CreateAthon has come and gone and I think that is the hardest part. Months of planning for such an exciting and amazing event is now a thing of the past. However, I do not believe my “createathoning” days are over. Somewhere in the future I hope to be a part of something as beautiful as VCU’s CreateAthon on Campus.
The morning buzzed with excitement as the other team leaders and I grabbed our shirt, put on our name tags, and mentally prepared for what was about to ensue. I found myself anxious and excited for my team to arrive, I couldn’t wait to get to work. Out of complete thrill and impatience I began downing sources of caffeine (coffee, Redbull, Mountain Dew, etc.) Once my entire team finally arrived the craziness had officially begun. After a “quick” group shot the ladies and I (including out mentor Maggie) piled into our cars and headed to Riverside School. This was a tremendous experience which inspired each and every one of us. Not only did my team and I get a tour, we were able to speak with the students and observe them in their environment. Talking to the children really gave this project a ton of heart. They were so full of self-worth and bursting with pride for their school. Each child we chatted with was so eager to tell us what they loved about Riverside School, we all felt absolutely inspired. And not only did they express love for their school, they also radiated appreciation for their teachers.
Around lunch time we headed back to the mother-ship, enjoyed a delicious lunch from Chipotle, then hunkered down for an intense brainstorming session. To be honest, the strategic process is not my strong point. My body, heart, and mind automatically goes straight for the creative part of any project. Luckily we had Maggie and Liz there to help us. Maggie reinforced the importance of having a plan and together we came up with a solid strategic plan. Liz then joined us and really got the ball rolling with the concepting. Riverside School is a nurturer which led us to the whole concept of a tree. Riverside caters to each individual child’s needs so success in inevitable. It is not about the class, it’s about the child. It is not about the forest, it’s about the tree. That is what makes Riverside so different and special, they embrace each and every child for their own unique skills, and works with them one-on-one to ensure the child’s success.
The first check in went really well, they responded positively to the tree concept and gave us the go-ahead. Then it was noses to the grindstone. Each one of my teammates was given a specific tasks that catered to their individual talents. We worked nonstop, only coming up for air to eat. We had been hard at work, in one room for 10 hours, and once darkness fell over the Temple building my anxiety of being trapped somewhere invaded my brain. I felt complete panic, and I had no idea why. I was absolutely comfortable with my team and their work ethic. They were my source of comfort as I powered through the panic and held on to Pippy, Peyton’s fluffy pup. After some fresh air, a few walks around the building, and lots of Pippy hugs I felt 100% better and back to normal. We continued to work tirelessly through the night. We were calm, we were content, and we were creating some really great shit.
So 5 am rolls around, and my team finally starts to get a little itchy. Although it was extremely minimal, there were mumbles of discomfort and exhaustion. But I have no time for negativity, so I quickly snapped them out of any negative zibes and back on track, we were almost to the finish line. I think the most stressful time for me (other than my pointless panic) was the 7th hour, we had to print everything, mount each print, and upload all the files to the dropbox. It was a mess of eagerness, sleepiness, and thoughts of “oh my gawd it’s been 24 hours!” We got everything printed and mounted, I completely uploading to the dropbox, finally, and we began to pack up our room. It felt so weird that it was almost over! I couldn’t believe it had so quickly come and gone. After sweeping the room and loading all our blankets, yoga mats, and computers onto our backs we migrated over to the presentation building. After a quick 30 minute nap in the lobby, we headed into our class room to prepare for the presentation to Julie and Kate from Riverside. “Here we go.”
The presentation was kind of a blur, but completely successful. We could see the happiness and appreciation in their eyes as we showed them each piece we created for them. We explained our reasoning for each and our idea behind the while concept of the tree. Once it was done, there was lots of smiles and hugs, and selfies. We did it. We actually did it, and we did a freaking fantastic job.
From the whole experience I most thankful for my amazing team, Kelsey Grupp, Melissa Richardson, Christine Jean-Louise, and Gina Pido. They were so easy to work with and such hard workers! They are the reason I got through this, they are the reason we were so successful. They are each so talented and such nice people. I feel lucky and humbled to have such a supportive, and motivated team. I left that experience feeling so grateful and inspired by them, and so happy.
I will never forget this experience and I will be forever grateful for my team, Peyton, Pam, and the mentors that so graciously helped us through this process. And most importantly Riverside loved their new materials we created for them. I wish for nothing more than the success of Riverside School and their wonderful students.
elainemariew 