Family Fun and 5K Run Coming to Mechanicsburg!

Looking for a fun family outing? How about a challenging 5K trail run? Or better yet .. want to win a new iPad?

If your answer is A, B, C, or all of the above make sure to check out the 2nd Annual Forgotten 5K run, 1 Mile Mosey walk, & Unforgettable Costume Contest coming to West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg on September 8th, 2012!

New this year is the kids activity area, where you’ll find face painting, relay races, games, and beading! And anyone who wears a costume to either event is automatically entered to win a new iPad, drawn at random!

All these events are being planned by a 100% volunteer crew, and all the money will go to support children orphaned by AIDS in Africa.

The event is coming to Mechanicsburg on Sept 8th, but you can see who is planning to attend ahead of time on the facebook event page.

See you at the starting line!

Zambian Orphan Advocate Coming to Speak in Harrisburg

Harrisburg is a small town, there’s no doubt about that. But despite it’s size, one local organization is making a world of impact for thousands of kids living thousands of miles away. The organization is Forgotten Voices International, and their focus is helping children orphaned by AIDS in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

On April 14th, 2012 midstate residents will have the opportunity to meet with and hear from Forgotten Voices President Ryan Keith and Africa/Zambia Director Remmy Hamapande at Transcend Church in Harrisburg. Remmy will be in the US for only a few weeks before returning to Zambia.

I’ve personally had the opportunity to meet Remmy once before, and I can wholeheartedly say that he is the definition of a servant leader. He chose to leave his full time position with Barclay Bank in pursuit of a theological education at the Theological College of Central Africa (TCCA).

Remmy then joined Forgotten Voices International as the Zambia Director in 2008, and was appointed Africa Director in 2010. He communicates with and visits church-lead projects throughout Zambia which are in partnership with Forgotten Voices to care for children orphaned by AIDS and create sustainable solutions within the community. His unique combination of business savvy and a pastor’s heart enable him to serve as an ally and advisor to Zambian churches, and a representative of these churches to the broader Forgotten Voices family.

In his own community, Remmy serves as Associate Pastor of Children’s Ministry at his local congregation. Most recently the Zambia Brethren in Christ Conference appointed Remmy Chair of Christian Education for Zambia.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from a truly inspiring individual during the Forgotten Voices Service taking place at Transcend Church in Harrisburg on April 14th!

Family Fun in Mechanicsburg for a Great Cause

Start your engines, or just prepare for a leisurely walk; whatever your speed it’s all for a great cause. The Forgotten 5K, 1 Mile Mosey, and Unforgettable Costume Contest is coming to Mechanicsburg September 17th! The event will take place at the West Shore Evangelical Free Church, and all proceeds benefit Forgotten Voices, a Dillsburg based nonprofit focused on helping children orphaned by AIDS in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

This is the first year of this event, so there are some fantastic incentives to participate. For one, any runner or walker who wears a costume will automatically get entered into a random drawing for a brand new iPad2 – not too shabby. And there are lots of other prizes as well, including hand carved decorative pieces from the communities that Forgotten Voices serves in Africa. The race kicks off at 9am, and any other detail you might want to know can be found at Forgotten5K.org. You can also see if you have any facebook friends attending by checking out their event page.

Personally, I plan to make an appearance with THE hottest costume possible, quite literally. Anyone have a good costume suggestion for the 5K or 1 Mile Mosey?

Orphan Summit Coming to Hershey

Do you have a heart for orphans or vulnerable children, adoption or foster care? Consider attending the Mid-Atlantic Orphan Summit in Hershey, Pennsylvania on November 5th-6th.

Many orphan care related organizations and presenters will be in attendance at the conference, including local nonprofit Forgotten Voices, based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The work being done by this organization is changing the lives of hundreds of orphans and is both incredibly powerful and emotionally moving.

The Summit takes place the same weekend as Orphan Sunday, a worldwide awareness campaign with events taking place in countless locations on Sunday, Nov 7th.

Please consider attending this exciting summit and help spread the word to your friends and family. Over 145 million orphans around the world are in need of your help.

Soup Lovers Unite!

Don’t miss out on the 6th Annual Hershey Soup Cook-Off presented by The Hershey Partnership this Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 from 11-2 at the Hershey Volunteer Fire Company Station!

I attended this event myself last year and had to post about it because it’s really worth the trip, no matter how far away you think Hershey is.

Last year they had one garage filled out with amateur cooks and the other with professional chefs from local restaurants, probably about 30 or 40 different participants in all, many with multiple soups for you to sample. You might think the pro chefs would be hands down better but I’ve got to say both sides of the contest made really amazing soups. Just really impressive, not to mention creative!

I’m talking about cheesesteak soup, asparagus soup, lobster bisque, and oh so much more. They’ve also got a number of raffles going on, I believe last year they gave out a cruise as the main prize.

So how much to get into this incredible event?

$10 ! !

That’s it! Money well spent you will agree, see you there!

Troegs to Host Harrisburg Young Professionals Networking Event

Troegs Brewing Company, the Harrisburg based and family owned microbrewery will be packed with current and prospective members of the Harrisburg Young Professionals on December 10th, 2008 for a networking event facilitated monthly by HYP referred to as the 2nd Wednesday Social. This inclusive monthly gathering is an opportunity for current HYP members to network and allows those curious about joining the organization a chance to meet members and test the waters before putting up the $30 to join.

For anyone interested in expanding their personal network, there’s not a more active young professionals organization than HYP, now in its 10th year of existence. With multiple monthly social events, year round sports leagues, special events, dinner and book clubs, various committees, a home tour, and much more, HYP is a great way to meet new people and expand your network all while supporting local businesses.  The Harrisburg Young Professionals have been a key component of the redevelopment and growth of the city of Harrisburg, a city once recognized as the 2nd most depressed city in the nation during the early 1980s, but has since received almost 3 billion dollars of investment and was just last year named in the top 100 Best Places to Live list by Recolate-America.

You can learn more about the Harrisburg Young Professionals, including information about the 2nd Wednesday Social to be held at Troegs Brewery on HYP.org.

The Cure for the Common Job Fair

So you need a new job or perhaps you’re in the hunt for that perfect internship, but you hate those mundane job fairs in the school gymnasium that always seem so awkward? I’m with you, I too have been to countless job fairs in the standard format and I’ve got so say I never really looked forward to them.

Out of this dilemma a new format for the standard job fair was born- Experience Harrisburg. Structured like a pub crawl, this annual career fair places 40 employers inside 9 different downtown locations all within walking distance of each other, then with the help of tour guides from the Harrisburg Young Professionals, participants are lead around the city to spend 15 minutes at each venue networking with employers, trying food, and just enjoying a night out. Not to mention we throw in free pizza and $1,000+ in prizes at the final location of the evening, Dragonfly Club.

This is the second year I’ve had the pleasure of planning the event, and I actually did the whole thing myself 3 years ago as a student, so I’m pretty familiar with the format and I’ve got to say I’m really excited about this year’s event. It’s taking place Thursday, October 23rd, from 5:30pm-9:30pm and kicks off at the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. We’ll also be placing employers inside the Susquehanna Art Museum, Stock’s on 2nd, the Quarter, Molly Brannigans, McGrath’s Pub, the Harrisburg Visitors Center, the International House, and Temple University Harrisburg. I’ve done about everything I could think of to make this event fun and productive for everyone involved, I hope you check it out.

Like Beer? Curious About Entrepreneurship?

Then check out this great upcoming event taking place at both Troegs Brewery in Harrisburg and the Market Cross Pub in Carlisle. You can register online at MurataBusinessCenter.com:

Downtown Employer Crawl Finalizes Location Lineup

For those seeking something more from the typical career fair taking place in your gloomy school gymnasium, downtown Harrisburg is set to host some 40 employers in 10 different locations for a night that is sure to be a little more mobile and a lot more fun. The final selections have been made on what venues will be hosting employers for this year’s Experience Harrisburg Job and Internship Fair: Molly Brannigans Traditional Irish Pub and Restaurant, McGrath’s Pub, the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, the Susquehanna Art Museum, Stock’s on 2nd, the Harrisburg Visitors Center, the International House, Temple University Harrisburg, and The Quarter. Don’t forget free pizza and huge prizes at the final venue of the evening – Dragonfly Club.

Participants are lead around the city in small groups by a member of the Harrisburg Young Professionals and provided no more than 15 minutes at each location to network with the employers stationed there before moving to the next destination. Some locations will be providing food to snack on, so it’s a great way to check out some sweet venues in downtown Harrisburg, get some free eats, and search for a job or internship. Don’t forget about the prize giveaways either, last year we raffled an iPhone, a GPS system, lots of gift cards, and much more.

So mark your calendar, October 23rd, 2008, 5:30pm – 9:30pm in downtown Harrisburg, you can register for free at ExperienceHarrisburg.com, lots more details about the event on the site as well. See you there.

Harrisburg Young Professionals Open Registrations for Coed Flag Football

You can now sign yourself or a team of 12 up for HYP’s first ever Coed Flag Football League. Games are scheduled for Tuesday evenings at 6:30 or 7:30 and will take place at Twin Ponds off Union Deposit Road. $20 will get you into the league or $240 to register a team of 12. There is one caveat however, each team must have at least 5 ladies on it.  More details to follow, but games will begin Tuesday, September 30th, so don’t delay- grab a couple of friends or 12 if you have that many and get signed up for some serious good times. You can register on the Harrisburg Young Professionals website.

The flag football league is following HYP’s first ever kickball league, a huge success and well participated as there were 14 teams in total. You can check out pictures and final standings at the HYP Kickball League website.

(FYI the HYP flag football league will most likely resemble something similar to these fun loving youngsters minus the guy with the pony tail.)