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

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

I started using TweetDeck, which is an application that allows you to organize, search and mark tweets as read. This has improved my Twitter break efficiency tremendously. Now I can go right to my friends and family first, then check other feeds that I am interested in and if I have extra time, read randomness from everyone else.

Because I have been on Twitter a lot more, I have been posting a lot less on the blog. But I can’t blame my slacking on Twitter alone. I am involved in SO MANY THINGS right now! In addition to having a full-time job and social life, I have taken on lots of side projects, including:

• Serving on the advisory board for the Gateway Tennis Association
• Planning a summer fundraiser for the United Way – stay tuned for details!
• Opening a shop on Etsy
• Continuing my consulting – writing resumes and cover letters and assisting people with their job search

Anyways, my inspiration for this post is based on an article by Adam Singer: 19 Reasons You Should Blog and Not Just Tweet. Here are my favs:

1.  Blogging demonstrates true commitment and passion to your industry that you really can’t fake long-term.  Most won’t be able to sustain it over long periods of time with frequency, but those who do so are rewarded in spades and stand out from the crowd.

5.  Secret everyone knows:  most of Twitter is just linking to blogs and content on the open web.  Being the end product people are actually interested in and focus their attention on is where your ideas will be studied carefully, not in the cacophony of Twitter.

7.  Twitter is in a sense social sticky notes, or the SMS of the Internet (however you want to consider it).  It’s snack-sized content.  Are you or your business interesting enough to provide the full course?  It’s telling who engages deeper vs. those who simply choose to engage 140 characters at a time.

8.  Cumulative results over time from blogging, each post incrementally adds value to your site as a whole.  Not necessarily true on Twitter.

13.  140 characters is often more than necessary – but also it is often less than necessary.

14.  Everyone on Twitter is looking for the next big thing or most interesting piece of content to link to.  Wouldn’t you rather be the big thing than merely another person pointing at it?

17.  Careful of how much time you devote to Twitter instead of contributing to your own channel.  Spend the most time nurturing that – time spent in Twitter comes at the opportunity cost of fresh content to your blog.  You can use Twitter and other micro networks to draw subscribers and interest, but the premier value is in working on your own material in a unique space.

Okay, Adam. You got me there.

According to the St. Louis United Way GenNext group:

Schnucks has partnered with Electronic Scrip to allow their customers an easy way to support their favorite charities. Shoppers donate up to 3 percent of their grocery bill, at no additional cost, by using their Schnucks community card.

To get your card, go to your local Schnucks customer service desk and ask for an eScrip Community Card, or e-mail gennext@stl.unitedway.org and they’ll mail you one. Once you have your card, register it by visiting www.escrip.com/schnucks.jsp or calling 1-800-931-6528.

You can choose up to three charities to receive your donation, so even if you already have an eScrip card, consider adding United Way to your list of recipients.

Once you are registered, the only thing left to do is shop. At the checkout, just swipe your card and your charity will automatically receive a portion of your sale. It’s that easy. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can raise just by going to the grocery store.

Remember, this is at NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU – all you have to do is set up the card and start giving back!

In high school, there was an organization called Key Club which quickly became one of the largest student organizations at my school. It was an after-school group associated with the Kiwanis service leadership organization. According to the Key Club web site, they are the largest high school student organization in the world. The world. Unfortunately, at my high school, I felt as though many students joined simply to get brownie points on their college applications. Sure, it’s great to be helping others – but only to boost your shot at getting into a selective school? I don’t know. Something about that rubbed me the wrong way. But I guess in the process they helped others – and that’s what really counts.

In addition to Key Club, our school had other service opportunities through other after school clubs. An old friend of mine asked me to do a talent show act with him to benefit the Friends of Kids with Cancer. He is a survivor of bone cancer and I have always admired his strength – not only for soldiering through invasive treatment, but for holding his head up as he weathers continued challenges and the sorrow of outliving many friends who did not make it through their illnesses. I had a blast doing our own version of the famous Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First” comedy routine. I’m pretty sure we butchered the script, but it’s still a great memory I have.

My senior year, I took part in a Community Service class. Every day of the week had a different service assignment – one day we would visit nursing home residents, the next day we’d go to a neighboring elementary school to mentor at-risk students. Plus, you got to leave school for lunch and it was an easy A. I guess I’m guilty of signing up for service and banking on some of the benefits.

In December of my senior year, a boy who graduated the year before suddenly passed away from complications of a rare blood disease. Prior to falling ill his senior year, he was a hockey player and good friend to many students. He had two younger siblings at the high school as well. His sister was in my community service class and we decided to create a special event in honor of the student and an organization that makes a difference in the lives of many seriously ill kids in our community. We organized an event called “Dream Big: 5K for the Factory.”

The 5K walk/run raised tens of thousands of dollars the first year and will be celebrating it’s 4th anniversary on April 20th, 2008. The beneficiary of the fundraiser, the Dream Factory of St. Louis, has helped hundreds of extraordinary children live out their dreams. My friend, a sports fanatic, went to the Super Bowl. The Dream Factory takes kids to Disney World, to Hawaii and even donates horse trailers!

I chose to attend college at Saint Louis University, not even realizing that it was a Jesuit, Catholic university dedicated to service. I soon found out that service was an integral part of the university’s mission. In fact, SLU’s motto is “Men and women for others.” After three years as a campus tour guide – I got pretty good at explaining the motto and why universities founded on service to others truly make for an exceptional learning experience.

At SLU, there were so many opportunities to give back to the community. My freshman year I tutored students in the America Reads program and the Freshman day of service. Many of my friends participated in Campus Kitchen, APO and Relay for Life. Through the Public Relations club, we donated our services to charities like the Dream Factory and the Make-A-Wish foundation. Some of my friends even donated their spring break to go on service trips. I still feel like I didn’t get as involved as I should have while at school – I always feared that if I did too much I would take away from time for work and school. Looking back, I watched too much TV, spent way too much time on Facebook and didn’t give back enough.

After graduation, those feelings of regret really started to settle in. I realized how blessed (and lazy) I am. When I was on an informational interview with Drake & Co., I met a young professional who recommended that I get involved with United Way of Greater St. Louis’s GenNext program. She said it was a great way to network and meet other young people in St. Louis that are starting careers and looking for ways to give back to the community. Again, guilty of signing up for service in part for my own benefit, I registered to help out at a Head Start campus.

Not only did I learn more about an organization providing exceptional educational opportunities for low-income children – I also met a network of young people dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others. They are graduate students and professionals in a variety of fields, who have a great time helping others. Although I am still trying to get more involved with the organization (I just signed up to be on a grant panel!), I am excited to spend more time with such altruistic people. I enjoy helping others and meeting new friends who share those interests.

And, hey, it doesn’t hurt to mention that I met my now employer at a Make-A-Wish foundation, does it?