October is gone already?

I cannot believe that it is officially November already. The one thing I am confused about is where October went? Just the other day, September was coming to a close and I was looking forward to Halloween. I'm pretty sure I missed it. But even though I missed October and my favorite holiday, it was all in keeping busy and doing good things!

October was the busiest time since I started my VISTA term back at the end of June. Three regional meetings, four Health Path meetings, being trained on taxes, doing trainings, making a difference in West Jefferson, and attending a foodbank conference were all an absolute blast! Looking back, I probably would have scheduled a few things a little more differently but at the same time I would not have had some of the great travels and not met some great people along the way. And although I had a few hiccups along the way, I am amazed at how well the month flowed. Yes, some of the meeting spaces may have been a little small and I may have had to give a few impromptu presentations and I may have gotten lost while trying to make a difference, but over all everything went great! I travelled all over the Southern portion of Ohio and even got to spend the night with a friend I hadn't seen in months!

Now I get to play catch up though. I have thank-you letters & sorry we missed you letters & marketing order forms & trainings to fill. I guess that is what I get for being out of the office almost two weeks in a row. Looking at my calendar for the weeks ahead, they seem so slow right now because not everyday has something scheduled. But then I just flip one month back and remind myself this is a good thing...

This past Friday (September 24th) was my first of five HealthPath events. We were partnering with Shared Harvest Foodbank in Butler County and hosting the luncheon during their foodbank conference. I was nervous because I wasn't sure how many people were going to show up and that they would be able to find their way around.

About two weeks before the event is when the invites went out & about a week before the event I followed the letter up with phone calls trying to confirm that I would at least have some attendees. Out the 70+ calls I made, I think I spoke to about ten, and out of that ten I think I confirmed one. I did receive phone calls back the following Monday either confirming or declining their invitations. So when all was said and done, I had nineteen RSVP's confirming they would attend our luncheon.

So Thursday afternoon I put all my packets together with the correct powerpoint & half sheets & business cards. Got the last minute scoop from Charles about what I should/should not do & finally got all my technological goodies (digital camera & voice recorder). I was starting to feel really confident in the happenings of Friday.

Then, Friday came...major traffic accident on my way to work pretty much shut down the freeway into Columbus: Great way to start off any already nerve-racking day! Not to mention the wind & rain that just made it a miserable morning. But I made it to the office and finished up somethings around my desk before I headed out on the road. With the help of a dolly, I loaded the three boxes of mugs, laptop bags, flyers, & folders into my car & started out for 71S toward Cincinnati. About 45 minutes into the trip realized I left all my technological goodies in my desk & left my coffee mug on my desk. Strike three against Friday.

Once I actually made it to Voice of America Park it was very simple to find the room & unload my car (again thanks to a dolly). I set up all the seats with a packet of flyers, our folder, a Health Path folder, and an OBB mug. Then I played the waiting game for about an hour, in which I ate my lunch and caught up with Meredith (Southwest Ohio Regional Coordinator). About five til 1:00 a few people started to filter in. And by a few, I literally mean 3 people to observe the powerpoint, Tara with Health Path, and a guy from one of the local news stations (he didn't stick around very long though). I was a little disappointed that more people out of my nineteen RSVP's did not show up.

With the subtraction of a few minor hiccups of the day, my first event went very smoothly. I just hope that my next events go as smoothly (maybe just with a few more attendees!). I'm not going to let this one discourage me though! Next time will be better....I hope!