12.01.08...In Perspective

So this past monday was our World AIDS Days event, and I am definatly going to dub it a success. We collected a lot of e-mails and a bunch of people came out to show thier support for (RED). We took a few cool pictures of some of these people, I have upoloaded them to our new (RED)SDSU Flickr page (linked under the "Links" section and also to the right--->).

We also had the honor of having Brande, who is a (RED) representative and the person heading up the (RED)U program, at State with us to help out and see what we have been up to this semester. It was great having her there! Also, I am so thankful to all my volunteers who were awesome I could not ask for better, more inspiring people to work with. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you!! Here are some great shots that we got throughout the day:

We were in Centennial Walkway from 12-5 and I am so pleased to say that it was busy pretty much through the whole day. Sometimes I get stressed out doing the (RED) work and organizing these type of events, but then when I see how people get involved and hear the stories of some fellow staters, it makes all the stress seem miniscule in regards to all that I have had the privlege of experiencing thanks to doing this work. I met a lot of really awesome people on Monday and got the chance to hear some really cool stories involving Africa and AIDS relief. A lot more people then I was expecting seem really passionate about fighting AIDS in Africa, and that makes me all the more motivated to work with (RED). I have never been more proud to call myself an Aztec or more sure that working with (RED) this year is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I feel so honored that the awesome people who work with (RED) have chosen me for this opportunity and I am so grateful!

Lastly, a college news group on campus covered World AIDS Day at SDSU and interviewed a few of my volunteers about (RED) and what we were doing to show our support. The video turned out really awesome, so here is the link to that so you can check it out:

http://palestra.net/schools/124

I will be writing as soon as I know when our next meeting/event will be, but we probably won't be doing anything major again until next semester (gotta get finals out of the way!). Thanks again so much to everyone who participated and made 12.01.08 a success!!

(Kelsey)

Back to Diego..

Hello there!

Hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving break, now it's back to the grind (finals...ahh!). So as you know, tomorrow is Decemeber 1st which is World AIDS Day. I will be in Centennial Walkway tomorrow with my excellent (RED) group from 12-5 talking about (RED) and AIDS in Africa, and what you can do to help put an end to this crisis. It is going to be a really great day, so please stop by and bring your friends!!

On another note, the Starbucks (RED) intiative launced on Friday, so definatly go check that out and try one of the three (RED) drinks (they are quite tasty!). Also, keep checking the Join(RED) webiste for new partner announcements!!

See you all tomorrow!

(Kelsey)

Some sweet announcements!

Hey All!

Friday...yay!! Another week closer to Thanksgiving. Another week closer to Dec. 1st, which as most of you know is our big World AIDS Day event. The Daily Aztec will be covering it, and they want to do an article this week explaining our event, why it is significant and they also want to talk about the (RED) brand and they want some quotes! If you are passionate about (RED) and want to express it to the whole school, send me an e-mail with your quote, name, class level, and major. Preferably by today or tomorrow!!

Also, Dell announced the newest addition to thier Product(RED) line. They are going to be launching new (RED) inspired artwork for thier new studio laptops. You can choose from three new designs by artists Joseph Amedokpo, Siobhan Gunning and Bruce Mau. Their artwork will be permanantly infused on the lid, so it will give your laptop an artistic vibe and it will help save lives!

To check them out click here:

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/landing/en/us/us/dhs/productred?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1

Hope you all are well!! And send me those quotes...

(Kelsey)

Hey guys!

Hope you are all having an excellent monday (as excellent as mondays can be!). Thanks again so much to all of you who came last week, I am very excited about our December 1st intiative and all of your input was greatly appreciated! Our next meeting will be this Thursday, the 13th at 7pm, my apartment. We are going to be doing a trial run of the pictures that we are going to take on 12/1/08 so if you mentioned that you have a camera that we could use, please make sure to bring it! I am also going to give you guys copies of the FAQ sheets found on Join(RED).com so that you feel educated enough on the program and able to talk to your friends about it. I will also be giving some updates/info that I received from (RED) recently. Again, I will try to keep it relativly short and as always feel free to bring friends!

Another announcement about the Starbucks alliance, it will be launching on Thanksgiving, as well as the day after. When you get a specified (RED) drink, $.05 will go to the Global Fund and from their will help those in great need...so get those caffeine levels pumped!!

Have a great rest of the week, and as always feel free to e-mail me!!

(Kelsey)

Hey there-

So I have e-mailed most of you, but just in case I will post it here too. I am having a meeting/event at my apt this Thursday, the 6th, from 7-8. I am going to show a movie about AIDS in africa and also talk more about (RED) and what we are all about. It should be a fun night, so try to make it out! Let me know if you need more info or directions...

Also, BIG NEWS! For those of you who haven't been to the Join(RED) website recently, we have announced a new partner.....drum roll please....STARBUCKS!! I don't know about you guys, but I would feel much better about my caffeine addiction if some of the proceeds were going to a good cause. We are all very excited about this new alliance, and I should have more info soon about when the products will start showing up in your nearest coffee shop. Check out Join(RED).com for the whole story....

Hope everything is wonderful with you guys, hopefully midterms haven't driven you crazy yet...! As always e-mail me with any concerns or questions!!

(Kelsey)

Hey Guys!

Sorry I didn't update last week, things have been crazy! I will keep e-mailing as soon as more info comes through, in the meantime, I found this on the Join(RED) blog and I thought that I would pass it along...

"2 million people.

That’s the total number of people in Africa who are alive today thanks to anti-retroviral medication—just two pills a day that can keep a person with HIV alive and healthy. 2 million people. That’s about equal to the entire population of Houston, Texas. Imagine being part of a movement that could bring 2 million people back from the brink of death so that they could live and work and take care of their families. Well, if you’re (RED), you are. All (RED) money goes directly to the Global Fund to help distribute those two little pills. And it’s working."

You can read the rest here...

http://joinred.blogspot.com/

Hope everyone is well, and be safe this Halloween weekend!!

(Kelsey)

Hey guys!

Tonight we had a (RED) info session in my apartment complex, thanks to all who came out!! It was great to meet you all and it's nice to see so much interest in helping out. We set up a video screen in between the buildings and showed some videos from the Join (RED) website. Check out some of the pictures from tonight!!

Lastly, we will have a meeting next Tuesday, the 21st at 7pm. It will be at my apartment again so if you need directions e-mail me sdsugoesred@live.com. Hope everyone is doing good... And as always feel free to e-mail me with any questions!!

(Kelsey)

Hey all!

Our meeting last week went really well, thank you to all who came!! Basically we just went over what (RED) is, who it helps and what we are going to do this year at state. I also gave everyone who wanted to help some stickers, buttons, and post cards to start handing out, I also gave them a sheet to start collecting e-mails. If you missed the meeting and want to help shoot me an e-mail!!

Hopefully we will begin tabling a week from today, from 2-4 in Centennial Walkway. If you want more info, come stop by then or give me an e-mail!!

Hope all is well!

(Kelsey)

Hey There-

Hope everybody is doing good...Mondays are always hard! I just wanted to give you guys a quick reminder that our first meeting will be TOMORROW at 7pm, if you haven't yet please e-mail me (sdsugoesred@live.com) for directions! It should be a fun quick info meeting about (RED) and what we are trying to do at SDSU. There will be food and it will be good way to meet some people. I will send out a reminder e-mail tonight or tomorrow morning.

I found this on the Join(RED) Blog and thought that I would pass it on. It's good to keep up not only with (RED) but with programs such as ONE that is closely related to what we are trying to do. Click on the link to get the video (unfortunatly it wouldn't load on here!). Enjoy!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/09/26/am.intv.bono.exclusive.cnn

(Kelsey)

First Meeting! (finally!)

Hey guys-

Hope classes are going well for everyone...it feels like we have been here so much longer than a month! So our first meeting is offically planned because I finally got clearance from Student Activites to table hopefully by October 6th. The meeting will be on Tuesday September 30th at 7pm at my apartment (email me for directions!). It will probably take around an hour, and please feel free to bring your friends, roomates or whoever. It will just be a low key info session about (RED) and how it works, and how you can help. If I have your e-mail I will be sending out an info e-mail about the meeting and another reminder one a few days before.

It should be really fun, so come and meet some cool people and get involved in something really great!! Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns, and if you cant make it then let me know so we can set up another time to talk!! Have an awesome rest of your week guys!

(Kelsey)

Good News!

Hello There!

Finally some progress! I recently got into contact with a group on campus called Aztecs for Africa which is a well established student org that works with groups like Invisible Children, UNICEF and the Global Fund to help issues currently affecting Afrcia. When I told them about (RED) they seemed amped to help out, so hopefully some collaboration will come out of that and we can finally start getting to work!! Check them out on Facebook -

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?sid=5584d3143b34d2cc0cdf989f4abb5b7c&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.new.facebook.com%2Fs.php%3Fn%3D-1%26k%3D200000010%26init%3Ds%253Agroup%26q%3Daztecs%2Bfor%2Bafrica%26sid%3D5584d3143b34d2cc0cdf989f4abb5b7c&gid=5881131267

Also, our own Facebook group has been started, so join now and please invite your friends!!

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?sid=5584d3143b34d2cc0cdf989f4abb5b7c&refurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.new.facebook.com%2Fs.php%3Fq%3Dsdsugoes%2528RED%2529%26n%3D-1%26k%3D200000010%26sf%3Dr%26init%3Dq%26sid%3D5584d3143b34d2cc0cdf989f4abb5b7c&gid=85470300149

I will keep you all updated as soon as there is more progress!! Thanks a million!

(Kelsey)

A Little Diffuculty!

Hello all!

This blog is coming at you at midnight...oh the college life!! Unfortunatly I have not gotten our group up and running for a few reasons. I am having some trouble with the Student Activites and Campus Life Board because they feel that because (RED) is commercial we won't get approved to be a student org. Bummer. But I am working on getting approved to be a vendor and hopefully we can get a space on campus to table and reach out to our fellow students. So it's progressing!! I will keep you all updated and as soon as I hear back I will be sure to post...

In the meantime keep up with the Join(RED) website, which has been relaunched and looks awesome!! Here's a little video I found on the (RED) blog that I thought I would pass on...



Keep changing the world Staters!!

(Kelsey)

Waiting on the world.

Hey all-
Next week of classes...yay! I found this video on the Join(RED) you tube channel and I thought it was something cool to pass on. Keep in mind that this is an older vido, there are now 12 partners and we have raised over $110 million...and counting!!



More info to come later this week about SDSU's (RED), and also if I received an e-mail from you, then you should be hearing from me in the next couple of days! Keep shopping (RED)!!

(Kelsey)

Help Me Out!!

Hey guys!

Hope you made it through the first week of classes...for those of you who are new students it does settle down after a while, the first couple of days are always crazy! We will get started soon with (RED) but in the meantime if you guys could go to the link below and take the survey that would be awesome. We are trying to get an idea of what our representation on campus is prior to our group being here. Also, if you guys could spread the word, tell your friends, roomates, classmates, study buddies...everyone!! We want to get a large sampling so we make sure to get accurate results..

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=1s3VLnriF_2f7xqpC_2f_2butRMg_3d_3d

More info to come next week about our progress with (RED)...as always feel free to e-mail me!

Hope to meet you all soon!!

(Kelsey)

Back to the grind...

Hey Everyone-

Hope you all are enjoying your Labor Day Weekend, and for those of you living on campus move in weekend! I can't believe that classes start tomorrow, another year of school is about to begin...crazy! I am still not sure as to when the first (RED) meeting will be, probably next week or three weeks from now. I have to settle some things with the Student Activites and Campus Life board and make sure that we can form a (RED) student organization. After I get those details sorted out I will settle on a date and let you all know by e-mail. If you are interested in getting involved and haven't e-mailed me at sdsugoesred@live.com then please do!! I will make sure to post the date on here as well.

As far as (RED) news, the new Gap collection is in stores!! I encourage you all to check it out next time you are at the mall or bumming around online. Here is a little preview-

Good luck to everyone with classes tomorrow!! And as always feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments..

(Kelsey)

We are the people we've been waiting for..

Hey guys!

Ah! Back to school next week...where has summer gone?! So with the start of new classes, a new year and for freshman a whole new life, also comes the start of (RED) in San Diego. I have been busy the past few weeks trying to recruit as many activists as possible as well as various faculty members and other organizations on campus...so we can really get going next week!! I will keep you all updated as to when the first meeting will be as well as other events... so keep checking the blog and as always please e-mail me with questions, concerns, or info about (RED).

I found this video on the (RED) website and I thought it was something cool to pass on. Sometimes it can be easy to get discouraged and feel like no matter what you do, it never makes a difference. But I think that it is important to see things like this, and hear stories about what the (RED) money is doing for so many lives. After hearing the stories of Sibongile, Lulu, and so many others I can't but feel like I am on the right path working with this organization, and I hope to spread that to as many others as possible!!

(Kelsey)

Get a song, save a life!

Hey all!

Thanks for the awesome response, I got quite a few e-mails from fellow staters wanting to get involved come September. I am getting really excited to get started with SDSU's chapter of (RED), I think it is going to be a really great year! I am still trying to work out some of the logistics and build a bigger group...so keep the e-mails coming, and if you have already e-mailed, keep spreading the word! I want to be able to really hit the ground running when we all meet up again in San Diego (last few weeks of summer..good? bad?).

As far as updates from (RED), a lot has been going on! We recently announced the newest addition to the brand, and it's something quite different than what you may be expecting. In the fall (RED) will introduce a system that will bring music into people's lives from (RED) artists. For $5 a month you will get weekly songs, as well as videos, and stories about (RED). Half of your monthly fees will go to the Global Fund...and then to a person who needs your help! So you get some sweet new tunes and someone gets to reclaim their life, pretty good deal right??

To read the press release or to pre-register..click the link

http://www.joinred.com/onlinemusicservice/

Hope you all are enjoying your last few weeks of freedom...and as always please e-mail me with any questions or comments!!!

(Kelsey)

What does it take to save a life?

4,400 people die every day of AIDS in Africa. Even though Africa is home to only 10% of the world's population, it currently has 68% of the 33.2 million people currently living with the disease. AIDS is completely preventable and treatable, and only costs 40 cents a day to keep someone infected with HIV alive. The problem is that most African people live on less that $2 a day and cannot afford the medication they need.

That's where we need you! Today, right now, you can harness your power to change the world and go (RED). (RED) is a brand that was created in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver, and it works to eliminate AIDS in Africa. How it works is (RED) partners with companies like Gap, Apple, Hallmark and Armani and then these companies create specific (RED) products from which a portion of the sale goes to fight the AIDS crisis.

http://www.joinred.com/

And guess what else? This fall SDSU is going (RED)!! Want to help? E-mail me at sdsugoesred@live.com