Make a Difference!

New Semester, New Blog Host!

2007-01-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

Hey there MAD Clubbers! We've been having some problems with getting our posts up on our blog and out to your inboxes lately, so with the new semester approaching, we've decided to move on to a new blogging platform to host our news blog.

Our new blog link is http://makeadifference.vox.com - go check it out!

All new blog posts will still be delivered via email, so don't worry about changes with that. Our site just looks a lot spiffier and has lots of cool new organizational features (You can even subscribe to our new blog via a RSS feed easily now by clicking on the button on the side of the page!) now.

Thank you all for a great semester of volunteering and making a difference in our community! We managed to help out at many more events with many more local and national organizations than we've ever done before this semester as a result of all you wonderful members' dedication to community service.

Give yourselves a big pat on the back and get ready for another great semester full of fun volunteering opportunities!

Updated Locations List for SF FAD 2007

2007-01-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers, some changes have taken place since I sent the location assignments out last night, so I've included a revised version of the list in tonight's post. All changes are in bold - most of the assignments have remained unchanged, but please double check to make sure everything is correct and contact me ASAP with any new corrections.

FISHERMAN'S WHARF AREA
Hyde Street Pier
Viktoriya Figlina 0905
Danna Hong 0913
Judy Cheng 0906
Margaret Tsai 0918

USS Pampanito
Tiffany Au
Christine Le 0809
Anissa Chen 0804
Cynthia Lee 0813

SS Jerimiah O'Brien
Jan Young 0911
Joanna Huang 0911
Erin Tom 0901
Tina Kwan

Musee Mercanique
Sonya Ostashevskaya 0910
Karen Chen 0914

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum
Yvonne Kong 0819
Michele Chui 0818
Aimee Howard 0812
Nora Casey 0815
Christine Trinh 0804
Annie Wong 0805

Wax Museum
Justin Chan 0801
Raymond Wu
Lily Guan 0811
Irene Cheung 0817
Katie Yee 0817
Tiffany Vu

Aquarium of the Bay
Natasha Sadikin 1016
Susan Lim 1019
Mindy Muynh 1011
Wendy Chak 1019
Jenny Huynh 1010
Vivian Suen 1015

GOLDEN GATE PARK AREA
Conservatory of Flowers
Amy Lai 0918
Shirla Shan 0902
Justine Pon 0901
Amanda Chu 0910
Janet Lee 0903

deYong Museum
Angel Huang 0917
Anna Chen 0904
Jenelle Guillermo 0916
Johnny Zhou Chen 1013
Annie Yan 0913
Peter Yu 0907

Japanese Tea Garden
Odalis Lourdes Mandereau 1015
Thurston Zhu 1018
Arianna Lopez 1004
Jonathan Siu

San Francisco Botanical Garden
Jimmy Xie 0811
Evelina Vu 0817

You can find the links to the maps/directions for each location, as well as detailed instructions for this event, in last night's email or by clicking here.

Thanks!

Mayor Gavin Newsom's Family Appreciation Day 2007 - Sunday, January 7th

2007-01-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers! Mayor Gavin Newsom's Family Appreciation Day is coming up this Sunday, so I have all the details and information you need to know about volunteering at this event ready for all you wonderful volunteers.

Listed below are the location assignments for Family Appreciation Day:

FISHERMAN'S WHARF AREA
Hyde Street Pier
(located at Hyde street on Jefferson Street)
Viktoriya Figlina 0905
Danna Hong 0913
Judy Cheng 0906
Margaret Tsai 0918

USS Pampanito
(Click for directions)
Tiffany Au
Christine Le 0809
Anissa Chen 0804
Cynthia Lee 0813

SS Jerimiah O'Brien
(Pier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf)
Jan Young 0911
Joanna Huang 0911
Erin Tom 0901
Regina Lam 0701

Musee Mercanique
(Pier 45 Shed A at the end of Taylor Street at Fisherman's Wharf)
Sonya Ostashevskaya 0910
Karen Chen 0914

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum
(Click for directions)
Yvonne Kong 0819
Michele Chui 0818
Aimee Howard 0812
Nora Casey 0815
Christine Trinh 0804
Annie Wong 0805

Wax Museum
(Click for directions)
Justin Chan 0801
Raymond Wu
Jessica Wong
Tina Kwan
Alan Lam
Karen Li

Aquarium of the Bay
(Click for directions)
Natasha Sadikin 1016
Susan Lim 1019
Mindy Muynh 1011
Wendy Chak 1019
Jenny Huynh 1010
Vivian Suen 1015

GOLDEN GATE PARK AREA
Conservatory of Flowers
(Click for directions)
Amy Lai 0918
Shirla Shan 0902
Justine Pon 0901
Amanda Chu 0910
Janet Lee 0903

deYong Museum
(Click for directions)
Angel Huang 0917
Anna Chen 0904
Jenelle Guillermo 0916
Johnny Zhou Chen 1013
Annie Yan 0913
Peter Yu 0907

Japanese Tea Garden
(between JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. drives)
Odalis Lourdes Mandereau 1015
Thurston Zhu 1018
Angela Zhou 0711
Arianna Lopez 1004

San Francisco Botanical Garden
(Click for directions)
Jimmy Xie 0811
Evelina Vu 0817

Here are the instructions direct from the Mayor's office - please read them carefully so you understand your duties because it might get pretty hectic during your shift!

Please arrive at your assignment between 10:00-10:30 a.m. but definitely not later than 10:30 a.m. You will be finished at 4:00 pm.

Upon arrival, check in with the Site Supervisor who will be wearing a square Volunteer button. There should be a table and chairs set up for you near the entrance. You will also find the following supplies: easel, Appreciation Day poster, and a box containing wrist bands, Event Guides and volunteer buttons for you to wear. Please return the button at the end of the day so we can use it again next year.

WRIST BANDS:

Free admission will be granted to San Francisco families with children. Your main job is to check IDÃ’s for proof of San Francisco residency, and distribute wristbands and Event Guides. You only need to check one adult in each group. One adult can bring in an unlimited number of children and adults. Give one wristband to each person. Do not to be too rigid about what people show as proof. Here are some examples of what people may use as proof of residency:

DriversÃ’ License
Utility Bill or other bill
SF School ID
Library Card
SF YMCA card
Other (use your best judgment)

There may be a few suburbanites who perhaps work in the city and feel they should be allowed free admission. Please explain it is for San Francisco families only but donÃ’t argue if they insist--use your best judgment.

Please keep your eye on the wristbands--- things tend to disappear. If you think you may run out please call Mary or Jill and they will bring more to you.

EVENT GUIDES

The Event Guide is for families to use today and throughout the year as a reference for family friendly attractions in San Francisco. It lists all participating attractions and any special programming they have on Family Appreciation Day. There are a limited number. Please only hand out ONE PER FAMILY. If you are running low call Mary (415-845-7079) or Jill (415-420-9887) and they will bring more to you.

SITES

The museums and attractions have been extraordinarily generous with us---they are not being reimbursed for lost admissions, and they have put a great deal of time into making sure the details are all in place. Please make sure to thank the staff for participating in the event. Also, please be respectful of their needs and requirements and assist them in any way possible. Finally, we have a duty to make sure our visitors donÃ’t damage the attractions in any way. Please involve the Site Leader, museum personnel or security if you think a problem is brewing that you cannot handle yourself.

Because there will be no central meeting location before volunteers are dispersed to their locations, all volunteers are required to print a copy of a verification slip to bring with them to the event to be filled out and signed by their adult supervisor. You can download the slip here, labeled "Mayor Gavin Newsom's Family Appreciation Day Slips". There are three slips per page, so one person can print a sheet of the slips and share with two other group members to conserve paper.

Please remember to bring these slips with you to your location this Sunday because you will not receive credit if we do not receive a signed signed slip from you after the event as proof of yattendanceence.

This event is worth 6 credits (10 am to 4 pm). At the beginning of the year, we made it clear at our meetings that if you sign up for an event and find out that you can no longer attend, you have to let us know at least ONE WEEK in advance or else you will receive negative credits equal to the number of credits the event is worth. If you do not show up at an event you sign up for without notice, you will also receive negative credits equal to the number of credits the event is worth.

With that said, this event is worth SIX CREDITS, so if you do not show up at your assigned location or do not bring back a signed slip as proof of your attendance, you will most likely seriously jeopardize your active membership status for the Fall semester (unless you have enough extra credits to cover the negative six). Eight credits is required for active attendance for the Fall semester.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the event or our negative credit policies, please email us and we will be happy to work things out with you.

Thanks!

SF AIDS Foundation Kick-Off Party - Sunday, January 7th

2007-01-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hello there, MAD Clubbers! Here are the details for the SF AIDS Foundation Kick-Off Party, which is also taking place this Sunday, January 7th. Different tasks have different start and finish times, so please pay special attention to the times of your specific shift listed below!

(The asterisk(*) means you signed up for this event through email, but were not present at today's meeting and did not get a chance to choose your preferred shift. If there are any problems with your assigned shift, please contact me ASAP and I will work something out with you.)

Coat Check 9 am - 1 pm (3 credits)
Tiffany Lau
Angela Quach
Jonathan Siu*

Check-in 9 am - 1 pm (3 credits)
Serene Ho
Alice Lan
Serena Luong*
Gloria Chen

Volunteer Check-in 9 am - 2 pm (4 credits)
Stephanie Yee
Tina Liu

Greeters/Info 10:30 am - 1 pm (3 credits)
Wing Cheuk
Teresa Zhou
Diana Chen
Jason Jee

Coat Check 1 pm - 4 pm (3 credits)
Nancy Ma
Kelly Tam
Anne Yan

Greeters/Info 12:30 - 3 pm (3 credits)
Wendy Kwang
Carol Liang
Sirena Louie

Here are the details from the volunteer coordinator:

AIDS/LifeCycle Kick-Off Party Sunday January 7th

Nikko Hotel, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Grand Ballroom on the 3rd Floor, you should be able to hear people!

Contact: Emily's cell. Phone number is 415-902-4974 but you will be reporting to Volunteer Check-In on-site and they will tell you to which area to report.

Dress:

Casual nice so nicer jeans with closed toe shoes. You will receive a t-shirt when you arrive. Do not bring any valuables. There will be a coat check but access will be limited so fanny packs or other containers for your stuff (i.e. lip balm, cellphone, keys, wallet, etc.) that allow your hands to be free would be great!

Food:

There will be water for volunteers in the morning but no coffee and the food will not be out until after noon so plan accordingly. Thanks for understanding.

Directions:

The Nikko Hotel is located on Mason between O'Farrell and Ellis so it is really close to Powell Street Cable Turnaround and the underground Muni and BART Powell station. If you are at the Cable Car turnaround at Powell and Market go up Powell towards Union Sqauare. Cross and the next street you will come to is O'Farrell. Go left at O'Farrell and after the next side street Cyril Magnin you will see an entrance to the Nikko at Mason on the left-hand side. Go on in and go up to the 3rd Floor. (You can go up Cyril Magnin but it's not as straight-forward so I gave the easy to explain way!)

TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION if possible because the Nikko is really central and parking is excruciatingly expensive downtown.

Because the different shifts for this event start at different times, we are requiring volunteers to print participation verification slips to bring with them to their shift to be filled out and signed by adult superviors in the vicinity. Slips can be downloaded here, labeled "SF AIDS Foundation Kick-Off Party Slips." There are three slips per page, so one person can print a sheet of the slips and share with two other volunteers to conserve paper. A signed slip will serve as "signing in" at this event, so please remember to bring a copy of a slip with you to the event and don't forget to turn in the signed slips to us at the meetings after this event! You will not receive credit for this event if we do not receive some kind of signed verification of your participation.

If you forget to bring or lose your slip while you are working at the event, grab a piece of paper and write down all the information required on the slip and have an adult sign the slip of paper. We will accept this and give you credit. (This also applies to Family Appreciation Day.)

Please contact us with any questions you may have about this event!

Important Update Regarding SF AIDS Foundation Kick-Off Party - Please Reply ASAP!

2006-12-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers, I hope you're all enjoying your Winter Break!

I recently received an email from the volunteer coordinator at the SF AIDS Foundation telling me that the Kick-Off Party that was originally scheduled for Saturday, January 6th has been moved to Sunday, January 7th. Since Mayor Gavin Newsom's Family Appreciation Day is also on Sunday, the seventh, we have some conflicting volunteer issues to clear up.

We have already received our location assignments for Family Appreciation Day (most of the are really fun!), so filling out all the spots we have for Family Appreciation Day is our first priority. If you signed up for both the Kick-Off Party and Family Appreciation Day, I will remove your name from the Kick-Off Party list. Sorry for the last minute changes, but there's nothing we can do about a change of dates!

The following is a list of the people who signed up for the SF AIDS Kick-Off party, from the first people to sign up through email to the last:

(Please note, if you signed up for both the Kick-Off Party and Family Appreciation Day, your name will not appear on the following list.)

Wendy Kwan 0914
Diana Chan 1006
Tina Liu 0914
Natasha Sadikin 1006
Wendy Kwang 0820
Stephanie Tong 0908
Jenny Huynh 1010
Stephanie Yee 0817
Lily Wong 0919
Wenday Chak 1019
Serene Ho 0911
Salina Wong 0815
Shyana Sadiq 0807
Jin Zhou 1012
Elaine Situ 1012
Aileen Luo 1010
Arianna Lopez 1004
Melissa Sylvester 0920

If your name is on the list, please email makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com and let me know if you are still interested in volunteering at the event or not.

We need a total of twenty volunteers, ten for the morning shift (9 AM Â 1 PM) and ten for the afternoon shift (12:30 Â 4 PM).

If you did not sign up for the Kick-Off Party beforehand (and are not signed up to volunteer at Family Appreciation Day), but would like to come out and volunteer now, please email me at makeadifferenceclub@gmai.com and let me know! Priority will be given to those who signed up earlier, but you will still have a good chance of getting a spot!

I need to get back to the volunteer coordinator at the SF AIDS Foundation ASAP, so please respond as quickly as possible.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Updated Volunteers List for Saturday, December 9th Wrapping Party

2006-12-08T22:04:00.000-08:00

Click here for details about the event.

1. Angel Huang 0917
2. Sandy Diao 0906
3. Wing Cheuk 0820
4. Wendy Kwan 0914
5. Jenny Fong 0907
6. Emily Kuang 0814
7. Anna Chen 0904
8. Annie Yan 0913
9. Melissa Sylvester 0920
10. Victoria Liu 0820
11. Johnny Zhou Chen 1013
~~12. Frances Yan 0911~~
13. Serene Ho 0911
14. Justine Pon 0910
15. Jenelle Guillermo 0916

See you all tomorrow morning!

Missing Fewer than Three Credits?

2006-12-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

If you are missing fewer than three credits to fulfill our eight credit requirement for the Fall semester and know for sure that you will not be able to make it to either of my January events, we have another way for you to finish off those credits and get transcript credit!

There's a Holiday food drive going on right now for the SF Food Bank - you may have seen the green bins by the counseling office on the first floor. For every ten cans (or any other combination of nonperishable food items equivalent to ten cans) of food you donate, you will receive one credit! Please bring all donations to our next club meeting for officers to verify before putting your donation into the green bins so we know who to give credit to!

Note: This is ONLY available to people who are missing fewer than three credits as a last resort to get credit. We would much prefer you come out and volunteer with us to fulfill your requirements!

SF AIDS Foundation: Saturday, December 9th Wrapping Party

2006-12-07T18:51:00.002-08:00

Hey everyone! I hope all your December 3rd Wrapping Party volunteers had a great time snacking on Annie's Organic Cheddar Bunnies and drinking Kern while trying to figure out how to wrap a basketball or a giant Dora the Explorer last weekend! :D

Now it's time for another group of lovely volunteers to experience the Holiday joy!

Here's our volunteers list for the Saturday, December 9th wrapping party:

1. Angel Huang 0917
2. Sandy Diao 0906
3. Wing Cheuk 0820
4. Wendy Kwan 0914
5. Jenny Fong 0907
6. Emily Kuang 0814
7. Anna Chen 0904
8. Annie Yan 0913
9. Melissa Sylvester 0920
10. Victoria Liu 0820
11. Johnny Zhou Chen 1013
12. Frances Yan 0911
13. Serene Ho 0911
14. Justine Pon 0910
15. Jenelle Guillermo 0916

Waiting List
Salina Wong 0815
Shirla Shan 0902
Amy Lai 0918
Stephanie Tong 0908
Lily Wong 0909
Elaine Situ 0805

If your name is on the list and you won't be able to make it, please email me by no later than Friday, December 8th at 8:00 pm.

Attached is a message from the volunteers director at the SF AIDS foundation with all the details for this event:

Thank you so much for volunteering to sort and wrap the gifts for the women and family holiday party this Saturday, December 9th from 9am to 1pm. As you may know, the gifts that we donate, collect and wrap represent the only gifts that many of these people will receive this year so it is wonderful that you are volunteering to help with this event.

We will be meeting in the large Conference Room on the 2nd Floor of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF). (995 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. There will be a security guard at the front door to let you in. He may have you sign in. Take the elevator to the 2nd Floor. Go to your left when you exit the elevator towards the open door and the hallway. Go all the way to the end and you will be in the Conference Room. Rest assured there will most likely be plenty of noise/laughing/talking to lead you there! )

Public Transportation is the easiest way to get there as we are at the corner of 6th and Market, one block from the Powell Street BART and underground MUNI station. (Yes right near ALL the Union Square shopping and the New Bloomingdales Mall shoppers!!!) There is one hour metered street parking and there are parking lots but on Golden Gate Ave. I am not sure about the cost of the parking on weekends but on weekdays if you get in before 9:30 AM they are $7 until 5pm. I would suggest checking beforehand as parking at some lots can run upwards of $37 during the holiday season downtown.

Our activities will include unpacking the gifts from all the storage corners and closets around the Foundation sorting gifts to make sure that all the clientÃ’s gifts are equivalent i.e. a scarf and a hat are about the same as a blanket.
Engage parents/teachers to get a better idea of what toys are appropriate for whom/ages etc. and to create toyequivalencess (particularly tricky!) Getting the wrapping supplies ready and handy for all. We may have some facilitators doing this.

Then we will be wrapping the gifts and labeling them for their distribution at the Women and Family Holiday Party on Thursday Dec. 14th. Once we are all on-site I will explain the process more fully and we will break up the duties so that we utilize the specialties of various volunteers!

Dress is casual and comfortable but I suggest pants and closed toe shoes as these items tend to lend themselves to the easiest and safest movement.

There will be coffee and snacks but not lunch as we will be done by 1 PM. If you require a larger or a specialized meal please bring that with you.

Please be prompt, as we will be explaining the process at 9am.

That pretty much covers everything you need to know about the event! MAD volunteers should try their best to arrive at the SF AIDS Foundation headquarters by no later than 8:45 am to allow for time to sign in with officers and to receive any additional instructions.

A final-final volunteers list will be sent out on Friday night after 8 PM, so please remember to check your email before going to bed tomorrow night!

If you are on the waiting list and are missing credits, please email me at makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with December 9th Wrapping Party - Waiting List in the subject line and I'll try to work something out and get you a spot at this Saturday's event. Only people who are missing credits will be considered as add-ins!

AIDS/LifeCycle Kick Off Party: Saturday January 6th, 2007

2006-12-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Our other January event will be the AIDS/LifeCycle Kick Off Party on Saturday, January 6th. The Kick-Off party is the first party of the year for AIDS/LifeCycle and historically it has been a blast! Registered riders, their guest, and people who have expressed interest in the ride will be present at the party. There will be at least 600 people at the party, so they'll need a lot of help to get things running smoothly! We will receive our specific assignments on the day of the Party, but generally, we will be doing anything we can to help out, including by not limited to coat check, guest check-in, volunteer check-in, raffle, registration, etc.

The time and location are still not set in stone yet, but I will be sending out emails announcing the details of this event as soon as I get them from our volunteer coordinator! However, I do know that our shift will start no earlier than 9 AM and will end no later than 4:30 PM, and will be about three hours long, so this event will be worth three (3) credits.

Space is very limited for this event, so please send an email to makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with AIDS/LifeCycle Kick Off Party 2007 in the subject line to sign up! Please don't forget to put your name and reg in the body of the email.

Spots on our list will be filled on a first come first serve basis, and the deadline for signing up will be Friday, December 15th at 8:00 PM.

SF Family Appreciation Day: Sunday, January 7th

2006-12-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

In January, MAD will have the opportunity to take part in Mayor Newsom's SF Family Appreciation Day, a day when a majority of the San Francisco museums and tourist attractions will be open to residents of San Francisco for free! The big day is set for Sunday, January 7th. You can find all the details about this event (in three languages!) here.

We will be stationed, in groups of two to six people, at the various attractions participating in this event to help the adults there facilitate the event. Some of our tasks will include checking the people for SF residency (checking drivers' licenses, etc.), distributing/checking wristbands, and passing out programs. A list of all the museums and attractions that are participating in SF FAD 2007 is available on the downloadable flier, so be sure to download it and check it out! We do not have our specific location assignments yet, but I will try to keep all MAD volunteers within close proximity of each other.

This event is a long one - we will be working from 10 AM - 4:30 PM, so volunteers will receive 6.5 credits for this event. For helping out, all volunteers will receive a scrumptious on-site lunch and a mystery gift from the City of San Francisco!

If you are interested in volunteering at this event, please email us at makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with SF FAD 2007 Volunteer in the subject line. We will not be doing sign-ups for this event at our next club meeting - you can only sign up for this event through email. Spaces are limited, and will be available on a first come first serve basis.

Include all the names and regs of the people you would like to work with at this event in your email - there may be no more than six volunteers per group. Only one email needs to be sent per group. If you do not include any preferred group members in your email, we will put you into a group at our discretion.

Please do reply to this email with your requests to sign up because replies are sent to my personal email address and while I have been accepting sign up requests sent to my personal email address in the past, all requests sent to the wrong email address will no longer be counted. If you send a sign up request to my personal email address, I will send you a reply directing you to send your requests to the right email address, but only the timestamp that is attached to the email sent to the correct email address will be counted.

The deadline to sign up for this event is Wednesday, December 13th at 8:00 PM, so don't hesitate to contact your friends and get your group together before it's too late!

Two Upcoming January Events

2006-12-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers, remember when I told you all about our tentative January events? Well, I'm happy to announce that we have two confirmed events for January before the end of our Fall semester.

All members need eight (8) credits to receive transcript credit for MAD for the Fall semester, so these two events will most likely be your last chances to fulfill any missing credits before the Fall semester ends. Any credits you complete over the required eight for the Fall semester will be rolled over to help fulfill Spring semester requirements, but no matter how many extra credits you may have accumulated in the Fall, you will still need to volunteer at a minimum of one event in the Spring in order to retain your active status in our club.

The Spring 2007 semester starts on Monday, January 29th, so the last week of January will also be the start of the "new" semester for MAD. We will be announcing our Spring semester credit requirements some time in the following weeks, so please check your email regularly to receive updates!

December 3rd Wrapping Party

2006-12-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers! I haven't received any emails about drops or changes in the volunteer list for the SF AIDS Foundation December 3rd Holiday Wrapping Party, so I expect to see all fifteen people on the list tomorrow morning!

Since there have been no changes, please refer to the last long email for details about the wrapping party. You can find all the information you need here.

Remember to dress comfortably and show up to sign in by 8:45 am tomorrow morning!

We have another wrapping party with the SF AIDS Foundation next Saturday, December 9th, and I will be posting the volunteers lists up early next week.

Thanks again for being awesome volunteers!

SF AIDS Foundation: Sunday, December 3rd Holiday Wrapping Party

2006-11-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late message - my internet hasn't been working properly lately, so I couldn't go online to post to our blog.

Here is our final volunteers list for this Sunday's SF AIDS Foundation Holiday Wrapping Party:

1. Lily Guan 0811
2. Irene Cheung 0817
3. Katie Yee 0817
4. Tiffany Vu
5. Regina Lam 0701
6. ChristineTrinh 0804
7. Aimee Howard 0812
8. Nora Casey 0815
9. Serena Luong 0810
10. Sirena Louie 1004
11. Natasha Sadkin 1016
12. Linda Tsang 0716
13. Danna Hong 0913
14. Judy Cheng 0906
15. Yvonne Kong 0819

If your name is on the list and you won't be able to make it, please email me by no later than Friday, December 1 at 8:00 pm.

Attached is a message from the volunteers director at the SF AIDS foundation with all the details for this event:

Thank you so much for volunteering to sort and wrap the gifts for the women and family holiday party this Sunday December 3rd from 9am to 1pm. As you may know, the gifts that we donate, collect and wrap represent the only gifts that many of these people will receive this year so it is wonderful that you are volunteering to help with this event.

We will be meeting in the large Conference Room on the 2nd Floor of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF). (995 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. There will be a security guard at the front door to let you in. He may have you sign in. Take the elevator to the 2nd Floor. Go to your left when you exit the elevator towards the open door and the hallway. Go all the way to the end and you will be in the Conference Room. Rest assured there will most likely be plenty of noise/laughing/talking to lead you there! )

Public Transportation is the easiest way to get there as we are at the corner of 6th and Market, one block from the Powell Street BART and underground MUNI station. (Yes right near ALL the Union Square shopping and the New Bloomingdales Mall shoppers!!!) There is one hour metered street parking and there are parking lots but on Golden Gate Ave. I am not sure about the cost of the parking on weekends but on weekdays if you get in before 9:30 AM they are $7 until 5pm. I would suggest checking beforehand as parking at some lots can run upwards of $37 during the holiday season downtown.

Our activities will include unpacking the gifts from all the storage corners and closets around the Foundation sorting gifts to make sure that all the clientÂs gifts are equivalent i.e. a scarf and a hat are about the same as a blanket.
Engage parents/teachers to get a better idea of what toys are appropriate for whom/ages etc. and to create toyequivalencess (particularly tricky!) Getting the wrapping supplies ready and handy for all. We may have some facilitators doing this.

Then we will be wrapping the gifts and labeling them for their distribution at the Women and Family Holiday Party on Thursday Dec. 14th. Once we are all on-site I will explain the process more fully and we will break up the duties so that we utilize the specialties of various volunteers!

Dress is casual and comfortable but I suggest pants and closed toe shoes as these items tend to lend themselves to the easiest and safest movement.

There will be coffee and snacks but not lunch as we will be done by 1 PM. If you require a larger or a specialized meal please bring that with you.

Please be prompt, as we will be explaining the process at 9am.

That pretty much covers everything you need to know about the event! MAD volunteers should try their best to arrive at the SF AIDS Foundation headquarters by no later than 8:45 am to allow for time to sign in with officers and to receive any additional instructions.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me and I'll try my best to give you an answer!

A final-final volunteers list (taking any drops/bumps from the waiting list into account) will be sent out via email on Saturday afternoon, so please be sure to check your email sometime on Saturday to get the latest updates.

Thanks again for being awesome volunteers!

UNCEF BOXES DUE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH

2006-11-28T14:23:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break! Our next MAD meeting will be tomorrow afterschool in room 259.

If you participated in our Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF 2006 campaign and have not turned in your orange collection box yet, please be sure to bring your box to the meeting! Remember, $20 = 1 credit, and any additional credits over the required eight (8) for the Fall semester will be rolled over to meet Spring semester requirements. Here's your chance to rack up some easy credits and truly make a difference around the world, so don't miss out! Even if you didn't manage to collect $20 in your box, please turn in any collections you did receive because every penny counts.

You do not have to count the money inside your boxes yourself - we will be counting the money in the weeks to come and a list of all participants with the number of credits they received will be posted on our blog sometime before Winter Break.

See you all at our meeting tomorrow!

NO MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH

2006-11-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, there will be NO MAD MEETING afterschool on Wednesday, November 15th. Spend the extra time studying for all your end of the grading period exams!

Our next meeting will be after Thanksgiving, on Wednesday, November 29th. Just as a quick reminder, UNICEF boxes are due on the 29th, so please remember to bring them to the next meeting.

Just one more week until Thanksgiving break (yay, five-day weekend)! :)

NO MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

2006-11-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello MAD Clubbers! Since we don't have any upcoming events for you volunteers to sign up for, there will be NO MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY. Take the time to catch up on your work before the semester ends or to enjoy the last rays of sunshine before winter sets in!

Check your emails often, and I'll keep you all updated with any new news about our winter events.

Have a Happy MAD-free Wednesday, everyone! :D

SF AIDS Foundation: Wrapping Parties

2006-11-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

Hey MAD Clubbers! Thanks for emailing in your sign ups so quickly for the SF AIDS Foundation Wrapping Parties in November! We'll try our best to bring as many interested volunteers as possible, but for the time being, we have to set the maximum at fifteen volunteers per event. The volunteers lists (plus waiting lists) for both events is listed below:

SF AIDS Foundation: December 3rd Wrapping Party
1. Lily Guan 0811
2. Irene Cheung 0817
3. Katie Yee 0817
4. Tiffany Vu
5. Regina Lam 0701
6. ChristineTrinh 0804
7. Aimee Howard 0812
8. Nora Casey 0815
9. Serena Luong 0810
10. Sirena Louie 1004
11. Natasha Sadkin 1016
12. Linda Tsang 0716
13. Danna Hong 0913
14. Judy Cheng 0906
15. Allison Nguyen 0801

Waiting List
16. Michele Chui 0818
17.. Annie Wong 0805
18.. Stephanie Yee 0817
19.. Teresa Zhou 1012
20. Serene Ho 0911
21. Susan Lim 1019
22. Jan Young 0911
23. Odalis Lourdes Mandereau 1015
24. Elaine Situ 0805
25. Jonathan Kyi 0707

SF AIDS Foundation: December 9th Wrapping Party
1. Angel Huang 0917
2. Sandy Diao 0906
3. Wing Cheuk 0820
4. Wendy Kwan 0914
5. Jenny Fong 0907
6. Emily Kuang 0814
7. Anna Chen 0904
8. Annie Yan 0913
9. Emily Wang 0909
10. Victoria Liu 0820 (?)
11. Johnny Zhou Chen 1013
12. Frances Yan 0911
13. Serene Ho 0911
14. Justine Pon 0910
15. Jenelle Guillermo 0916

Waiting List
16. Melissa Sylvester 0920
17. Salina Wong 0815
18. Shirla Shan 0902
19. Amy Lai 0918
20. Stephanie Tong 0908
21. Lily Wong 0909
22. Elaine Situ 0805

I'll have more details about both events for you when we get closer to the dates in December - thanks in advance for volunteering!

Treasure Island Triathlon - Volunteers List

2006-11-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Hello there! The final volunteers list for the Treasure Island Triathlon (tomorrow!) is attached below:

Justin Chan 0801
Jason Jee 0802
Yvonne Kong 0819
Emily Kuang 0814
Odalis Lourdes Mandereau 1015
Carol Mamon 0916
Nora Casey 0815
Aimee Howard 0812
Lisa Wong 1016

Please remember to bring a signed waiver (you can download them here) with you to the Volunteers Tent to sign in between 8:30AM and 8:45AM tomorrow.

Dress in layers because it can be kind of chilly on Treasure Island!

I hope you all have a great time helping out at the Finish Line Food tent tomorrow. :) If you have any questions on Race Day, please direct them to our VP, Raymond - 415-823-1214.

Thanks again for volunteering!

US Half Marathon - Volunteers List

2006-11-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! The following people were bumped from the waiting list onto the official volunteers list for the US Half Marathon:

Diana Liem
Lily Guan
Paula Fon
Linda Tsang

If any of you gals can't make it to the marathon due to the short notice, please contact me ASAP and you will not be penalized for it. However, all other volunteers on the official volunteers list will be penalized for not showing up because you all knew what you were getting into further in advance.

Please keep in mind that if you sign up for a MAD event and need to cancel for whatever reason, you must contact us at least one week in advance or risk receiving negative credits for that event. We will totally understand if you cannot volunteer due to some dire emergency and will adjust our policies accordingly, so please don't hesitate to contact us with any concerns!

Here's the final volunteers list for the US Half Marathon:

1. Eva Luo 0909
2. Connie Tran 0905
3. Carol Liang
4. Sirena Louie
5. Anne Yan
6. Amy Yan 1003
7. Kelly Tam
8. Susan Lim 1019
9. Wendy Chak 1019
10. Diana Liem 0903
11. Latisha Chan 0902
12. Wendy Kwan 0914
13. Stephanie Tong 0908
14. Wing Cheuk 0820
15. Teresa Zhou 1012
16. Daisy Mah 0903
17. Jeremy Mah 1009
18. Viktoriya Figlina 0905
19. Judy Cheng 0906
20. Danna Hong 0913
21. Calvin Chin 1006
22. Telly Cheung
23. Tina Liu 0914
24. Karen Chen 0914
25. Lily Wong 0919
26. Emily Wang 0909
27. Jenny Fong 0907
28. Natsha Sadikin 1016
29. Mindy Hyunh 1011
30. Jonathan Siu 1013
31. Aileen Luo 1010
32. Jenny Huynh 1010
33. Lily Guan 0811
34. Diana Chan 1006
35. Jason Jee 0802
36. Allison Nguyen 0801
37. Paula Fon 0914
38. Elaine Situ 0805
39. Vickie Chung
40. Linda Tsang 0716

If anybody has any questions, please feel free to contact me via email or call me on my cell.

Thanks again for being great volunteers!

Treasure Island Triathlon - Semi-Final Volunteers List

2006-11-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

Now that you're all done reading about the US Half Marathon, here's another long one with the details for our other big event this weekend, the Treasure Island Triathlon!

MAD will be volunteering at the 2006 Treasure Island Triathlon at the Finish Line Food tent from 9AM to 3PM on Saturday, November 4th.

Here's the semi-final volunteers list for the triathlon:

Justin Chan 0801
Jason Jee 0802
Yvonne Kong 0819
Emily Kuang 0814
Priscilla Yip 1016
Odalis Lourdes Mandereau 1015
Carol Mamon 0916
Nora Casey 0815
Aimee Howard 0812

If you emailed me to sign up but do not see your name on the list, please email me again! I've been getting a lot of emails lately, and if you didn't put the correct subject line in your email, I may have missed it when I was sorting through my messages. It is very important to always include the correct subject line when you email us to sign up because it makes it a lot easier for us to organize all the replies we get!

Anybody interested in volunteering for this event can still sign up by email, as long as I receive volunteer requests by no later than 8PM on Friday, November 3rd (tomorrow). Send an email to makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with "TREASURE ISLAND TRIATHLON 2006" in the subject line and be sure to include your name and reg in the body of the message.

Please download and print a volunteer waiver here (named "TREASURE ISLAND TRIATHLON 2006 - WAIVER"), and give the completed/signed waiver to Raymond when you sign in on Saturday. Volunteers only need to fill the top part of the waiver (personal information like name, email address, phone number, etc) and get a parent or guardian's signature - please ignore the two columns on the bottom half of the waiver.

A map (pdf) of how everything will be set up on Treasure Island on Race Day is also available for download in our MAD BOX.

Volunteers must meet at the Volunteer Tent (you can find it on the PDF map of the island) on Treasure Island between 8:30AM and 8:45AM to sign in, grab a t-shirt and some breakfast before getting together for a short orientation about your specific duties at the Finish Line Food tent.

I won't be at this event (another SAT Saturday), so please direct all questions on Race Day to our awesome VP, Raymond. He'll be one of the only officers present at this event, so please cooperate with him to the best of your abilities and don't give him a hard time!

Please email me with any questions, and look for a final email in your inbox tomorrow evening with the final volunteers list and any last minute details I may have forgotten to include in this email.

Thanks in advance for volunteering!

US Half Marathon - Semi-Final Volunteers List

2006-11-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, thanks for the quick email responses regarding the details for our two upcoming weekend events. I know it can get kind of complicated trying to organize stuff through email sometimes, so I really appreciate your cooperation!

As you all probably know already, MAD will be volunteering at the US Half Marathon this Sunday from 6AM to 11AM. A semi-formal volunteers list is included below.

Diana Liem, Paula Fon, and Linda Tsang got bumped up to the volunteers list from the waiting list, so if any of you three don't want to volunteer at the US Half Marathon, please let me now ASAP (and I mean it when I say "as soon as possible") so we can give the other people on the waiting list a chance to volunteer at this event. I will send out another volunteers list tomorrow night, and that list will be considered FINAL. That means if your name is on the list but you don't show up on Sunday, you will get negative five credits. The end of the semester is nearing and there won't be as many opportunities for you to make up negative credits, so don't let this happen to you, and e-mail me NOW if you know something will come up preventing you from volunteering this Sunday.

And here we go with all the semi-formal listy goodness:

1. Eva Luo 0909
2. Connie Tran 0905
3. Carol Liang
4. Sirena Louie
5. Anne Yan
6. Amy Yan 1003
7. Kelly Tam
8. Susan Lim 1019
9. Wendy Chak 1019
10. Diana Liem 0903
11. Latisha Chan 0902
12. Wendy Kwan 0914
13. Stephanie Tong 0908
14. Wing Cheuk 0820
15. Teresa Zhou 1012
16. Daisy Mah 0903
17. Jeremy Mah 1009
18. Viktoriya Figlina 0905
19. Judy Cheng 0906
20. Danna Hong 0913
21. Calvin Chin 1006
22. Telly Cheung
23. Tina Liu 0914
24. Karen Chen 0914
25. Lily Wong 0919
26. Emily Wang 0909
27. Jenny Fong 0907
28. Natsha Sadikin 1016
29. Mindy Hyunh 1011
30. Jonathan Siu 1013
31. Aileen Luo 1010
32. Jenny Huynh 1010
33. Shyana Sadiq 0807
34. Diana Chan 1016
35. Jason Jee 0802
36. Allison Nguyen 0801
37. Paula Fon 0914
38. Elaine Situ 0805
39. Vickie Chung
40. Linda Tsang 0716

People who are still on our waiting list:
Lily Guan 0811
Irene Cheung 0807
Tiffany Vu 0816
Annie Wong 0805
Victoria Wong 0803
Janet Lee 0903
Angela Lau
Christine Trinh 0804
Michele Chui 0818

I want to especially thank all the volunteers on the US Half Marathon waiting list who decided to sign up for the Treasure Island Triathlon instead - I really appreciate your flexibility!

If any of you wonderful MAD Clubbers are still interested in volunteering at the Treasure Island triathlon, it's not too late - send me an e-mail with your name and reg by 8:00 PM on Friday, November 3rd, and I'll put you on the list.

Here are the details about race day for the US Half Marathon:

All volunteers must arrive at Jefferson and Hyde (Aquatic Park) between 5:45 AM and 6 AM (no tardies!) to sign in with a MAD officer at the big, white Volunteers/Medical tent.

Meet at the green arrow.

You can see a bigger version of the map and get directions from Google Maps here.

After you sign in, you will receive a t-shirt, a goodie bag (yay), and your specific assignment for the day. For the most part, our club will be stationed at the finish line festival as "course marshals" on Marina Blvd and at mile 3 & 5 water stations. It should be lots of fun!

Like always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me or call me up on my cell on race day (415-830-2371) and I'll try my best to help you.

Thanks again for volunteering, everyone!

SF AIDS Foundation - Holiday Gift Wrapping Party, December 3rd, 2006

2006-11-02T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hey there MAD Clubbers! Our first December event will be the "Holiday Gift Wrapping Party" with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation on Sunday, December 3rd from 9AM to 1PM. This event will be worth four (4) credits. The semester is coming to an end quickly, so be sure to sign up for our December events if you're still missing credits!

Volunteer duties involve sorting and wrapping tons of cool gifts donated to charity in preparation for the holiday season at the SF AIDS headquarters located at 995 Market Street (by 6th Street).

We can only take the first 15 volunteers for the December 3rd wrapping party, so be sure to e-mail me soon if you're interested in helping out! Send an e-mail with your name and reg to makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with "DECEMBER 3RD WRAPPING PARTY" in the subject line.

There will be another Holiday Wrapping Party on Saturday, December 9th, so don't despair if you don't reply in time to get on the volunteers list for December 3rd. To sign up directly for the December 9th wrapping party, send an e-mail to makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with "DECEMBER 9TH WRAPPING PARTY" in the subject line.

We will probably have one more event in early January (it's still tentative at the moment) before the end of the semester, so please be aware of your current credits status. Remember, $20 = 1 credit for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign (boxes are due on the last Wednesday of November), so if you're short on credits, talk to more people and try to get those donations!

Treasure Island Triathlon & US Half Marathon

2006-10-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hello there, MAD Clubbers! As you all know, the US Half Marathon is coming up this Sunday, but did you know that the Treasure Island Triathlon is also taking place this weekend? MAD is lucky enough to have the opportunity to volunteer at both events, so we're going to have a busy weekend!

We need about 15 volunteers for Saturday, November 4th from 9AM to 3PM to help out with Finish Line Food at the Treasure Island Triathlon. You probably already guessed it from the name of the triathlon, but this event will be taking place on Treasure Island. MAD was in charge of the Finish Line Food tent at the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon last June and it was a lot of fun, so volunteers should have a blast working at the Treasure Island food tent! Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, lots of free food to snack on (and probably some left-over food to bring home), and five (5) credits for participating at this event.

We can only take around 40 volunteers with us to the US Half Marathon on Sunday, November 5th, so volunteers who signed up for the US Half Marathon will get priority in switching to/signing up for the fifteen spots for the Treasure Island Triathlon.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Treasure Island Triathlon, please send me an e-mail at makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com with "TREASURE ISLAND TRIATHLON 2006" in the subject line. Don't forget to include your name and reg in the message! If you signed up for the US Half Marathon and are e-mailing me to switch, please also mention that in the e-mail.

Our second event of the weekend will be the US Half Marathon on Sunday, November 5th at Ghiradelli Square from 6AM to 11AM. This event is also worth five (5) credits.

We had an overwhelming number of members showing interest in volunteering at the US Half Marathon, and we are very happy that everyone is so willing to help out, but we can only bring 40 volunteers with us to this event. The following list is of the first forty people who signed up for this event either at a club meeting or through e-mail:

1. Eva Luo 0909
2. Connie Tran 0905
3. Carol Liang
4. Sirena Louie
5. Anne Yan
6. Amy Yan 1003
7. Kelly Tam
8. Susan Lim 1019
9. Wendy Chak 1019
10. Sandy Diao 0906
11. Latisha Chan 0902
12. Wendy Kwan 0914
13. Stephanie Tong 0908
14. Wing Cheuk 0820
15. Teresa Zhou 1012
16. Daisy Mah 0903
17. Jeremy Mah 1009
18. Viktoriya Figlina 0905
19. Judy Cheng 0906
20. Danna Hong 0913
21. Calvin Chin 1006
22. Telly Cheung
23. Tina Liu 0914
24. Karen Chen 0914
25. Lily Wong 0919
26. Emily Wang 0909
27. Jenny Fong 0907
28. Natsha Sadikin 1016
29. Mindy Hyunh 1011
30. Jonathan Siu 1013
31. Aileen Luo 1010
32. Jenny Huynh 1010
33. Shyana Sadiq 0807
34. Diana Chan 1016
35. Jason Jee 0802
36. Allison Nguyen 0801
37. Justin Chan 0801
38. Elaine Situ 0805
39. Vickie Chung
40. Carol Mamon

If your name is one of the forty listed above and you would like to switch to volunteering at Treasure Island Triathlon finish line food tent, please e-mail me at makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com and don't forget to include our name, reg, and list number (1-40) in the body of your message!

If your name is on the first forty list and you no longer wish to volunteer at the US Half Marathon for whatever reason, please e-mail me to let me know so somebody from the waiting list can fill your spot. You will not be penalized if you let me know by no later than Monday, October 23rd.

People from the waiting list below will be given the chance to fill open spots from the top down - all names are listed in the order in which I received sign-up requests:

Diana Liem 0903
Paula Fon 0914
Linda Tsang 0716
Odalis L. Mandereau 1015
Lily Guan 0811
Irene Cheung 0807
Tiffany Vu 0816
Annie Wong 0805
Victoria Wong 0803
Janet Lee 0903
Angela Lau
Christine Trinh 0804
Yvonne Kong 0819
Aimee Howard 0812
Michele Chui 0818
Nora Casey 0815

I encourage all volunteers on the waiting list to consider volunteering at the Treasure Island Triathlon instead (you guys get priority!) because it will be a lot of fun and both events are worth the same number of credits (5). Treasure Island is a lot closer than you think it is! Depending on which part of the city you live in, getting to Treasure Island may actually take less than than it would take for you to get to Ghiradelli Square.

Feel free to e-mail me with any additional questions.

Thanks!

Nike Marathon - Last Minute Details

2006-10-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there MAD Clubbers! I have some last minute details regarding the Nike Marathon for all you volunteers out there.

First of all, thank you all for signing up to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by volunteering at the 2006 Nike Marathon!

There are a few guidelines that all volunteers should be aware of:
- Show up at Union Square to sign in at the Volunteers Tent (it'll be huge one right near the center of Union Square) by no later than 5AM. The first part of the race starts pretty early, so we need all the time we need to prepare the start area. You will receive your specific assignments from the race directors when you sign in with them, so show up early to get the more desirable jobs!

- Remember to sign in with both the race directors, AND with a MAD Club officer in order to receive credit for this event. You will receive your volunteer t-shirt when you sign in, so show up early if you want a smaller t-shirt since the smaller sizes tend to be the first to run out.

- Since this marathon is sponsored by Nike, the organization putting this event together asks all volunteers to refrain from wearing any clothing that explicitly displays any of Nike's competitor's logos. This means, please do not wear jackets, sweatshirts, shoes, etc. that have Adidas, Fila, or any other athletic brand's logo on it. If you have some cool Nike gear, be sure to wear it!

- Dress in layers because it will be very cold down at Union Square at 5 in the morning. Your volunteer t-shirt must be visible at all times during the event, so make it easy for yourself and wear something you can put the t-shirt over quickly!

If any problems come up or if you have any additional questions, please feel free to call me at 415-830-2371.

Thanks!

US Half Marathon - Sunday, November 5th

2006-10-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey there MAD Clubbers! Now that the October Madness is nearly over, ending with the Nike Marathon this Sunday, it's about time to announce our first November event!

On Sunday, November 5th we will have the opportunity to volunteer at the US Half Marathon from 6AM to 11AM. You can learn more about the US Half Marathon here.

This event will be worth five (5) credits. We will be volunteering in the Aquatic Park/Ghiradelli Square area; I will have more details about the location and our responsibilities soon, but we'll be doing the usual marathon-type volunteer things, and all volunteers will receive t-shirts and other goodies.

We want to limit this event to the first 30 or so volunteers who sign up, and we already had 37 people sign up at the meeting today! However, if you are interested in volunteering at this event, please e-mail me at makeadifferenceclub@gmail.com and I'll put you on the waiting list. We will try our best to accommodate all the members who want to participate in this event, and we might increase the number of volunteers we will bring to this event, so please don't hesitate to contact me if you're interested. Participation will be on a first come first serve basis, so don't wait or you might miss out!