A Week of Doing Good
Posted on September 14, 2015 by Ching under Community, Things to Do.
It’s that time of year again and we’re doing pledge drives at both of my jobs. At my primary job we have what’s called Your Gift Your Choice. It used to be the United Way campaign but we changed it a few years ago so that employees weren’t limited to donating to just the United Way. Now we have dozens of organizations to choose from which has actually increased engagement and participation. Sometimes we have folks who don’t want to give to United Way but they’re passionate about other causes. The new Your Gift Your Choice format allows us to support those causes via payroll deduction.
Here’s what our participation looks like just a week into the campaign. Amazing!
At my part time side-gig for the Greater Wichita YMCA we have pledge drives for both United Way and the YMCA annual campaign. Since I’m donating to the United Way through my primary job, I didn’t pledge anything on my YMCA paycheck but I’ll be donating almost all of my classes back to the YMCA through the YMCA annual campaign.
Here’s my friend Teresa installing a computer at La Familia Senior and Community Center. We met Dr. Carla Lee, Executive Director of La Familia, last year during our Leadership Wichita community service project. She told our team that she needed help with technology and wanted some computers that work. They had several computers at the center but they weren’t connected. Last week my teammates Teresa, Jason, and I installed computers that were donated by High Touch (Jason’s employer). We spent Wednesday afternoon connecting all of the computer terminals. Jason even got on a ladder and fixed network cable through the ceiling tiles.
High Touch donated CPUs, keyboards, mice, and cables and then we just salvaged the existing monitors that the center already had. The monitors weren’t pretty but they worked just fine.
On Thursday morning several colleagues and I attended the United Way campaign kickoff at Century II. The theme this year is “Readers Become Leaders” and we created about 400 reading kits during the kickoff event.
It’s amazing considering we assembled the reading kits in just 10 minutes.
Some of the books that went into our boxes were previously donated and were already at our table but all of the event attendees were encouraged to bring a copy of their favorite children’s book or books. I didn’t get the invitation to attend until the day before so I didn’t have a chance to go to the store to buy books. I had to give up a copy of my favorite children’s book which I grabbed from the bookshelf in the office.
I was bummed that I had to give up my copy but also felt good that I was donating it to a great cause. I ended up ordering a few more copies of The Little Prince
Anyway, that pretty much sums up my busy and rewarding week. This week is more of the same — lots of work with volunteering and donating and fundraising sprinkled in.
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Labor Run 2015 and Race to Remember
Posted on September 13, 2015 by Ching under Things to Do.
We had the annual Labor Run for the Treehouse last Monday, September 7, at Sedgwick County Park. Kidzcope Good Grief 5K was going at the Waterfront and then I think there was another run at the park also that same day, which was kind of a bummer. The last couple of years we’ve enjoyed being the only running event on Labor Day.
Participation was down this year but all the important people came to support the Treehouse. The Dills, Aharon, and Alison were all there. Alison even took first in her age range. You can check out the full race results at Oz Endurance.
I know Labor Day weekend is a popular time of year for out of town trips so for my friends who were busy and unable to participate in the run last week, you have another chance to run around Sedgwick County Park for a great cause. The Kansas DUI Impact Center is hosting our second Race to Remember DUI Victims and Survivors event which will be held at Sedgwick County Park on October 17.
If you are unable to run but would like to support the Kansas DUI Impact Center, please consider donating by sponsoring my fundraising effort. Your donation dollars make a difference toward reducing the traumatic effect a drunk driving crash has on victims and their families and increases awareness of the human consequences of drunk driving. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
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An Eventful Month with My Little Sister
Posted on September 12, 2015 by Ching under Life.
Here’s what we’ve been up to the last few weeks.
Bowling at the Alley. It was a lot of fun until these two intoxicated guys started bowling next to us. It was fine. Just a little annoying. They kept trying to use our bowling balls. Brian had to keep one from taking his ball. The other guy put Nickira’s ball away so then, when it was her turn, she couldn’t bowl. We finally asked them what they did with her ball and the guy who put it up went back to get it and brought it back for Nickira. I think the only thing that kept them from messing with my bowling ball was that the finger holes were too small for either of them.
Bouncing around at Get Air.
I’d never been on a trampoline before so I was really tentative. Nickira was really fearless. She was doing cartwheels and flips all night long. I wish I had her energy.
BTW, it’s a lot harder to get out of a foam pit than you think.
Cheering the Wichita State University women’s volleyball team.
Kira even got a ball.
We’ve been having a ball (pun intended) but I’m really hoping that next week we can just stay home and do homework instead. I’m exhausted!
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Public at the Brickyard
Posted on September 9, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I had the pleasure of dining at Public for the first time last week when we had our work visitors, Eric and Alex from AllConnect. All I could think was, “Why haven’t I eaten here before?”
I had the slow-cooked ribs based on our server’s recommendation. They were super delicious. I think these ribs were even better than some of the ribs I’d had at our best barbecue joints. Seriously. They had great flavor and they were fall-off-the-bone tender. Delicious!
Here are pictures of some of the delicious meals that were ordered that night…
I didn’t have any of the buffalo cauliflower but I guess it’s a popular starter.
Please don’t ask me what all these dishes are because I honestly don’t remember. Anyway, they all looked delicious and everyone seemed quite satisfied with their choices. I was so impressed with my food that I decided I just had to take Brian. We ended up going there for dinner two days later.
One of my favorite things, besides the delicious, food is the ambiance. They have really interesting decorations and toy trains everywhere. They also bring you the bill in a book, which I found really clever and neat because I love books!
This is their take on the Cuban sandwich.
I wanted Brian to try the ribs so I ordered them again.
Strawberry shortcake with champagne infused strawberries and homemade whipped cream. It was so good. I would go just for dessert!
I ate so much the night that Brian and I were there that I told Brian that I’m a competitive eater. I had to explain my gluttony somehow, right? Anyway, he didn’t believe me. “I’m serious,” I said. “Whatever that other table is having, I’m having two of.” We both laughed.
Jokes aside, we had a wonderful dinner. I think we’re probably the last two people in Wichita to discover Public but, just in case you haven’t been, I highly encourage you to go. I give it two thumbs up.
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Brian and Molly
Posted on September 9, 2015 by Ching under Babies.
Came home to an empty house last week after a work dinner. Brian and Molly were nowhere to be found. Figured out they were next door, hanging out with our favorite neighbors. Ended up going over there to hang out also and snapped these photos.
Jim and Karen are the ones who have watched Molly for us the times we’ve been out of town. They have two cute dogs, Nikki and Ellie, who are Molly’s bestest friends.
Nikki and Ellie are two sisters that Jim and Karen rescued. They are super sweet (except for when we’re walking in the neighborhood and they bark at strangers — then they act like a couple of heathens) and Molly absolutely loves playing with them.
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