To me, this is one of the major highlights of my grade 11. Once I planned and initiated the service project to help the children suffering from Cleft and Palate, I realised I need to be extremely committed to actualy make my dream a reality; like the surgery; timing is key here. The children suffering from this condition need to undergo the surgery between the ages of 6 to 12 months to integrate well into society. Since my project was delayed by a semester, in my search for the doctor, I had only one semester before I raised enough funds for atleast 10 surgeries in order to make a tangible difference. I knew it would be challenging to accomplish my goal particularly with assignment deadlines closing in and year end exams looming down on us. That makes it Rs.150,000. I knew collaborating with my group and convincing heads of corporate firms is the only way to accomplish this goal. It is going to be an difficult task as this kind of money was never collected by one service project in one semester.
PLANNING
It was great to have Ms. Flynn as a supervisor. She was firm in her guidence but at the same time gave us the freedom to do things our way. She strogly backed me with my idea to get corporate sponsorships and helped us, with the letters to the companies. We decided to have a party to raise funds and we decided to hold it outside school as we needed more people to attend the party as OSC does not permit other school students for after hours parties on campus.
As a team we divided people for various works. Though we were the service with fewer students, each one worked with enthusiasm and collaborated well. Emily and Upanda were incharge of poster which was edited by Dilan in the end. They did a fantastic job. Below is the poster:
While the girls were busy with the poster, we made an appointment with Hilton GM. Devansh and I met the GM, who was very patient and understanding and offerend us best venue for an event like this, Blue Elephant which come ready with DJ turn tables, dance floor, drinks counter etc. I contacted GM of Coca Cola Beverages SriLanka Limited, who once again was fabulous in his response and offered us the drinks and delivery on the day. BBDO, an advertising agency, printed our posters and tickets for us and last but not the least Secure Securities Limted Provided the security guards at the venue. We finalised the DJ who considered our cause and gave us a discount of RS5,ooo, which means he was going to cost us Rs15,000. What amazed me, was the quick and positive response of all those individuals heading these companies and their willingness to help us, help the children suffering from the condition. They support was crucial for the success of our event and and they were, supportive. I learnt that corporates have a program called "Corporate Social Responsibility" or CSR and they want to give back to the society in their own way. My interactions with them helped my personal growth not only in terms of my presentation skills but also in helping me decide that I would like to study management and be a part of the business world.
So, this means that the total cost of the event to us is going to be Rs 15,000. We were hoping for about 100 students to attend and Finally decided to price the tickets at Rs750 per ticket with a free drink.
The biggest challenge we faced was the advertising. We were counting big time on the students from Colombo International School, Asian International School, British School and Elizabeth Moir. However, we were not aware that except British School all others were starting their final exams in the first week of May. We were not given permission to put up our posters in any of the above schools with the exception of British school. This was a huge surprise and I was really concerned as these are the schools with large student bodies but we did not give up. Our team worked together and started hanging posters on electricity poles outside the above schools. We also started calling people we know personally, to bring along their friends to make for the numbers we knew we lost because we were committed to make this event a success.
THE DAY OF THE EVENT - 27/4/2010
I decided to be at the venue early so that we can address any problems that may crop up at the last minute. We pre-sold some tickets but most of our sales happened on the day of the party. The attendence from our school (OSC) was the best and this was no surprise. There were quite a few students from British school. All in all, 80 students attended the event and we recieved good reviews about music, DJ, the venue and the gathering in general, from those who attended. We did have small isues like students wandering into the garden and this is one of the areas that was off-limits. Our security was able to take care of this problem. Our perseverence paid off and palate party was a success.
Between the nine of us we handled the ticket sales and manned the coke bar , while coca cola sri lanka gave us more cokes than we would ever need, Hilton gave us waiters along with the venue and the music rocked. We collected Rs.60,000 that night and after paying the DJ, we had Rs45,000 (will pay for 3 surgeries).
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS
All along I was aware that organizing one event will not pay for 10 surgeries. While the planning for Palate Party was going on, I started writing to some well known Corporate houses in Sri Lanka seeking help for raise funds to support the surgeries of children suffering from cleft lip and palate. Ms.Flynn helped me frame the letters and helped me tremendously by talking to the principal. Companies are conscious about social responsibility and they want to give back to the society they operate in. I was very fortunate to meet these people and have learnt much in the process from them which will greatly help in shaping my future.
Tata Communications Lanka Limited--------------Rs25,000
Work Wear Lanka---------------------------------Rs 7,500
Fonterra Brands Lanka Limited-------------------Rs 30,000
Agni Gas------------------------------------------Rs 15,000
Sai Residences------------------------------------Rs 30,000
Palate Party--------------------------------------Rs 45,000
Additional tickets bought by parents of OSC------Rs 7,500
Total--------------------------------------------Rs 157,500
10 surgeries (15,000x10)------------------------Rs 150,000
Balance------------------------------------------Rs 7,500
REFLECTIONS
The experience of initiating and leading the service along with organizing Palate Party taught me so much along with all my experiences put together. Below are the skills I learnt in the process.
1. Community service is much more meaningful when we actually know the people we help
2. Time Management
3. Corporates can make a difference to the community
4. Handle Pressure
5. Not to be discouraged by hurdles but think of an alternative solution to problems
6. leadership roles are a lot more challenging than what I originally thought
8. Self-Confidence and self-Reliance
9. Team work is all about collaboration and cooprative spirit
After paying for 10 surgeries, we have Rs10,000 to begin our journey with enthusiasm, next year and that I am looking forward to the experience with all of its challenges and learnings.
