Special Olympics
This weekend on Saturday December 5th there will be a 5K run to help raise money and awareness for Special Olympics in Abilene. The race will be run on the Lunsford Trail around Abilene Christian University. There will be an entry fee of $15, and people can register either online at www.runforrespect.org or at the registration table in Maybee dorm parking lot at 9 am the day of the event and the race will start at 9:30 am. T-shirts will be available, but on a first come first serve basis so hurry and get there early! Volunteers are welcomed and needed and will be given a free meal from Rosa’s on behalf of their contribution. This event is to help promote and make people aware of not only the need for Special Olympics, but also putting an end to the “R” word. As their current campaign says, “ Respect is the new ‘R’ word.” This run is hoping to make a difference and have a lasting impact on people’s hearts and minds by making them aware of this needed change. The main goal is to spread the word around the community of Abilene that the “R”-word is damaging and worth banning from our vocabulary, thus promoting a kinder and uplifting environment.
Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition. It carries a sense of compassion within its name. This is an organization known for providing special needs children with a way to be involved in activities that help develop self-confidence, friendships, and a sense of purpose. As many know, the economy has been on a decline. This recession has hit many people close to home. Special Olympics is amount the many organizations that have been affected by this downfall. Elizabeth Bye is the head representative for the Special Olympics in Abilene. One of the main things she is in charge of is the getting the funds to help support the causes and events that Special Olympics is in charge of putting on. Special Olympics in Abilene did not make their fundraising quota last year, and as a result sports are threatened of being cut. If anyone knows or is close to someone with special needs, they know the importance that Special Olympics has in that child’s life. Therefore, if the funds do not make the certain targeted amount, there will be no Olympics for the kids to participate in.
Run For Respect has an interesting story behind how it all got started. In the Communications Department at ACU, there is a professor named Carly Dodd. He assigned a project to his Persuasion class to find an organization or company where they would come up with a campaign in order to persuade people to be involved or show interest in their company or organization. The assignment was designed for the students to take the persuasion tactics they had learned from class and then apply them by creating a campaign, and that is where each team was supposed to stop. The assignment called for each team to simply create a campaign in order to persuade people to participate or be involved with their company or organization. One group took this project to the next level. Becca Frei, Stephani Hutcheson, Jordan Ziemer, and Kyle Robarts came together to form a team that wanted to take on the non profit- organization, Special Olympics. While planning and discussing the project, the students were personally touched by the need and idea of this particular organization. They decided that this campaign needed to be heard beyond the classroom walls and impact the Abilene community in a way that will inspire change. They came up with the idea of a run that would promote their current slogan,” Respect is the new ‘R’ word.” They decided to call the run, “Run For Respect.” With only 40 days to orchestrate the run, they had to overcome a great obstacle of limited time and resources. The students were able to apply the knowledge learned in their Persuasion class in order to help them achieve their desired outcomes. Along with putting on the run, the students had to give a presentation in class telling about their campaign. They started with getting sponsors to help with funding the event, and from there they began to advertise with flyers, social media, and word of mouth. They were able to use their connections within the Abilene community to help bring funds towards the event. Through advertising, Facebook had an unbelievable impact on reaching out to the public. Becca Frei, one of the team members, set up a Facebook group and started inviting friends to join. Within one hour there were already 40 committed guests, which is the exact amount needed to cover the costs of expenses spent on the run itself. Through this Facebook group people have posted personal pictures and comments where they have expressed their deep appreciation towards the run and meaning behind the cause. Kyle Robarts was in charge of getting a website put up so that the participants could register online and find out more about the event itself. A company in Dallas was generous enough to take the time to set up the website for the students to use for the run. It has taken a lot of hard work, dedication and perseverance, but these Abilene Christian University students have pulled off something that will have a lasting impact on the lives of not only Special Olympics participants themselves but also their families and loved ones. A local Abilene mom, Tammy Samford, posted a comment on the wall of the Run For Respect Facebook group expressing her feelings towards the run telling people, “This event hits home for me. For all who know and love Alyssa…..let’s do this!” It is for people like Tammy and Alyssa that prove how important this event can have on the lives of people who know and love individuals with intellectual individuals. All of the funds raised will go directly to the Special Olympics in Abilene.
Carly Dodd was the professor that instigated it all. He challenged his students to apply what they learned to a real life situation. Little did he know that his assignment would in turn spark a movement that would transform the hearts and lives of the Abilene community.

Here are the students presenting the project to their Persuasion class:

Sidebar:

- A local special needs mom, Tammy Samford, has been put in charge of starting the race.

- T-Shirts are on a first come first serve basis, but are given to only the participants who sign up or help donate towards the race.

-Special Olympics also puts on a Torch Run, where the local officials become involved and help encourage awareness.

Miley Cyrus’ Accused Stalker not Indicted

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2009/10/28/grand-jury-refuses-indict-accused-miley-cyrus-stalker/

A grand jury refused to indict Miley Cyrus’ accused stalker, McLeod. The jury said that there was “insufficient evidence” for the case to be brought to court. The defending attorney, James Byrne, said that McLeod may have acted strange, but he did not threaten Miley. He said he was of no actual harm. The prosecuting attorney is still however going to try to push for two misdemeanor charges towards McLeod.

People Charged in Gang Rape Outside Homecoming Dance

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,570189,00.html?sPage=fnc/us/crime

Four people have been charged in the rape case involving a girl outside her homecoming dance. Police suspect there are more charges to come.

Jewish Men Shot on the way to Morning Service

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,570266,00.html

Two Jewish men were shot in the legs while they were entering a Los Angeles synagogue Thursday morning. Police are thinking that it is a possible hate crime and are looking for the possible suspects.

The Wildcat’s stay atop the National Rankings was short-lived as the West Texas A&M Buffaloes blew past ACU on Homecoming 2009.

The Wildcats entered their 2009 homecoming game fresh off a 38-14 drumming of Angelo State. The victory propelled ACU to the top of the National Rankings for the first time in school history. The Wildcats reached the summit on the shoulders of Mitchell Gale who threw for 518 in his first two starts. However, on homecoming WT held Gale to 112 yards and no touchdowns, while sacking him four times and collecting two interceptions.

Sophomore Cody Bowden was at Homecoming 2009, and still has great faith in Gale.

“Mitchell is definitely our future,” Bowden said. “He just needs a little more experience. I expect him to be ACU’s Peyton Manning.

Running back Daryl Richardson had another strong game for ACU. The sophomore running back ran for over 100 yards, and found the end zone two times. Richardson has begun to establish himself as a major threat for the ACU offense. Richardson has nine touchdowns over his last three games.

The 2009 Homecoming game featured more than just a football game. The ACU Big Purple Marching Band and color guard put on another great halftime show, and the ACU cheerleaders kept the fans pumped up.

A lot of hard work went into the homecoming game. The homecoming court had to be organized, and all of the week’s festivities had to be coordinated. Wildcat fans, student, alumni, and faculty made quite a mess this week as well. ACU facilities faculty and WFF have had a busy week getting ACU’s campus back in tip-top shape after putting on quite a show. Sophomore Morgan Johnson was impressed with the work put into making homecoming a success.

“They did a great job of getting campus is shape,” Johnson said. “They had something for everyone in the family.

Sidebar:

• Megan Holland, a member of Alpha Kai, was crowned as the 2009 ACU Homecoming Queen.
• The ACU football team was previously ranked number one.
• The final score of the homecoming game. was 32-21.

Simplicity is the Answer

The more features a website contains, the more likely the user going to be confused.  Many people do not understand a lot of the features a website offers. A web designer should always minimize features and choose simplicity.

Just a Mouse Click Away

A mouse offers help in many ways. It allows the user to have faster access to additional features. It is efficient and will save time in the future.

Learning is Boring

It is very difficult to know what will hook that reader and push him to keep exploring a website. Users do not want to waste time learning and reading about the website; they want to be active!

Photoshop Madness

There are three levels when it comes to using Photoshop. If you are a high tech guru pro then Photoshop CS is perfect for you. However, if you are not a pro then Photoshop Element or Photoshop Album is going to be your best bet. I’m Bored…I’m Leaving

People demand instant gratification when they enter a site. Users love to skim. Designers have to grab their attention within the first 30 seconds or by that time it is likely that you have already lost them to another site.

A Long-Lasting Relationship

When a site builds user loyalty then the user is more than likely to come back and not only continue searching, but dig deeper into the site’s pages.

I watched a podcast from ENews. It was a clip from one of their shows, The Daily 10. I have watched this show numerous times, but never through Itunes and never via podcast.  This specific podcast was called the Hollywood Rap-Up. This guy popped up and started rapping about celebrity news. He talked about the new shocking celebrity gossip that was on the streets. The difference between his news report from others was that he had a way of catching my attention through using music. Instead of just hearing boring lists of information back to back, he added his own zest to his delivery.  It was interesting to watch the show through a podcast, but also for free. Usually Itunes charges for for all sorts of things, but I liked how they offered it free of charge.

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!