Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Twenty-Fifth Edition, December 24, 2014

Featured Alumnus: Blake Phillips '11

"HOBY is life!" That is my answer when people ask me "What is HOBY?" Of course after I say "HOBY is life!" and they laugh I proceed to tell them about the seminar and how HOBY continues to change lives year after year. I was nominated by my school to attend HOBY as an ambassador in 2011. My life changed that weekend. I came back home confident in ability to be a leader and make a difference. That is what HOBY is about: making a difference. The first step in making a difference in the life of another person is taking a step back and realizing that person is different from you. I believe that in order to make a difference and live a life that impacts the lives of others, one must not only acknowledge diversity, but also celebrate the diversity that defines us as individuals. HOBY has helped shape this philosophy of mine and has greatly affected the ways I perceived, accept, and respect those who are different from me. HOBY blends kids with varying backgrounds, religious beliefs, ethnicities, and sexualities and shows them that these differences do not equal divisions. HOBY builds friendships that last a lifetime. Several of my best friends are from HOBY. I talk to them literally everyday. These are the friends I talk to when I need encouragement or when they need someone to remind how outstanding they are! It may sound biased, but I believe HOBY provides the best friendships because these relationships are not built around convenience. My HOBY friends are spread all through out Georgia. These friendships require work and love and because of the struggle of distance the bonds grow stronger. I am forever thankful for HOBY and the amazing friends and opportunities I have been blessed with because of HOBY.

HOBY Info:

Kroger Community Rewards Program

• If you have a Kroger Plus Card, send some dollars to HOBY through this program!
• Keep it up, all the funds ensure the best seminars possible!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: GA HOBY Alumni
• Follow us on Twitter: @HOBY_GEORGIA  
• Follow us on Instagram: HOBY_GEORGIA
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Feel free to send quotes to lutzofun@gmail.com to be put onto the Twitter page
• Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers

Hours

• Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2fdefault.aspx
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email lutzofun@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
•  How is far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

• If you would like a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" Blog Post to be posted in the future on this blog then, email lutzofun@gmail.com also with your response!
• Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Twenty-Fourth Edition, December 15, 2014

Featured Alumna: Amanda Murray, '04

We came for salvation, We came for family, We came for all that's good that's how we'll walk away.

We came to break the bad, We came to cheer the sad, We came to leave behind the world a better way.”

-T.A.B.

I was nominated by my high school to attend HOBY in the spring of ‘04. From the moment my car was attacked, I knew I was about the “drink some Kool-aid” if you will. My team leader was Tim Joyner, and the Chiefs in charge were Vicki, Rod & Corey! Being a Peacock, it didn’t take long for me to introduce myself and to bond with some of my very best friends to date, like Javier Johnson. I still thank my lucky stars for all the friends that I made at Georgia HOBY and WLC, and that we have stayed in touch creating a lasting bond! One thing to sum up what I learned that year was “Decide what to be, and go be it!” a theme that resonates throughout the program. 

Since my ambassador year, I graduated from Southland Academy, and went on to study Marketing at Georgia Southwestern State University. I worked as a Digital Media Advertising Rep for WALB-10, until last year when I decided to move to Atlanta after taking another sales job. Currently I am back in school for round two, pursuing a degree in nursing, hoping to eventually become a recruiter. I am involved in the Junior League, as well as various efforts to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research. I was able to be a facilitator for WLC 2012 and it reignited my light and brought back so many OUTSTANDING memories from my 2 weeks in D.C. The speakers and sights that were heard and seen impact you far beyond your ambassador year. That’s right y’all adults gain so much from HOBY too! 

I don’t think there are enough words to fully describe my experiences with the HOBY Program. An array of

emotions, have come from the year I first began as an ambassador to today. My ambassador year, 2004, was filled with so many fond memories from Georgia’s A seminar to WLC in Washington D.C.! I have made lifelong friends, as well as have had some of the greatest experiences, being involved with the program. Even though my involvement has been far less over the past 3 years, one can never lose the light of HOBY. The things that I learned throughout the program and from my fellow HOBYers will stay with me forever! And It Spread…..

HOBY Info:

Kroger Community Rewards Program

• If you have a Kroger Plus Card, send some dollars to HOBY through this program!
• Keep it up, all the funds ensure the best seminars possible!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: GA HOBY Alumni
• Follow us on Twitter: @HOBY_GEORGIA  
• Follow us on Instagram: HOBY_GEORGIA
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Feel free to send quotes to lutzofun@gmail.com to be put onto the Twitter page
• Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers

Hours

• Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2fdefault.aspx
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email lutzofun@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
•  How is far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

• If you would like a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" Blog Post to be posted in the future on this blog then, email lutzofun@gmail.com also with your response!
• Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Twenty-Third Edition, November 16, 2014

Featured Alumnus: Rance Morgan '11

My name is Rance Morgan, and I attended HOBY 3 years ago. And although the experience was awhile ago, the lessons I learned there stick with me to this day. Listening to the many different speakers’ advice on how to succeed gave me courage to pursue my dreams and excel academically. Although I only graduated high school in 2013 I am currently earning my bachelors degree in computer science at The University of Georgia with an associates degree, also in computer science, already under my belt. I was able to do this through a dual enrollment program at Middle Georgia College, something I wouldn’t have considered without the inspiration to succeed. The team-building exercises I took part in helped me in a number of ways. First, I was able to meet some amazing people who shared the same passion for the program as myself. Second, it provided me with essential leadership skills that I continue to use within my academic and social career. The skills I acquired at HOBY assist with my occasional group project in school and has also proven helpful in my fraternity. I was just recently elected as an officer having just been initiated last semester. Now although I can’t give all the credit of my success to HOBY and the wonderful people who ran the conference, it was definitely one of the better experiences of my life. I have no doubt that it played a pivotal role in my academic career and has turned out to be beneficial to my life in general.

HOBY Info:

Kroger Community Rewards Program

• If you have a Kroger Plus Card, send some dollars to HOBY through this program!
• Keep it up, all the funds ensure the best seminars possible!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: GA HOBY Alumni
• Follow us on Twitter: @HOBY_GEORGIA  
• Feel free to send quotes to lutzofun@gmail.com to be put onto the Twitter page
• Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers

Hours

• Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2fdefault.aspx
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email lutzofun@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
•  How is far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

• If you would like a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" Blog Post to be posted in the future on this blog then, email lutzofun@gmail.com also with your response!
• Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Twenty-Second Edition, October 18, 2014

Featured Alumna: Laura Heida '07

Hey all! I was an ambassador back in 2007, HOBY’s last year at Ft. Oglethorpe, and I had a heck of an experience. I’ll be honest, though, as much as my seminar rocked, my strongest, best, and most vivid HOBY memories are from my years on staff. Junior Staff was an incredibly rewarding experience, as it gave me an entirely new perspective on the seminar: behind the scenes! Preparation! Being a PART of keeping the energy up! Starting cheers! On the same line, directing operations for the 2012 seminar was an interesting experience. Learning what REALLY goes into making the seminar work is something that is overwhelming and wonderful. It let me appreciate all the work that so many people put into ensuring that HOBY is a success for the ambassadors and a beacon of light for our volunteers. It’s hard! It was a wonderful experience, it just wasn’t for me. Being a facilitator is my passion and my favorite experience to date. It was what I looked forward to as a junior staffer, and it’s the biggest reason I’ve come back year after year. That interpersonal relationship that you create with your group of students is unbelievable (yep, I’m a peacock). Being able to watch how this group of strangers grows, personally as leaders and as friends, is an irreplaceable experience. It is my favorite part of HOBY. I love seeing the lights on the faces of my kids when they realize that HOBY is a safe zone, somewhere that they can discuss anything and everything without being judged or ridiculed. It’s great afterwards, too, seeing the Facebook page blow up, hearing about alumni connecting after the seminar, and seeing pictures labeled “HOBY reunion!” There is so much to say for having people in your life who let you truly be who you are, and that is what HOBY is. It’s a family in and of itself, a support system that rolls 350+ deep, it’s a forum for discussion and exchanging ideas, and it’s a resource: a source of strength, inspiration, and encouragement. That’s why, this year, I’ve detoured from my beloved facilitator role to be one of your directors of recruitment. Every student deserves a shot at being part of this amazing family. HOBY has been one of the highlights of my life, and it is ALL in thanks to you, my lovely HOBY fam. So, thank you for being who you are, for doing what you do, and for all that you continue to be. I’ll close out with a mandatory recruitment plug: please reach out to your schools and make sure they have an ambassador this year! If anyone needs help or would like to help further, feel free to contact me (I’m on Facebook)! Again, thanks so much for everything, y’all. Continue being outstanding!

HOBY Info:

Kroger Community Rewards Program

• If you have a Kroger Plus Card, send some dollars to HOBY through this program!
• Keep it up, all the funds ensure the best seminars possible!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: GA HOBY Alumni
• Follow us on Twitter: @HOBY_GEORGIA  
• Feel free to send quotes to lutzofun@gmail.com to be put onto the Twitter page
• Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers

Hours

• Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2fdefault.aspx
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email lutzofun@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
•  How is far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

• If you would like a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" Blog Post to be posted in the future on this blog then, email lutzofun@gmail.com also with your response!
• Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Twenty-First Edition, September 26, 2014

Featured Alumna: Lizbeth Peña '11

My name is Lizbeth Pena. It’s been a while since I attended HOBY, and yet, I can say with confidence that attending HOBY was one of my most memorable high school experiences. Now that I am college bound, I still look back at that three day weekend and remember the chants, songs, and overall environment that made HOBY so magical. Overall, the presentations were uplifting and wonderful. But the memory that resonates with me the most was one of the last events. As all the ambassadors gathered one last time to share what we had learned, I sat cross-legged on the floor listening to all their stories. I was always one of those students to just sit and listen, afraid that someone would judge me for my opinion or defy what I had to say. But that day, I stood up. I don’t remember what I said or the context behind why I said it, but I remember letting my tears run with a feeling of empowerment as my words weakly escaped my mouth. I think that was one of the catalysts that made me realize the strength of my individuality and my voice. If being surrounded by individuals who were willing to accept me as I was without even knowing me was not enough to push me to find confidence in myself to speak, and then I would never be able to break out of my shell. HOBY was that catalyst that made understand that having a voice holds no power without confidence. I can think and feel any way that I want, but if I bottle it up and never share it with anyone, what difference does it make? A leader is not just one who can stand in front of a crowd and speak. A leader is also one who can sit back and listen. And one can be just as hard as the other. I will forever cherish my fruitful experience in HOBY and appreciate the little things that made a huge difference.

HOBY Info:

Kroger Community Rewards Program

• If you have a Kroger Plus Card, send some dollars to HOBY through this program!
• Keep it up, all the funds ensure the best seminars possible!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: GA HOBY Alumni
• Follow us on Twitter: @HOBY_GEORGIA  
• Feel free to send quotes to lutzofun@gmail.com to be put onto the Twitter page
• Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers

Hours

• Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2fdefault.aspx
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email lutzofun@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
•  How is far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

• If you would like a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" Blog Post to be posted in the future on this blog then, email lutzofun@gmail.com also with your response!
• Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Twentieth Edition, September 2, 2014

Featured Alumnus: Kyle Stapleton '03

My name is Kyle Stapleton, and I attended Georgia HOBY …  a while ago. I’ll just say that 50 Cent’s “21 Questions” was the #1 song in the country at that time. I had a great experience on the Oglethorpe campus that weekend, carrying the lessons and the great conversations forward with me. Fast forward many years, and my good friend Cameron “Daddy Cam” Bridges posts something on Facebook about leading the HOBY conference, to which I casually replied something about my having been a HOBY ambassador, that I couldn’t believe what a small world it was, etc. I didn’t think much of it … but fortunately, Cam did. Ever the schemer, he encouraged me to apply to be a Senior Facilitator. And what a great stroke of luck that was! I had a fantastic group that I watched grow from strangers, reluctant to share or be open, to a group of friends, on the same wavelength with their commitment to be OUTSTANDING servant leaders for their friends, families, and communities. We even managed to sneak in a laugh or two. Since I managed not to get run off last year, this past year I had the tremendous honor of speaking to the group about Leadership for Society. We had a lively conversation about finding your passion, and I gained a new perspective yet again on what intelligent, engaged, empathetic, and (most of all) fun folks take part in the HOBY experience. HOBY’s benefitted me in more ways than I can count, but what I really value about HOBY is the people. Any organization that gives people a home in which to be themselves – and brings them together to grow alongside supportive, life-loving peers and mentors – is all right by me. I’m so proud to be a thread in the fabric of this wonderful organization.

HOBY Info:

Kroger Community Rewards Program

• If you have a Kroger Plus Card, send some dollars to HOBY through this program!
• Keep it up, all the funds ensure the best seminars possible!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: GA HOBY Alumni
• Follow us on Twitter: @HOBY_GEORGIA  
• Feel free to send quotes to lutzofun@gmail.com to be put onto the Twitter page
• Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers

Hours

• Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2fdefault.aspx
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email lutzofun@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
•  How is far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

• If you would like a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" Blog Post to be posted in the future on this blog then, email lutzofun@gmail.com also with your response!
• Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post