you going to revise what you’re doing to to help you achieve your goals? *
We have been able to better hone in on what exactly it is we are doing. Our group was able to meet with Denise and work out exactly what it is we are working towards. In this way, we plan on changing our habits and timeline towards raising enough money to give a family an exceptional holiday season. Thus far, we have raised $104 and we have plans to raise much more. We have adjusted our timeline to include the possibility of an early submission. In the beginning, before we knew exactly what we were going to be doing, we thought we would be able to include giving this family a Thanksgiving meal as well. However, after much discussion and understanding what this project requires, the group made the decision to adopt a family for the holiday season only. This way, the money we raise can go a little farther and Christmas can be a little more special.