Photo courtesy of James R. Compton Jr.

Chocolate, Wine & All That Jazz is exactly what you would think it is – yummy dessert, tasty wines and jazz music – all wrapped up into one fun night.

This year’s Chocolate, Wine & All That Jazz is Saturday, September 11 at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles. The evening will include a performance by the internationally-renowned jazz singer Denise Thimes and libations from local chocolatiers and wineries.

Last year, more than 200 guests enjoyed chocolate, wine and jazz under the stars, while raising over $10,000 for the United Way. 100% of the money we raised went back to the community the form of programs like job training and food for families and crisis.

I am seeking personal and corporate sponsorships to subsidize the event costs so that all of the money we raise can go directly back to the United Way.

7 Ways to Support Chocolate, Wine & All That Jazz

Big Band Sponsor – $5,000 +

• Complimentary tickets and reserved seating for 10 guests
• Sponsorship listing on event tickets, decorations and promotional materials
• Verbal recognition at the event and annual volunteer luncheon

Smooth Jazz Sponsor – $3,500 +

• Complimentary tickets and reserved seating for 6 guests
• Sponsorship listing on event tickets, decorations and promotional materials
• Verbal recognition at the event and annual volunteer luncheon

Blue Note Sponsor – $2,500 +

• Complimentary tickets and reserved seating for 4 guests
• Sponsorship listing on event tickets, decorations and promotional materials
• Verbal recognition at the event and annual volunteer luncheon

Swingin’ Sponsor – $1,500 +

• Complimentary tickets for 2 guests
• Sponsorship listing on event decorations
• Verbal recognition at the event and annual volunteer luncheon

Legato Sponsor – $750 +

• Sponsorship listing on event decorations
• Verbal recognition at the event and annual volunteer luncheon

Kool Kat – $100 +

• Patron recognition on event signage

In-Kind Sponsor

In-kind donations are being accepted for printing services, apparel, gift baskets, equipment rental, etc. If you are interested in making an in-kind donation, please let me know.

Download Sponsor Packet for 2010 Chocolate Wine and Jazz

See more pictures from last year’s Chocolate, Wine And All That Jazz

After my grandfather passed away in April, I started working closely with a group of AMAZING volunteers to take over his one-man-show.

For the last ten years, my grandpa ran the association himself, out of his home office. He sent out emails one at a time, to each member, inviting them to special events and helping tennis players find matches. Since he was retired, this system worked well for him.

Since I work full time, as do many of the other volunteers at the organization, we had to find a more efficient way to run things. We divied up responsibilities. I am in charge of the web site and email capabilities (naturally).

One of my coworkers suggested that we could use Mail Chimp to send out e-blasts for free. At work, we typically use more enterprise-level email engines like Silverpop, Listrak and ConstantContact. I had never even heard of Mail Chimp before, so I decided to do a little research and give it a try.

So far, Mail Chimp  is working really well for us. The free accounts are limited to under 500 subscribers. So, as our email list grows, we’ll probably need to upgrade to a paid account.

Until then, I can manage mailing lists and click-rates at the click of a button. If you’re looking for a way to promote your business or organization, I highly suggest that you look into a service like Mail Chimp.

Oh, and if you’re interested in Gateway, let me know. It’s a great group of people and we always welcome new members!

The teaser trailer has been released.

Check it out here and tell me if you understand what this movie is supposed to be about. And if you do get it, please explain it to me becaues I can’t tell from the trailer.

When I first heard that the United Way needed volunteers for an event that included FOUR of my favorite things – Chocolate, Wine, Jazz and the United Way – I was so excited… But nothing compares to the excitement I’m experiencing now, because the event is just two weeks away!

Chocolate, Wine & All That Jazz is taking place at Chandler Hill Vineyards in Defiance, MO, from 6 pm until 9 pm on Saturday, August 29.

Tickets are $55 per person, or $100 per couple, and include eight wine tastings, chocolate tastings, hors d’oeuvres and a concert by the Erin Bode Band. We’re also accepting canned food donations at the door.

I know that for a lot of people $55 is a lot to spend right now. Do know that, if you decide to come to the event, your tax-deductible donation will be put to good use.

Chocolate, Wine & All That Jazz is this year’s kick-off event for the United Way’s 2009 Annual Campaign for the 16 counties in the St. Louis metro area. This year, requests for the United Way’s help have gone up 20% and 70% of those new requests are from people who are reaching out to the United Way for the first time.

In addition to all of the the yummy treats and sweet music, there will be all sorts of gift basket raffles and games so you can bring goodies home to enjoy, too!

If you would like to find out more about the event and purchase tickets, please visit the United Way’s web site: http://www2.stl.unitedway.org/chocolatewineandallthatjazz

Nurses for Africa

At work, we’re helping out with a site for 16 nurses from St. Louis that are in Zambia, providing medical care and education and HIV/AIDS prevention. Zambia is in southern Africa. Each day, the team in Zambia sends us videos and emails about their adventures with the help of a satellite phone and Internet cafes.

We post them on http://nursesforafrica.net/. It’s so cool to get to work every day and learn about what adventures are transpiring half the world away. When researching for the project, I even connected with my old friend from middle school that was born in Zambia to find out about possible Internet service providers. Small world!

Books for Cameroon

While the nurses are in southern Africa, my friend Wendy is in Cameroon – on the western coast of the continent. She’s a Peace Corps volunteer. Yesterday I got a tweet from her, asking for some help spreading the word about her new project called Books for Cameroon.

Wendy lives in a small village where her house doesn’t have running water. But she does have the Internet! So, using her blog, Twitter and Facebook – she’s raising $11,500 to send 22,000 books from the US to Cameroon.

I worked with Wendy via instant message and email yesterday to write and edit press releases and pitch emails for her to send out to various local and national media outlets.

By the way, please donate to her cause if you feel so inclined!

I am continually amazed at the way technology makes the world a smaller (and better!) place. In a million years, I never imagined that I’d be IMing friends in AFRICA – working with the Peace Corps and volunteer nurses – to promote literacy and HIV/AIDS prevention. Even if my part is small, after all I’m not the ones in Africa doing the heavy lifting, I am so glad that I can contribute to their work in my own little way, from my own little home in St. Louis.

So I’m calling out some of the top 100 brands that SHOULD be on Twitter that aren’t… yet.

#4 Apple
I’ve seen the commercials. The Mac is supposed to be the cool guy. Since IBM is on Twitter @ibmevents, I’m going to have to say that Apple is a step behind on this one. I know I’d appreciate a little Twitter love when my iPod shows that sad iPod face…

#7 Microsoft
Those Zunes aren’t going to sell themselves.

#10 Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola spends millions on web site promotions like the CGI Happiness Factory, but they aren’t willing to sign up for a free Twitter account and assign a PR or marketing staff person with the task of monitoring the tweets related to their brand. I can’t imagine how many people are already talking about how they’re craving a Diet Coke right about now. Or maybe that’s just me!

#18 IKEA
There’s an entire (un-official) blog dedicated to do-it-yourself-ers that modify Ikea products for added efficiency. They could be talking about new product releases, decorating ideas or even helping people figure out how to turn a box full of parts into a new bookshelf!

#25 Skittles
The new Skittles web site is devoted to Web 2.0 with links to YouTube, Facebook and even Twitter. But the company doesn’t even have its own Twitter account? Lame. Well, lame and a completely incomplete launch.

#29 Lego
Anyone on Twitter that follows @GuyKawasaki (who doesn’t follow Guy?) will see all the crazy Lego creation links he posts. Wouldn’t it be phenomenal if Lego was also posting links to these creations?

#47 Subway
Wouldn’t you like to know what Jared is eating for lunch today? I sure would.

#75 Budweiser
Maybe because I’m from St. Louis and I’m still a little salty about the InBev takeover… but seriously! They could be posting about new commercials, where the clydesdales will be making appearances… I’m going to stop there. I guess I’ll have to settle for the alcohol-induced Texts from last night blog for now.

My boyfriend was the kind of kid who would take a part things just to see how they worked. I never understood those people… until it came time for me to understand the Internet. It started when I was about 12. I had this really cool graphics software on my computer and there was a way to design web sites on it. So I made a web site and posted it online just to figure out how it worked.

So when everyone started talking about the “blogosphere” I just didn’t get it. Why post things in chronological order? Why would people turn to everyday individuals to hear what they say when they could turn to “credible” published sources? I thought blogs were little Internet diaries where dumb people posted their innermost thoughts for the world to see… and the proceeded to piss off all their friends and families when they saw what they posted online.

I started off just reading blogs, you know, just to see what good would come from it (check out my LINKS page for some of the blogs I frequent). Then I realized that I too had a unique perspective and experiences worth sharing. Not going to go in to details about my personal life or try to piss people off, but I could definitely share things from my school, work and networking experiences.

My subject matter has expanded and changed over the last 12 months If you check out post #1, you can see why I started Resume Rehab and focused this site a little more on marketing, networking and the web.

Then, like any good addiction, I got hooked. And I started writing on multiple blogs. I made new friends through the blogging world. Learned the joys of WordPress and SEO, keyword searches and organic linking. Not only has it been a fun year, I’ve also expanded my professional skills and can help colleagues, clients and friends with navigating the confusing world that is blogging.

I’ve been dabbling in Twitter now too, and let me tell you, I’ve opened a whole new can of worms.

Thanks for stopping by and reading what I have to say. Thanks for year number one and here’s hoping for an even more wild and fun year number two!

Normally nothing exciting happens here. That’s why half the population (mostly female, I’d presume) has gone crazy over the temporary residency of George Clooney – in town for a couple months to shoot a film.

Sorry George. You can’t walk across the street without crazy people taking pictures. And even crazier ones posting them online.

Apologies aside. I just got an email from my aunt. Her friend Becky’s sister’s friend is an extra in the Clooney film “Up in the Air.”

For sad paparazzi-style pics of Mr. Clooney, keep on a-readin’.

The organization has a rich and active history, but has been struggling to recruit new members. As part of our proposed campaign, we suggested tying in a special event as a throw-back to the 1916 Walkless, Talkless Parade.

The Walkless, Talkless Parade took place during the 1916 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis. The League of Women Voters used this opportunity to urge the Democratic presidential candidate to support women’s rights to vote.

The parade included “thousands of women wearing yellow sashes and carrying yellow parasols aligned along the route the conventioneers would travel. The women would not speak but instead stand still as judgment while the delegates passed through their ‘Golden Lane.’

On that sunny morning of June 14, more than 7,000 women, dressed in yellow sashes and carrying yellow parasols, lined Locust Street from 12th Street to 19th Street. A tableau portrayed Lady Liberty surrounded by women representing each of the states. Those who represented states that had given the vote to women dressed in white. Those who portrayed states that had failed to extend enfranchisement, Missouri among them, dressed in black and displayed manacled hands.” In the end, the Democrats voted to support their cause and by 1919, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.

Today I got word that the organization is going to have a reenactment on Saturday, September 6th! The event is in conjunction with the Kids Voting program. I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear that the LWV is breathing new life into their organization and teaching kids about the importance of voting.

Here’s more info about the event:

Saturday, September 6^th—Yellow Umbrella Parade—A re-creation of the Walk-less, Talk-less Parade of 1916, commemorating the fight for women to get the right to vote!  Sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s and the St. Louis League of Women Voters
Place: St. Louis University, Boileau Hall @ Vandeventer & Laclede
9:00 a.m.: Registration
10:30 a.m.: Walk/Parade
11:30 a.m.: Speakers
Kids Voting schools can walk free—bring an ID
Non-Kids Voting:  $25 for Pre-registration or $30 on-site registration
Proceeds from the Walk will benefit Kids Voting Missouri
To Pre-Register: Phone: 314-961-6869 or E-mail: lwvmo@yahoo.com