Georgia HOBY Newsletter:
Sixteenth Edition, April 9, 2014

Featured Alumna: Adetinpo Thomas '06

My name is Adetinpo Thomas, my ambassador year was 2006 and I have been blessed to have had HOBY in my life for the last eight years. I have been a member of the Jr Staff, a Junior Facilitator, a Senior Facilitator and I now play the role of Master of Ceremonies. Let me begin by saying that GA HOBY has changed my life,  and almost every enjoyable experience I have subsequently had, can be attributed in some small way to my initial time at HOBY.The experience that really put everything into perspective for me was the year I had my own group, the Red Lasers (YOU KNOW!) from GA HOBY 2012. All weekend my group and I tried to convince Clint Godwin, one of my OUTSTANDING ambassadors, to perform for the variety show and every time he refused, granted he didn’t exactly identify as a peacock but we believed in him. The night was almost over before Clint decided he was going to perform after all. He got up in front of over 200 ambassadors and sang “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon and without missing a beat when it came time for the chorus everyone in the audience sang along as they held up their outstanding “O” in solidarity. Almost two years ago and everytime I hear that song, I hear Clint and all of GA HOBY 2012 singing along. Even thinking of it now brings a smile to my face because I remember seeing the uncertainty on his face as he began and as he concluded watching him fight back a smile. That is my favorite experience because it manifested everything that HOBY is supposed to represent. Leadership in an individual and in a group, a strong and supportive ensemble and of course memories to last a lifetime.

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:
Fifteenth Edition, March 22, 2014 

Featured Alumnus: John T. D. Murphy '07

My name is John T.D. Murphy. I was an HOBY ambassador from Carrollton High School in 2007. One trip around the merry-go-round wasn’t nearly enough for me, and this year will be my 8th Georgia HOBY experience! In those years, I started out as a junior staffer and worked my way up to be a facilitator with my own group of amazing ambassadors to work with every year. My HOBY experience was hugely influential in my life. The spirit of ingenuity, confidence, leadership, and the simple idea that we don’t need to wait and “grow-up” to lead, and to follow our dreams changed my outlook as a teen. Soon after my ambassador year at HOBY, I convinced my school and family to let me complete part of my high school degree by studying abroad. I spent most of my junior year at the Istituto d’Arte Paolo Toschi, an intensive fine arts school in Parma, Italy. I embraced art not only as my personal passion, but as my professional and career goal. I went on to study at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at The University of Georgia and graduated in 2013.  Since then I have been living and working as an artist in New York City, selling work to private institutions and collections such as the Sir Elton John Collection. Currently, I specialize in experimental and antique photography. A large part of my work is “large format” photography (That is the old type of photography where the camera looks like an accordion and where the photographer is under a black sheet), and I have also recently made a body of work consisting of contemporary pinhole photographs (pinhole cameras are cameras that you have to build yourself and which do not have any lens, just a very small opening for light). This year I’m excited to make the trip back down to Georgia, teach some junior staff how to REALLY cheer, and be inspired yet again by the amazing young leaders we are given the privilege of working with.

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:
Fourteenth Edition, February 16, 2014 

Featured Alumna: Kaylee Sheppard '09

In 2009, I was nominated to be the HOBY Ambassador for Bulloch Academy. I continued to come back to volunteer as a staff member for the past three years. The first time I heard that I had received the award, I had no idea what HOBY would be like. I had no idea that I would fall in love with the people that I met there and their purpose for putting on the leadership seminar. In high school, I was very shy and quiet (Dove), but HOBY was my first step in stepping out of my shell and becoming a leader. From meeting so many new people to feeling ridiculous doing the cheers, I have gained so much from HOBY. I am currently a junior at the University of Georgia studying Risk Management and Insurance. I have fallen in love with my school and I have a passion for getting involved which I gained from HOBY. During my freshman year, I joined a sorority, UGA Miracle, mentored at Wesley Foundation, and volunteered weekly at the Boys and Girls Club. I have worked hard to become a leader at my school by becoming Vice President of Operations for my sorority as well as becoming a committee member for two years in a row for UGA Miracle and Relay for Life. I also got involved in the community as well by coaching a U-8 soccer team at the local recreational department. Without HOBY, I would have never thought to do any of these things. HOBY taught me to get involved in the community and my school, as well as achieve leadership positions where my personality fit best. I would say that I started out at HOBY as being a Dove, but since then I have grown so much as a person and leader that I think I have gained all aspects of Eagle, Peacock, Owl, and Dove into my personality. My future goals include graduating from the University of Georgia in May of 2015 and continuing on to law school, hopefully at the University of Georgia. Without HOBY, I would not be where I am today and I am so thankful for all the people and opportunities HOBY has put in my life. Lastly, Go Dawgs!

HOBY Info:

Junior Staff Application!!!!!

• It is out!!! Make sure it is postmarked before February 21st!
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgotigub704m9o6/2014%20JS%20App.doc?n=30688121

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:
Thirteenth Edition, January 28, 2014 

Featured Alumnus: Javier Johnson '04

In 2004, I was nominated to be the HOBY ambassador for my high school. The choice to attend the conference truly enriched my life. Since then, I have gone on to attend 14 HOBY Georgia seminars. I am currently a senior at Georgia State University (GSU), studying Sociology. When I graduate, I hope to move on to become a nursing home administrator. It may seem like an unusual career goal, but this decision is steeped in my time at HOBY. A few years ago, a long time volunteer, Gordon Stewart, gave me some great advice. Gordon, who had worked at the career center at the University of Georgia, suggested that I talk to my campus career center to better define my goals following graduation. After taking Gordon’s advice, I took a Myers-Briggs personality test and a strengths and interests assessment through the GSU career center. The two scores were combined, and my top choice was returned: nursing home administrator. After meeting with a career counselor to interrupt the results of the self-assessment, I embarked on an interesting journey. I was able to find multiple administrators who were willing to assist me. Now, that I’ve seen what the day-to-day life of a licensed nursing home administrator (LNHA) looks like, I can firmly enter the field knowing that I am making a informed decision, and how to achieve my long term career goals. Through the years, my contributions to HOBY have changed. I started on Junior Staff, became a Junior Facilitator, a Facilitator, and, now, I even serve on the corporate board as the Director of Finances. This evolution of responsibilities within the organization has shown me many aspects of HOBY through training and enrichment, but the experiences have made me a better leader. I started out with HOBY as a Peacock (shocking, I know), but I am becoming a better listener, a more effective communicator, and a more influential team player. If HOBY has taught me anything, it is that through team work, anything is possible. HOBY means so much to me and has brought many OUTSTANDING friendships, mentors, and colleagues into my life. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to represent my high school in 2004 at HOBY Georgia.

HOBY Info:

Junior Staff Application!!!!!

• It is out!!! Make sure it is postmarked before February 21st!
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/kgotigub704m9o6/2014%20JS%20App.doc?n=30688121

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