YG68 Delegation Bulletin #16: Annual Campaign; Pre-Con Meeting

 (Referenced attachments are in your email inbox, as always)

Home Stretch! Here's what you need to know:

1.) YMCA ANNUAL SUPPORT CAMPAIGN CHALLENGE: At the meeting Wednesday, you received information on the $20.16 for 2016 Challenge. I've also attached that info to this email. AND, for the first time, we have a website! You can use this link to make your gift and to share with friends and family: http://bit.ly/SacCDonate

Use this portal and we'll make sure to enter you in one or both gift card drawings (as applicable). You're still welcome to submit the paper pledge form with your donation to me at next week's meeting or on Feb 11 when you check in to the conference.

2.) MANDATORY Pre-Con meeting this week: Feb 3 is a mandatory meeting for all delegates (and highly recommended for parents) to prepare for our Feb 11-15 conference. We'll go over arrival and departure times, the schedule, meals, and more. Don't miss it.

3.) Code of Conduct: Delegates and Parents - please review the Code of Conduct prior to next week's meeting (attached).

4.) Dress Code Requirements: We reviewed these at the last meeting. If you didn't attend, please review the attached power point slides on Sac Attire and bring your questions to this week's meeting.

5.) NIC Proposal Practice: NIC delegate proposals are due on Friday, Jan 29. NIC delegates will practice their proposal presentations at this week's meeting. Please come prepared!

6.) No Meeting on Feb 10: Because the conference starts the next day.

7.) Conference on National Affairs and Youth Member of the Governing Board Applications: CONA applications area available in Reggo now. YOUR deadline to have them completed is FEBRUARY 1st. That is also the deadline by which you need to request the required Lead Advisor Recommendation from me.. Also available is the app to be the delegate member of the Youth & Government Governing Board. The delegate member represents delegates with the board and speaks for them on decisions that affect the program. Interested? Apply!

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YG68 Delegation Bulletin #5: The Really, Really Long One

(Note - see your email inbox for all referenced attachments)
Get comfortable - this is a long one!

{NEW DELEGATES: You'll find the registration process and documents here: http://bit.ly/completereg Please complete and return next week or as soon as you can! Registration must be on file to participate this weekend.}

1.) Teen Leadership Conference (aka Baby Bob, aka overnight retreat) is this Saturday! If you have not submitted your $20 fee for this weekend, then I don't know that you're coming. So reply to this email and let me know you'll be there, $20 in had. Attached is the packing list for this weekend. Of special note: we're sleeping in the gym, so bring a floor pad of some kind if you'll need it! And bring your refillable water bottle, too. Remember, this event is at the YMCA (2021 W Street), not at our Tahoe Park meeting location. We convene at 1:30pm.

2.) Payment Status: At this point, if you have not applied for financial assistance, you should have paid $350 towards your program fees.  Please make sure to bring any late payments to the Y this Saturday or to our next meeting. Your next payment deadline is Oct 7 for another $250.

3.) Y-Assist Determinations: We apologize for the delay in Y-Assist financial aid determination notification. Due to a sizable increase in interest in the coalition, processing is taking longer than normal. But you are NOT forgotten and we'll be getting back to you as soon as we can.

4.) Mixed Bags Sales: Hopefully you are selling some Mixed Bags products! If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me know and I'll bring you a sales catalog. This is our first fundraiser of the year! Remember to collect 8.5% sales tax on all sales and checks are payable to "Sacramento YMCA"
5.) Camp Capital City: Parents should've received an email with information about our annual YMCA fundraising event, Camp Capital City, on Saturday, October 3. This fun, casual, camp-themed night features all you can eat BBQ, a gourmet s'mores bar, beverages, camp games, live music and more. More information, tickets, and sponsorships available here: http://ymcasuperiorcal.org/main/camp-capital-city/ For a limited time, $25 off each ticket while supplies last!
 6.) October 3 Volunteer Opportunity: And for our delegates: we need your volunteer help at Camp Capital City on Saturday, October 3. I need at least 10 delegates from 5pm - 10:30pm to help with set-up, camp games, food service, and clean up. Attire is jeans and a polo. Please indicate your availability here: http://bit.ly/CampCapCityVols

NOTE: ALL DELEGATES SHOULD COMPLETE THIS FORM! This is your reading test this week  ;)

7. ) November 2 meeting added: Please make a note in your calendar that we are adding a special Monday meeting on November 2 to prepare for our Bill Hearing Night on November 4th! Mark it down!
8.) Bring your calendar or planner each week: we have important dates for you to take note of nearly every week.

9.) Bill group work begins next week: Attached are the bill worksheet and bill research guide for our new delegates. Next week, we'll divide into bill groups and really dive in. Make sure you give your idea the best shot at life by spending a bit of time researching your topic. Questions on research avenues or where it would live in code? Email your advisors!

10.) GroupMe: Your delegation leadership uses the GroupMe app to communicate important reminders and updates, especially during conferences. We'll be adding you to this app. Look for a text message from us, soon. You can download the free GroupMe app for Apple or Android or you can use it through your text messaging system. For more info, visit: https://groupme.com/

11.) Checking your email: It's really important that you check your email at least once per week (by Monday each week) and read delegation-related communication. We know there's a lot of information right now, but that's the nature of the new year! Attached is our delegation communication policy - please review it. You'll find frequent "reading tests" in bulletins. Sometimes, there are prizes to be won for individuals or the group! Delegates are not required to join social media, but if they are already on Facebook, they are encouraged to like our page and join our closed group.

12.) Register for the first conference! What, another registration form? You betcha!!!! This gets you officially signed up for the first conference in Fresno, November 13-15. The deadline is approaching, so don't miss out.
- Head to: https://app.reggo.org/calymca
- You'll select the first option for "68th ML/C Training & Elections Conference I"
- Then you'll select "Delegate registration" and put "1" in the number box.
- Create your Reggo profile.
- From the drop-down Delegation menu, select "Sacramento Central"
- Your role is "delegate"
And follow the prompts from there. That's it!

Next meeting is Wednesday, Sept 30. Officers: 6pm, Delegates: 6:30pm. Please arrive on time! (What's that saying? Early is on-time, on-time is late, late is not an option!)

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Y&G Delegation Bulletin #5: Registration, Baby Bob, Fundraising

Happy 5th Bulletin, everyone! Here's the news you need this week. There are two action items.

***We WILL have a regular meeting this Wednesday, September 24 from 6-7:30pm***

1.) Registration - go do it! http://www.reggo.org/calymca
Here is a link with instructions (though the process is pretty self-explanatory on the registration site)
http://calymca.org/calymca-wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/How-to-Register.pdf
Please fill out your complete information (address, parent info, etc, etc)  If you are a returning delegate, information you entered last year should pop up. Review for accuracy. New delegates can either create a Reggo account with their email address or sign-in using Facebook.  Make sure that you select "SACRAMENTO CENTRAL" from the drop-down menu of delegations, when prompted.

2.) Teen Leadership Conference (aka "Baby Bob") will take place at the Sacramento YMCA from 1:30pm Saturday, September 27 through 12:00 noon Sunday, September 28. For those not in attendance this week: a storm last winter rendered several cabins unusable and those housing concerns combined with transportation concerns would've led to the exclusion of many interested delegates. We don't like exclusion! So we're moving the party to the YMCA and it's going to be AMAZING. Also, it's going to be way less than $60 which hopefully will encourage more of you to attend. We're still finalizing some details, but expect the price to be $20 or under. After you reggo register for the conference as directed in item one, fill out this 30-second google form for next weekend's festivities:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QL1mNNWsSezIVbImoipEq2jQ_EnuO1iYrKdVI2LHqWk/viewform

3.) Mixed Bags sales: Keep selling! Orders due on October 1. Remember to collect 8.5% sales tax on all orders. Checks are payable to the Sacramento YMCA.

4.) Fundraising: Remember to mark your calendars for the Kids Are Y Auction on October 17 and our Holiday Festival on December 6 - these are our two biggest fundraising events of the year. This week we talked about personal fundraising letters. If you missed the meeting or want to read more, check out this post:
http://saccentraldelegation.blogspot.com/2011/10/y-bulletin-3-letter-writing-and-more.html#more

5.) Gubernatorial Candidate Neel Kashkari Visits El Dorado: El Dorado Delegation has invited us to attend a meet-the-candidate night next Thursday, September 25, in the cafeteria at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills from 7-8:30pm. Delegates and families are invited to attend. Transportation will not be provided, but we encourage you to carpool if you'd like to go. If you have questions about the event, email me.

Delegation Bulletin #13: Parents, We Need Your Help!‏

Have I mentioned yet how proud I am of all of our delegates? Great Bill Hearing Night, great conference weekend . . . this year is going so well and that's all down to each of you!

Here's what you need to know/do this week
(the alternative title of this week's bulletin could also be "Fun With Google Forms.")

1.) Please complete your Bob I survey and role preferences: http://goo.gl/pFwjAf
(As part of that process, you will need to register for Bob II: https://app.reggo.org/calymca

Also, you should have received a surveymonkey survey from the Y&G head office. Please take a moment to complete that as well.

2.) Future Leaders Campaign & YMCA Strong Kids Campaign: Each year, Y&G undertakes a massive fundraising campaign (just like we do at the delegation level). Similarly, our own Sacramento YMCA (and all YMCAs) conduct their annual fundraising campaigns. Both campaigns work much in the same way: campaigners call Y&G supporter or Y members and ask for donations. We need two volunteers for the Future Leaders Campaign and two volunteers for the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign (the same people can volunteer for both). You'll receive training on how to fundraise. Future Leaders campaigners get to go to a few special meetings during Bob II and Sac Conference. Please email Christiana ASAP if you'd like to volunteer.

3.) Speaking of volunteering! (PARENTS: This is the part where we need your help) We discussed our upcoming Holiday Festival at the last meeting.  Here's a google form to complete about volunteering for the day. ALL delegates are required to complete it. Parents, we ask you also to click through and read about the event and consider donating some of your time. We need to line up approximately 25 volunteers to be on-hand at all times during the day (which means more than 25 people as we'll have some shifts of volunteers scheduled). Click here to complete the form:
http://goo.gl/ijP1XY

4.) Historian needed! Alberto would like us to elect/select a delegation historian. Responsibilities include documenting our events with pictures and helping us create a Delegation newsletter quarterly. Those interested should come to the next meeting prepare to give a short speech about their qualifications.

5.) Causes.com fundraiser: once again this year, we'll be conducting a fundraising push through causes.com. This online platform sends contributions directly to our YMCA. Donating is fast and easy and secure. Donations can range from a minimum of $10 to ???? Please share this link on your Facebook page or via email to friends and family.  Proceeds will help us meet remaining need this year, seed next year's scholarship fund (yes, already!), and also support the reestablishment of our sister program for middle-schoolers, the Model United Nations.

Last year, we raised $1005, this year, we want to continue on to the $2000 mark!

Parents, we ask you to share the link as well.

For the cost of two lattes + tax today, donors can ensure a stronger community tomorrow!
https://www.causes.com/campaigns/7636-support-the-sacramento-central-delegation

Coming Up:
Nov 20: Campaigns and Holiday Festival planning
Nov 27: No meeting – Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 30/Dec 1: Holiday Festival Promotional Blitz – volunteers needed
December 4: $260 Payment due; Final bill work; NIC proposal ideas and program area prep; Bob II elected/appointed
Dec 6: ML/C registration (role selection) due; Concessionaire’s due
Dec 6: Final Bill drafts due
Dec 6: Elected/Appointed Leadership Applications Due
December 8: Holiday Festival Promotion at the Antique Fair – volunteers needed
December 15: Holiday Festival at the Y (all hands – and then some - needed!)

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Volunteer Opportunity!

Tomorrow night (Friday, Oct 19), the YMCA will be holding its annual benefit auction at the Elks Tower Ballrooms (J and 11th).

The Y originally offered us the opportunity to run a coat-check room and collect the tips for our scholarship fund. Well, it's probably going to push 80 degrees now, so there may be no coats to check. We still might see if anyone needs to check anything, but we can help them in other ways as well (glamorous jobs like pouring water and ice tea and helping keep things neat and tidy).  This probably counts as service hours for any school requirement you have.

If you'd like to volunteer please RSVP to me ASAP  at christiana_dominguez[at]hotmail[dot]com so I can let the Y know how many helpers to expect (that was a lot of capital letters in one sentence, wasn't it? OK!)

Plan to arrive by 5:45pm and stay until 10pm (if you need to leave earlier, let me know).

Wear black pants and a white collared shirt (polo or dress shirt, or whatever you have) - or at least dark colored pants and a light colored shirt. As close as you can get.

We appreciate your help!

Welcome, New Delegates!

Hello! We're so glad you joined us for our meeting last night. It wasn't a typical meeting, but I hope it gave you some more insight into our program.

(Want a wee bit more insight? Check out these two videos: the official one and the fun one)

Like we mentioned last night, joining Y&G can feel a bit like a leap of faith until you arrive at your first Training & Elections Conference and it all makes sense. We think it's a smart leap, so we hope you'll come along while we build a bigger, stronger delegation.

Here are some things to note:

1) If you're in, just bring back your registration info (lost any paperwork? You can find it all at our website, see the link below) and either a check or a completed financial aid application with supporting documents (or both)

2) Bill Bonanza 2012 is this Sunday: 10:30am – 3:30pm (ish) contact christiana_dominguez[at]hotmail[dot]com for the address and to RSVP!

We're going to knock out the bulk of our bill research and writing. And we'll feed you lunch and snacks. And for anyone interested, after the researchy part of the day wraps up, we'll watch the documentary "Street Fight" which our advisor Robbie says is the best ever.  Feel free to bring any snacks, etc, you wish to share (but that's not required).  And if you have a laptop or smart phone, etc, bring that along too. We'll have wifi and everyone can look stuff up at the same time. It'll be your crash course in a major aspect of Y&G. And fun! It will be fun!

Also, please let us know if you can attend. If you have friends who couldn't make last night's meeting, they are welcome too (but again, let us know for pizza-ordering purposes)

3) We'll have a regular meeting on October 24 at 6:30pm at the YMCA

4) The following week we will meet on *Monday* October 29 so that we're not meeting on Halloween night.  This will be a mandatory meeting that delegates must attend if they want to attend the first conference. We'll discuss everything you need to know about "Ag I" or whatever we're calling it this year.

5) November 7 will be our delegation's Bill Hearing Night form 6pm-8pm at the YMCA. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you have any teachers/school staff/community leaders/etc that you would like to come an check out the program, a flier invitation will be available at our website.

6) November 10-12 will be Training & Election Conference I.  Tentative departure time from the YMCA is 5am, Saturday Nov 10. Return will probably be between 3-5pm on Monday, Nov 12.

7) All this info and more will always be available each week in 3 ways:
Via email
At our Website: you're here!
In our FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SacramentoCentralDelegation
(join if you're on FB)

Writing your personal fundraising letter: A Roundup

Last night we discussed how to write your personal fundraising letter. If you missed the meeting, you can find handouts here. Or feel free to use the online versions to cut and paste from (but remember, personalization is absolutely essential! No one loves a form letter!)

For more information, see last year's post that goes a bit more in-depth on the criteria list. (Scroll down)

Need help finding your elected officials? Try this link. And Google is always your friend, too.

Remember: draft letters and your list of target donors (with addresses!) are due next week. You can always email your advisors drafts early, though!

Small-Dollar, On-Line Fundraiser

The journey of $1000 begins with the first $5, or $2, or even $1. 

We've launched a page at Causes.com to raise our first $1000 for the year. Please share this link with your families, friends, and all around your community. Don't forget to share it on Facebook!

https://www.causes.com/actions/1682131

Antique Fair and Flea Market fundraiser sign-ups - now online!

We have some easy money making events available to us, but we need your help. Please check out the information here and sign up to volunteer here!

Carnival! Are you ready?!

Swim With Santa Wish List - UPDATED!

Check back here - we'll be updating our list as needed.

NEED LIST

Ground Turkey - 2lbs (Hellmuth)

2 cans kidney beans (Morgan)

2 cans chickpeas (Morgan)

2 cans black beans (Morgan)

2 onions (Hellmuth)

2 cans diced tomatoes (Morgan)

2 cans tomato sauce (Morgan)

chili powder (Johnson)

shredded cheese (Helmuth; Johnson)

2 bags tortilla chips (Colin)

3 cans nacho cheese sauce (1 by Calloways)

3 packs -turkey hot dogs (Jernigan)

3 packs-hot dog buns (Calloways)

drink mix(lemonade/punch) (Borelli)

hot chocolate mix (Calloways, 3 boxes)

marshmallows (Borelli)

baked goods (brownies by Johnson, Gingerbread by Colin)

3- CROCK POTS (Calloway, Dominguez, Jernigan)

extension cords (1 by Hellmuth, 1 by Powell)

bowls (Powell)

hot chocolate cups (Kuchera)

cups (cold drink cups by Powell)

spoons (Hellmuth, Powell)

First Fundraiser - Success!

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our delegates, their families, and the Y, we're pleased to announce our first Spaghetti Feed fundraiser netted the delegation scholarship funn [drumroll!] $650!

Congratulations, Sac Central!

Scholarship Application Available

Click here to download the Y's Scholarship Application.

Read and follow the directions on the first page. The second page is blank and the application begins on page 3.

Things to remember:

• All delegates may apply for scholarship money.
• No delegate will be considered for scholarship money without a completed application on file.
• Scholarship applications should be returned to Christiana or Morgan at a weekly meeting.
• There's no box on the form for Youth & Government - we know - that's okay, we know for which program your applying.
• Scholarships will be awarded based on several criteria including, but not limited to:
• Demonstrated financial need
• Demonstrated dedication to the delegation
• Weekly meeting attendance (including timely arrival and departure or notifying delegation president in cases of late arrivals or absences)
• Meeting participation (positive contributions to discourse, bill or proposal ideas, respect for fellow delegates, etc)
• Demonstrated fundraising efforts
• Attending fundraisers, selling tickets, selling coupon books, etc
• Effort will be every bit as important as results
• Participation in scholarship opportunities
• Timely return of required forms (medical release, delegation contract, etc), completion of requested actions (online registration), requested replies to emails, etc.
• Effort at making incremental payments when possible (i.e.: if you/your family can afford $10/week toward program costs, bring us $10/week; bring whatever portion of a payment you can on a payment due day, etc)

The bottom line: need isn't the only or most important factor, participation isn't the only or most important factor - we'll take a holistic view of  your participation in the program and your need for aid and do our best to equitably distribute available funds.  Please provide us with as much context as possible about your family's situation - especially if you feel the numbers don't tell us the whole story about your level of need.  We can do a lot to help, but only if we have all the information necessary.

If something comes up that changes your family's situation, come talk to us about it before you quit the program or anything crazy like that.

Earn Your Delegation Some Money!

Watch (or listen to) tonight's debate between gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown (on KCRA at 6pm or Capitol Public Radio 90.9 or streaming on-line), write a paragraph about what you observed, who won, who was funny, who you agreed with or disagreed with, etc, email it to your advisor and - presto! - $2 per participant to the delegation pizza fund!

Enjoy A Night Of Entertainment And Support Our Delegation At The Same Time!

To purchase tickets call Samantha Doffo at the YMCA at 916-452-9622 ext 132 or email Christiana at cdominguez [at] cslea [dot] com

See you there!

Download the CPK Fundraiser flyer here!

Pass this to your friends and family and facebook friends!

Just remember, no mass, anonymous handing-out of flyers or you'll invalidate the fundraiser and that would be :(

Get promoting, y'all!