“Southern Giving” A Dinner and Silent Auction RLST 5130/3130 May 1, 2013 Benefiting Downtown Academy Event Team: Emma Brett Betsy DeMoss Lindsay Brush Maggie Griffin Carly Council Emily Olivieri Luke Cummings Lucy Thompson

The Purpose  To raise money for the development of the Downtown Academy program  To provide education, awareness, and information about Downtown Academy and its mission  To provide a delicious meal in a welcoming and uplifting atmosphere  To secure in-kind donations from the community for guests to bid on at the silent auction

The Mission: Independent, non-profit organization working to provide support to youth and their families in inner-city Athens with an aim to build “a sphere of influence through which to share the transforming power of the Christian gospel”. Downtown Ministries Aims to engage and build consistent relationships with children ages 4-12 through: Sports Programs After-school tutoring Life-skills training Other community projects

Downtown Academy The Mission: “Seeks to provide children of inner-city Athens, Georgia an excellent and rigorous Christ-centered education that builds knowledge, character, and purpose.” Plans to open doors in Fall 2013 to first grade and kindergarten classes with hopes to expand a grade each year Emphasizes individual attention and instruction through small class Education will focus around math and reading Students will also participate in P.E., music, chapel services, art, and field trips Downtown Academy employs both paid teachers and un-paid volunteers. Additionally, the academy will rely heavily on academic tutoring, a lunch buddy program, and family engagement services.

Key Factors of Success  Laid a proper foundation  Set date, time, location, and type of event  Allocate roles and responsibilities among team  Agree upon group standards and set meeting times  Formed strong relationships with community sponsors  Organization of multiple percentage nights  Sought out organizations with visions that aligned with that of Downtown Academy  Constant communication with Mama’s Boy and Downtown Ministries

 Utilization of key resources and social capital  Acquired in-kind donations through connections and community relations  Used community relations to secure donated decorations, supplies, etc  Our ability to work together as a cohesive team  Assigned roles dependent upon team members strengths  Members abilities to take control when needed  Personalities blended well together

“Southern Giving” A Dinner and Silent Auction Saturday, April 20, 2013 At Mama’s Boy in Downtown Athens 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Guests registered at the front desk upon arrival and patiently mingled until dinner Dinner was served (buffet style) with accompanying music by Sam Burchfield As guests finished eating, a parent and football coach from Downtown Ministries shared personal stories Followed by a silent auction, with donation items such as signed football memorabilia an weekend getaways

Participating Population:  Family and friends of the event planning team  Adults within the Athens community  University of Georgia Students We invited guests who values matched those of Downtown Academy and Downtown Ministries in hopes they would be more likely to donate. We hope these community will then continue to support Downtown Academy and the work they do.

Improvements  Communication among group members  Heavier communication with potential guests  Smoother transition between silent auction and the winner pick-ups

Through the successes of our planning process and ability to work together as a team we were able to raise $4, for Downtown Academy