Georgia HOBY Newsletter:

Eighty-Fifth Edition, December 15, 2016

Featured Alumna: Braxton Simpson NW '15

I am a proud 2015 HOBY Alumni from Kennesaw Georgia, representing Marietta High School.  HOBY changed my life. After leaving HOBY, my innate leadership skills were sharpened and her commitment to lead through service was heightened! Since HOBY, I have joined several civic organizations, re-organized my business, and co-founded a service oriented organization rooted in my drive to lead through service.        

My love for my school community can be witnessed through my current position as Marietta High School’s Student Body Co-President. I has served Marietta’s school community through Student Council for four years, and one of my most coveted roles in this position includes organizing an Annual Pennies for Patients Student vs. Teacher Basketball Game fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This fundraiser brings in roughly $3,000 per year!  Three years ago, I developed an Annual Required Student Council Leadership Training. The goal of the training is to teach new and returning officers Parliamentary Procedure and Robert’s Rule of Order. I engage members of the community including Kennesaw State University’s Student Government and Marietta City Schools Board members to come in and teach meeting best practice.  

After leaving HOBY, I became more focused and intentional about her business Girl's Got Game (GGG), a female athletic apparel company. Before HOBY, I was more focused on how I could make the most money and had lost sight of why I started the business in the first place.  HOBY’s emphasis on service led me to reorganize GGG’s business structure, and focus on its founding principles--which is to make and sell apparel geared towards empowering girls to feel feminine while playing male-dominant sports.  I have begun to shift away from coed apparel and focused on more feminine apparel. 

Most recently, I and eight other female students founded a senior-freshmen mentoring organization called Black Girls United (BGU)! BGU was founded for the purpose of empowering 9th grade black girls, by giving them the opportunity to embrace their culture, gender, and uniqueness while learning how to navigate through the highs and lows of high school.  BGU pairs these girls up with positive senior mentors who are committed to helping them grow academically, socially, and emotionally.  Currently, Black Girls United has 28 members and 17 volunteers, and it’s growing every day!

HOBY Info:

Georgia HOBY Store

• The store is now live! Shop to help support our future seminars and enjoy all the new designs to represent HOBY year-round!
• Here is the site! Enjoy: https://hoby.formstack.com/forms/hoby_ga_store

Amazon Smile

• If you shop at Amazon, then switch to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2861279). It is the exact same website, but 0.5% of purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
• Choose HOBY Georgia (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) as your charity!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: HOBY Georgia
• Follow us on Twitter: @GA_HOBY  
• Follow us on Instagram: hoby_georgia
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Follow us on SnapChat: hobygeorgia
• Check our the website: www.gahoby.org
• Check out our YouTube channel: HOBY Georgia
• 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%2f
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email gahobyalumniadvisor@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: http://hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
• How far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

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

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:

Eighty-Fourth Edition, December 8, 2016

Featured Alumnus: Jonathan Helfgott NW '16

 My WLC experience was life changing. I met so many amazing people who changed my life. Before HOBY I was shy and did not do much outside of school. Since HOBY I do a lot more outside of school. I remember being very nervous because it was the first time I ever flew alone and I missed my first flight by only a couple of minutes. When I landed in Chicago I saw many HOBY shirts and then knew that everything was going to be okay.  After I got to Loyola University, I met all my group members and found out that one of them used to live in the same neighborhood as my grandmother.  He also goes to the same school as my cousin. After only just a couple of hours I felt like I had known them for a long time. I decided that I was going to play my violin in the talent show. I normally get nervous when I have to play in front of a huge crowd and worry if I mess up. I did mess up on the end and everyone was still supportive of me. That’s thing about HOBY if you mess up they still support you.  In just a week we cleaned up Humboldt Park and learned about some of the places the ambassadors come from. We also went sightseeing and listened to many great speakers. I did not think that my experience was going to be as good as it was. In just a couple of days my life was changed by 400 amazing people who I can always count on. 

HOBY Info:

Georgia HOBY Store

• The store is now live! Shop to help support our future seminars and enjoy all the new designs to represent HOBY year-round!
• Here is the site! Enjoy: https://hoby.formstack.com/forms/hoby_ga_store

Amazon Smile

• If you shop at Amazon, then switch to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2861279). It is the exact same website, but 0.5% of purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
• Choose HOBY Georgia (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) as your charity!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: HOBY Georgia
• Follow us on Twitter: @GA_HOBY  
• Follow us on Instagram: hoby_georgia
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Follow us on SnapChat: hobygeorgia
• Check our the website: www.gahoby.org
• Check out our YouTube channel: HOBY Georgia
• 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%2f
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email gahobyalumniadvisor@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: http://hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
• How far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

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

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:

Eighty-Third Edition, November 30, 2016

Featured Alumna: Mackenzie McCloud '12

     My name is MacKenzie McCloud and I am a junior currently attending Hampton University where I am studying nursing. I attended Hugh O’Brian Youth Program the summer of 2012 and retuned the summer of 2013 as a junior staff member. Being selected to represent my high school at HOBY became one of the major defining moments in the development of the young woman I am today. The leadership skills, networking, and friendships that I developed and experienced during my summers with HOBY has given me the confidence to challenge myself and not steer away from leadership roles. Since my attendance I have received multiple awards from Health Occupational Students of America in Epidemiology, became a member of the Freddye T. Davy Honors College, and selected to be a part of Hampton University’s Student Recruitment Team. These are a few highlights since my summers with HOBY. I encourage every student who is presented with the opportunity to attend the summer program to go. It will take you out of your comfort zone and it will cause to think. But that’s what leaders do. We push ourselves, we make opportunities for ourselves, and we give back. Hugh O’Brian Youth Program will give you the tools needed to become leader on whatever path you choose to take in life.

HOBY Info:

Georgia HOBY Store

• The store is now live! Shop to help support our future seminars and enjoy all the new designs to represent HOBY year-round!
• Here is the site! Enjoy: https://hoby.formstack.com/forms/hoby_ga_store

Amazon Smile

• If you shop at Amazon, then switch to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2861279). It is the exact same website, but 0.5% of purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
• Choose HOBY Georgia (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) as your charity!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: HOBY Georgia
• Follow us on Twitter: @GA_HOBY  
• Follow us on Instagram: hoby_georgia
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Follow us on SnapChat: hobygeorgia
• Check our the website: www.gahoby.org
• Check out our YouTube channel: HOBY Georgia
• 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%2f
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email gahobyalumniadvisor@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: http://hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
• How far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

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

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:

Eighty-Second Edition, November 15, 2016

Featured Alumnus: Dan Kamykowski '01 

     I wasn’t even supposed to go to HOBY. I was the alternate. Luckily, though, my drama teacher saw the potential in me that I didn’t even knew I had. She got the Junior League in my hometown to sponsor me to go. Our seminar was at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. I remember walking into the big room where we were at, and just hearing noise. It was all the cheering that is the heart of the HOBY program. I remember I just stood there not saying a thing or moving a muscle. I think it was about an hour into the seminar that I decided to try it out. There is a cheer that many have forgotten about called “Let me see your Boogaloo.” It requires a lot of moving and linking arms, and for whatever reason, that was the moment my HOBY spirit came alive. If you know that song “This Little Light of Mine,” then you will understand that prior to that moment, I had never light my light shine through. 
     From that one seemingly insignificant moment, I turned my lantern on full blast. The rest of the weekend was nothing but this energy pouring out of me. When I went home, I didn’t know how to shut off the light. From that weekend, I was definitely put on the path to my own greatness. I got involved with HOBY the following year by volunteering for the CLeW in my hometown. That was how I was identified for my potential as a seminar volunteer, and the next fifteen or so years is history. I love being a volunteer for HOBY. It makes the month of June my favorite. Being able to see and meet the next generation of leaders is why I keep coming back each year. Through HOBY, I discovered my love for working with all young people no matter the circumstance. This has been the greatest gift of HOBY for me. I learned what my passion is and gave me the courage to go out there a make a difference.. 
     So when I moved to Savannah in 2007, I became a volunteer for the Big Brothers & Big Sisters program and Camp Aloha, a camp for young people who have lost a loved one. Even today, a dear friend of mine told me he wished he could borrow some of my energy, but you can’t really share a HOBY spirit that way. Most people know me in HOBY for my work with CLeW Savannah. Five years ago, I met another HOBY alumna in Savannah. She happened to be the daughter of a colleague of mine, and together we formed the team that would become CLeW Savannah. I am proud of the program we have built here, and love seeing where these young potential leaders go with their lives, even if it doesn’t include the HOBY Leadership Seminar their sophomore year.

HOBY Info:

Georgia HOBY Store

• The store is now live! Shop to help support our future seminars and enjoy all the new designs to represent HOBY year-round!
• Here is the site! Enjoy: https://hoby.formstack.com/forms/hoby_ga_store

Amazon Smile

• If you shop at Amazon, then switch to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2861279). It is the exact same website, but 0.5% of purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
• Choose HOBY Georgia (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) as your charity!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: HOBY Georgia
• Follow us on Twitter: @GA_HOBY  
• Follow us on Instagram: hoby_georgia
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Follow us on SnapChat: hobygeorgia
• Check our the website: www.gahoby.org
• Check out our YouTube channel: HOBY Georgia
• 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%2f
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email gahobyalumniadvisor@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: http://hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
• How far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

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

Georgia HOBY Newsletter:

Eighty-First Edition, October 30, 2016

Featured Alumna: Sydney McRee '06

   As I reflect on my HOBY experience, it's hard to believe that it has been ten years since my parents dropped me off at Oglethorpe University while Junior Staffers were loudly cheering and beating on my car screaming "Welcome to HOBY!!". 
   I think one of the reasons it's so hard to believe that my Ambassador year was 10 years ago is because HOBY isn't just a specific life event--it doesn't end on Sunday afternoon at Closing Ceremony--HOBY truly is a way of life.
   Howard Thurman once said "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come Alive." That's what HOBY does--it inspires young leaders to come alive by exploring their passions and plants the seeds to cultivate a culture of leadership among them. 
   HOBY equipped me with the tools to become even more involved as a leader in my local community throughout the remainder of high school, college and beyond. Seminars throughout the years and the friends that I have made through HOBY have served as a constant inspiration and reminder to lead with a vision fueled by what I am passionate about.  My passion is helping others and serving the community. The importance of servant leadership was instilled in me at a young age, and HOBY helped to remind me that by following that passion I can make a difference. 

HOBY Info:

Georgia HOBY Store

• The store is now live! Shop to help support our future seminars and enjoy all the new designs to represent HOBY year-round!
• Here is the site! Enjoy: https://hoby.formstack.com/forms/hoby_ga_store

Amazon Smile

• If you shop at Amazon, then switch to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2861279). It is the exact same website, but 0.5% of purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
• Choose HOBY Georgia (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) as your charity!

Social Networking!!!

• Find us on Facebook: HOBY Georgia
• Follow us on Twitter: @GA_HOBY  
• Follow us on Instagram: hoby_georgia
• Follow us on Vine: Georgia HOBY
• Follow us on SnapChat: hobygeorgia
• Check our the website: www.gahoby.org
• Check out our YouTube channel: HOBY Georgia
• 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%2f
• Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email gahobyalumniadvisor@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: http://hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
• How far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?

This Blog

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

2017 Junior Staff Apps!

NorthWest 2017 is at Agnes Scott College and the weekend commitment is June 1 at 4pm - June 4 at 4pm
Here is the NorthWest 2017 app! It is Due November 4th
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkD0H3IcJQrbHN_SHoe2Q4aD5FCD1i8KrPsAO3xoLQLSCbDg/viewform

SouthEast 2017 is at George College and State University and the weekend commitment is June 8 at 4pm - June 11 at 4pm

Here is the SouthEast 2017 app! It is due November 10th
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUo46K3rDvKEUOlj-vWG-Z5uKMmpd-g6kWodjHK1f0gUircQ/viewform?c=0&w=1

Requirements for applying:

You can apply to both seminars but ensure that

1. You can commit to the entire HOBY weekend you apply for (all of one seminar or both)
2. Ensure that your school will send a 2017 ambassador to either GANW or GASE
3. Fundraise $250 per seminar by May 1st (so $500 if you apply to both)
4. Accomplish the 100 hours of service by May 1st