Once again this trip is officially paid for! Thanks to the kind folks at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Shawnee.
We had been trying really hard not to ask for handouts from the folks who helped send us to Mt Rushmore. They have been great in helping our boys earn the money - recycling and yard work, etc.
But with less than 2 weeks left before we leave we just didn't have time to set up a fundraiser so we went to church to ask for some help and boy oh boy did they help!!
When we received the invite to the White House and found out the cost of staying a few more hours in DC, I told Father Cook that I was going to make the changes and have Faith that we could find the monies to cover this change in our plans. It was just too much of an honor to pass on. Father Cook gave me a few minutes to stand up and tell the congregation about the phone call and change in plans - they were very excited for us! After service it was great to talk to all of the folks about our trip and give them an update on our plans. I can't wait to show them the pics and to have the scouts tell their stories!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
White House
WE GOT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!
The White House picked US!!!
Congressman Dennis Moore's office just called and told us that the White House has extended their tours and has picked our group to go on a tour!!! yep, they received an email on Tuesday telling them that the tours have been extended and to watch for another email. Wednesday they received a phone call from the White House and an email instructing them to contact us to set up the security information.
We're stoked!!! this is unreal...
Now I need to change the airline tickets - thank goodness it's SWA!!!
OUCH!! that was a $750 change. I can drop a few surprises but we're still $500 shy...need another fundraiser afterall!! ...donations anyone? - if you're interested please hit the DONATE button on the right side.
The White House picked US!!!
Congressman Dennis Moore's office just called and told us that the White House has extended their tours and has picked our group to go on a tour!!! yep, they received an email on Tuesday telling them that the tours have been extended and to watch for another email. Wednesday they received a phone call from the White House and an email instructing them to contact us to set up the security information.
We're stoked!!! this is unreal...
Now I need to change the airline tickets - thank goodness it's SWA!!!
OUCH!! that was a $750 change. I can drop a few surprises but we're still $500 shy...need another fundraiser afterall!! ...donations anyone? - if you're interested please hit the DONATE button on the right side.
May Update:
WE DID IT!!! We raised $18,800 in 12 months!! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped us get there!!
The guys are happy to be done with fundraising and are now working to get their uniforms updated and ready to pack.
I'm still busy trying to get all of the troops and veteran's units organized and answering tons of questions from everyone! I thought everyone was excited when we first talked about this trip and now that it's getting closer folks are calling to confirm and are very excited that we are only 15 DAYS AWAY FROM TAKE OFF!!
We have sooo many fun things lined up for the guys to do it's unbelieveable!! Somewhere in this schedule they will have time for sleep and they'll probably drop from exhaustion every nite!
With all of the budgeting and negotiating I did discover one thing...I'll NEVER do business with Delta or Expedia again!! We took a $800 hit on our budget because of a mistake that I made when dealing with them. We were talking with a gentleman from Expedia and thought we made it very clear that we needed the ability to make name changes when we got closer to the departure date. Apparently he didn't understand me as well as he said he did and I did not double check the small print. When I called to make changes neither Expedia nor Delta would help. In fact the 'Customer Service' folks from Delta made sure to tell me how this was all my fault (which I had already admitted to), I shouldn't expect them to clean up my mess and that there is NO ONE in that entire company empowered enough to help me with this issue.
When I called Southwest with the same changes most of my flights were set up the way I had asked them to be but one flight was a little different because we did it as a Web Only online special. Rather than telling me over and over again how we screwed up when we booked them - Kelsey told me that this stuff happens and she stayed on the line with me to walk me through how to make the changes. It did cost me a few extra dollars (40) to make the changes but I didn't mind because Kelsey was kind and extremely helpful. Take note Delta - THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! This is why I will always fly SWA if possible, I'll never fly Delta again and I'll always tell anyone I know who is booking flights my lil story about the differences in Customer Service.
I've organized trips like this every 2 years for the last10 years and I've had a big bunch of fun! I can't wait to see the guys' faces when we hit some of these surprises!
But first I need to get these things done - t-shirts, programs, gifts, troops, vets, leaders books...so much to do yet - better get to it!!
Stay posted!! Pics and stories coming in just 15 days!!!
WE DID IT!!! We raised $18,800 in 12 months!! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped us get there!!
The guys are happy to be done with fundraising and are now working to get their uniforms updated and ready to pack.
I'm still busy trying to get all of the troops and veteran's units organized and answering tons of questions from everyone! I thought everyone was excited when we first talked about this trip and now that it's getting closer folks are calling to confirm and are very excited that we are only 15 DAYS AWAY FROM TAKE OFF!!
We have sooo many fun things lined up for the guys to do it's unbelieveable!! Somewhere in this schedule they will have time for sleep and they'll probably drop from exhaustion every nite!
With all of the budgeting and negotiating I did discover one thing...I'll NEVER do business with Delta or Expedia again!! We took a $800 hit on our budget because of a mistake that I made when dealing with them. We were talking with a gentleman from Expedia and thought we made it very clear that we needed the ability to make name changes when we got closer to the departure date. Apparently he didn't understand me as well as he said he did and I did not double check the small print. When I called to make changes neither Expedia nor Delta would help. In fact the 'Customer Service' folks from Delta made sure to tell me how this was all my fault (which I had already admitted to), I shouldn't expect them to clean up my mess and that there is NO ONE in that entire company empowered enough to help me with this issue.
When I called Southwest with the same changes most of my flights were set up the way I had asked them to be but one flight was a little different because we did it as a Web Only online special. Rather than telling me over and over again how we screwed up when we booked them - Kelsey told me that this stuff happens and she stayed on the line with me to walk me through how to make the changes. It did cost me a few extra dollars (40) to make the changes but I didn't mind because Kelsey was kind and extremely helpful. Take note Delta - THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! This is why I will always fly SWA if possible, I'll never fly Delta again and I'll always tell anyone I know who is booking flights my lil story about the differences in Customer Service.
I've organized trips like this every 2 years for the last10 years and I've had a big bunch of fun! I can't wait to see the guys' faces when we hit some of these surprises!
But first I need to get these things done - t-shirts, programs, gifts, troops, vets, leaders books...so much to do yet - better get to it!!
Stay posted!! Pics and stories coming in just 15 days!!!
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