As 2018 comes to a close, let’s take a look back at the work HEROs has done to change lives this past year.
JANUARY
RECRUITMENT
In January, Executive Board members and Team Leaders showed members of the UGA community just how “WOW” our organization, our cause, and our kids to get them to join the HEROs family! A successful recruitment season is key for a successful year!
KICKOFF
To start off the new year, HEROs hosted Kickoff to show new members what HEROs is all about and the role they can play in helping our organization flourish! Here we played games, got to know one another, and got our new members excited for the new year!
HAWKS DATE NIGHT
Members travelled from Athens to Atlanta to see the Hawks play and have a fun night! HEROs thanks the Hawks for giving our organization a portion of the ticket proceeds. This was a great way to kickoff the new year for old and new members alike!
FEBRUARY
1ST KID EVENT
In February, we hosted our first kid event at the year at the trampoline park, Rush Athens! Our kid events are a great opportunity for our kids to go places they normally wouldn't and this event was no different! Our members were excited to see our kids again and they had a blast outrunning everyone!
SKATING SOCIAL
Member took on Athens Skate Inn to show off their best skating poses! With a healthy mix of skill levels present, our skating social was entertaining for everyone involved! Events like these provide an opportunity for members all across our organization to get to know one another!
MARCH
SEND A KID TO CAMP DAY
One of our premier programs is Camp High Five, a week-long summer camp for our kids to come together, meet kids just like them, and have fun! Every year, we challenge members to raise as much money as they can to help unlock this opportunity for our kids! Given that it costs $1,000 to send one kid to camp, we need all hands on deck for this very important day!
MARCH MADNESS
Every college basketball fan’s favorite time of the year: March Madness. Members created brackets and competed against one another to see which HERO came out on top! Thank you to UGA’s amazing women’s basketball team for helping us promote our annual March Madness bracket challenge!
2ND KID EVENT
For the second time in the semester, we brought our kids to campus and created a carnival experience in our very own student center! Members had the chance to spend time with our kids and give them a fun carnival experience!
APRIL
NYAGW
Every year, HEROs sets aside one week that we do not ask for money, but ask for people’s ears as we attempt to educate the campus community on the stigma that our kids face everyday. Thank you to our Child Relations and Marketing Committees for planning awesome tabling days!
STR
At the end of the semester, HEROs members get together to mark the halfway point of the fundraising year, see what we have accomplished, and figure out what work lies ahead. This year we raised $108,000 in just a few short months!
TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD
Not only does HEROs strive to make every one of our kids feel like a kid, but we also work to equip them with the skills they need to succeed in life. HEROs kids are brought all over the state touring colleges and getting to know the college application process, and we had the chance to host them at UGA. We even caught a UGA baseball game!
MAY
GOLF TOURNAMENT
Our 12th annual golf tournament allows our members to get to know our corporate partners and inspire some friendly competition! Between sponsorships, player registrations, and silent auction, this year’s tournament raised over $17,000, the highest in the event’s history!
JUNE
"Camp High Five" provides our kids an opportunity to attend camp for a week every year, free of charge, and spend time with kids who may have had similar life experiences to them in a stigma-free environment. Some HEROs members even have the opportunity to serve as camp counselors!
AUGUST
RECRUITMENT
With a new semester comes a new recruiting period! HEROs took to campus for its annual “WOW Week” to show students why UGA HEROs is the best organization on campus for them to get involved in!
GREEK COOKOUT
As a part of WOW Week, we hosted a cookout in front of Creswell Hall to show freshmen what HEROs is all about! Freshmen got to know our current members and got hot dogs for stopping by!
SIGN DAY
For the last few years, HEROs has tried to spread awareness about our organization all over campus by having supportive local businesses telling people to “Join UGA HEROs!” Thank you to all of our community partners and members who made this happen this year!
SEPTEMBER
3RD KID EVENT
Our final kid event of the semester took place in Funopolos in Commerce, GA! Members had the chance to play arcade games, race go karts, and play laser tag!
OCTOBER
TORCH RELAY
Every year, members trek 73 miles from Atlanta to Athens, torch in hand, to show our dedication to our cause and our kids. On the final day of our journey, walkers emerge from their long journey into a room of supportive members and our kids waiting at our Olympics!
OLYMPICS
In October, our yearly Olympics event takes place with our kids and members present celebrate our kids and the hard work of our members. Members take over the Tate Grand Ballroom with inflatables, food, and games to welcome the arrival of the Torch Relay walkers.
NOVEMBER
GIVE A KID A GIFT DAY
For many of us, Christmas serves as a time for joy and rest, but for many, Christmas serves as a painful reminder of what could have been. To help alleviate this concern for many families, HEROs challenges its members to raise $80 on one day—enough to buy a kid one gift they want and one gift they need. This year, we raised over $21,000, which translates to gifts for over 260 kids!
SANTA'S FANTASTICAL
HEROs kids went to Santa's Fantastical, and were immersed in a winter wonderland and surrounded by snow and candy canes! HEROs members had so much fun showing our kids around the winter wonderland in our very own backyard!
DECEMBER
TOTAL REVEAL
To end every year, HEROs members gather to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and see the impact of our work. The money we raised all year will go along to changing the lives of hundreds of the kids we sponsor. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate and who helped contribute to our total!
We do outrageous things, push each other, and work around the clock in the name of changing lives. We not only change the lives of our kids, but our members, who pour their hearts and souls into making all of our kids feel special and loved. Thank you to our members and corporate sponsors for making 2018 one for the books. Here’s to an even better 2019!
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