Experiences of a rural DJ
Non-profits
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DJ Chris Holman: Posted on Thursday, April 12, 2012 5:27 PM
This week, I have spent much time helping our friends & neighbors at Meadowood. For those of you who may not be from our area or have not read my previous blogs, Meadowood is a volunteer based fire department and training center for our region of Southern New Hampshire. Recently, the fire fighters have reopened the station with a stronger collaboration with the town of Fitzwilliam & there have been other organizational changes too.  MCAFD has two major fundraisers each year. One is an annual Golf Tournament at Bretwood. I just completed a mailing to last year’s hole sponsors & I am hoping for some more individuals & businesses in our community to join. It is $125 for sponsorships. They are also seeking additional gifts for prizes & raffle items. This year’s tournament is on Saturday, June 9. The most important help I am asking for this event is to recruit more players. At $100 a player, $400 per team (and some businesses will match donations, so that could be cut in half), this is a great value for some fun in the sun, with food & the opportunity to win great prizes! | (PDF — 216 KB) |
On Saturday, August 18 is their annual auction at Meadowood. Currently we are looking for donations from businesses & individuals to auction. Please remember that Meadowood is a 501(c)3 & donations are tax deductible. I would like to thank Kellie Williams from Everlasting Invites from Troy for volunteering to work with the organization to help design flyers for both events. We hope that the event will be available soon on Facebook for people to RSVP; we have just created Meadowood County Area Fire Department as a Cause on Facebook, too. On weeks like this when the earth is dry & conditions for fires are dangerous, we especially appreciate the attentiveness of our neighborhood departments. Let’s make sure we support them at all times. If you cannot donate an item or cash, perhaps there are things you can do as a volunteer to help out? The department is currently looking for somebody to help with their website & social media, & always need help with property projects. Personally, I would like to see a grander fundraising schedule put into place to allow the department to do the necessary repairs to the assembly hall to make it accessible by people with disabilities, allowing us to market & host more events locally. Local carpenters, builders, etc. please feel free to offer your services, or at least give us a quote for what you would charge. With its beautiful waterfront location, this venue is ideal for birthday parties, graduations, holidays, anniversary parties, business functions & more.  Additionally, I have created the upcoming class catalogue for Fitzwilliam fire courses, both at Meadowood & the Fitzwilliam Fire Department. Along with many standard classes to be taught during the third weekend of May, there will be additional Wildland Firefighting, Incident Command Structure Courses for officers and a summer long basic firefighting course for people interested in beginning their firefighting training. It is among the most serious & noble of extra-curricular activities, & I support whole-heartedly many friends in departments around the country. If anybody has any questions, would like to volunteer, sponsor an event or take a course, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Although I am just a volunteer myself, there are weeks when I spend dozens of hours & have multiple meetings with members, & I could definitely point you in theright direction. We are always open to new ideas, too, like the possibility of having sponsorships for the fireschool. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated! Deadlines are quickly approaching… |
Benefits, Local Businesses, Fire Department, Fitzwilliam, Fundraisers, MCAFD, Non-profits, Golf Tournament, Sponsorships, Facebook, Auction, Cause, Fire School
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Chris Holman: Posted on Saturday, March 03, 2012 10:18 PM
 For more than twenty years, I have been helping various AIDS Service Organizations (ASO’s) in many states with fundraising, prevention work & community education. In 2012, knowing that on both state & federal levels funding for these organizations will be drastically cut in our area, I have accepted the position of Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Twin States Network.  This non-profit has been serving families & children impacted by HIV & Hepatitis C since 1991, creating supportive connections to help promote healthy living. Unlike other ASO’s, this group does not have an office or the overhead associated with those costs, providing direct services for our clients& is the only ASO to contract with both Vermont & New Hampshire. For the first time since its formation, Twin States will be creating an Annual Fund Drive, attempting to compensate for funding changes to keep important programs like Kids Camp, Male Talk & other direct services continuous. Many other ASO’s primarily focus upon drug users & men who have sex with men, whereas Twin States has programs for infected women, magnetic couples (one is positive), & for the children of the families affected.  Our goal this first year is to raise $25,000to be able to keep all programs running. We have created various charter funding levels (we can use anything & everything), but what I am primarily asking for in this blog are business sponsorships of $500. Business sponsorships will be the partnerships in the community that we hope will offset these changes in our funding to help continue to provide opportunities for the families impacted by HIV/HCV. Sponsors will get the following benefits in 2012: Inclusion in quarterly newsletters & on event advertising (as time permits) Recognition of sponsorship at special events Half Table at Business Expo National Coming OUT Day (10.13.12) at Keene Courtyard Marriott Two Tickets to our World AIDS Day (12.1.12) Dinner & Dance at the Brattleboro American Legion
This initial solicitation is a tedious process, particularly because it is being largely organized by people with a background in social services rather than business & there are many issues regarding client confidentiality that limit how we can approach potential sponsors. Also, it is an organization that has run for more than two decades without having the geographic advantages & recognition of an office. We have many needs & plan to have an online auction later this year, so items donated or services in kind are always welcome, including gift cards & toys for our annual holiday drive. Perhaps there is only a single event you would like to sponsor? Event sponsorships for either the Business Expo or World AIDS Day event are also available. Please contact me A.S.A.P. if you are interested in participating in either one. TSN is a registered non-profit & can provide you with information upon receipt of your donation for your tax records.  Want to help, but limited to how to apply funds without being linked to contraceptive education & GLBT causes? Ask to have your $500 sponsorship be applied to the cost of providing one child the benefit of camp this summer. So often we tell children not to have secrets, & in this case we do the exact opposite. These children often become caretakers of their sick parents at an early age, seldom getting the vacations & reprieves their peers do. For $500 you can give one child the memories of a lifetime with two weeks at a premiere campground in our area that is matching camperships donated! This money needs to be raised by the beginning of May. I think that Twin States Network is a great organization & I am happy to be able to help coordinate the two grand fundraising events for National Coming OUT Day & World AIDS Day. I shall add an additional page to this website, like I had published for this same GLBT Business Expo we did in 2010 to also benefit Twin Peaks; I am grateful for the help of Holly Rilling from Edward Jones who will be returning as co-chair for the event & will help coordinate our sponsors in Keene. To attend, we ask for a donation to help kick-off our holiday drive to get gift certificates & toys for children affected by HIV/HCV. We are also looking for volunteers to help with both events, particularly by serving on various organizational committees (fundraising, special events, social media, secretary for the board, etc.). We are slowly building our online presence & encourage everyone to link with us on Facebook, Linked-In, & to check out our website. Any help spreading the message in this blog is greatly appreciated.    Until there is a cure for AIDS, we need to be wary that the information that we have learned, as well as prevention skills, are continuously being shared with the community. Despite medical advancements that have made this a more manageable disease, infection rates continue to remain high; one person in the U.S. is infected every 8 minutes. Please ensure that these individuals continue to receive these important services by supporting the great work of the Twin States Network today. |
Benefits, Local Businesses, Upcoming Gigs, GLBT, PRIDE, Brattleboro, Non-profits, Camp Takodah, Cheshire YMCA, Sponsorships, Business Expo, World AIDS Day
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Chris Holman: Posted on Tuesday, April 05, 2011 6:14 PM
  I do much volunteer work throughout the year, which includes a third of all my DJ work. My favorite community organization is the Cheshire Y. With offices based in Swanzey, this non-traditional YMCA operates Camp Takodah in Richmond, a day camp called Hornets Nest, New England and American Heritage Tours & other amazing programs in the area.  I began my experiences at Camp Takodah in 1987 as a Cherokee in the original Cabin 17 with a Greek cabin leader, Nick and my second years was with a New Yorker named Troy.  I returned to camp as a counselor in 1995 as a cabin leader for the Penacooks. All of my memories of the camp, Cass Pond, Elwell Chapel, and all of the wonderful events are among some of my favorites. I stayed the extra week for mini-camp that year, working with many neighbors that volunteer to help younger kids with the introduction to camp. It was at that time I learned how greatly we could affect the whole world by the amazing things that happen locally...   There were two young boys who had recently moved to the US to seek refuge from the Bosnian war. One of them was placed in my cabin and spoke very little english. To see him become integrated into the activities of the camp throughout the week was amazing and heart warming. One evening we had a strong thunderstorm and I had to comfort him while explaining that it was weather and not an attack. At the week's end, his parents thanked me graciously for having taken such good care of their son, while he thanked me by giving me a Republic of Bosnia flag. Many summers I spent at fun recreation programs provided by Fitzwilliam & Troy, but the amount of activities & abilities one can learn at camp is indescribable, & often not covered under municipal liability (boating, archery, etc). Please take a moment & check out the Cheshire YMCA website, sign up for playing or sponsoring the Golf Tournament & join our Cause on Facebook. SharePeople often ask me how I can spend so much time & money helping these important charities & I think it all comes down to each day's decisions. Of all of the benefits I do, I consider this organization one of the most dear to my heart. The people of the Cheshire Y have been part of my life for twenty-five years & I am very happy to be able to give back to the community by helping them and the hundreds of children they affect each year. tomorrow's festivities at 7 PM. |
Benefits, Local Businesses, Upcoming Gigs, Fitzwilliam Inn, Fitzwilliam, Fundraisers, Non-profits, Camp Takodah, Cheshire YMCA, Golf Tournament, Sponsorships
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CJ the DJ (Chris Holman): Posted on Sunday, March 06, 2011 3:09 PM
Fortunate as a child to be raised on the same road as Meadowood County Area Fire Department, I have witnessed how important it is for a community to help each other in times of need. MCAFD is a volunteer non-profit privately funded fire department and training center located in Fitzwilliam, NH. Generations of my family have played various roles in the department’s history. My father has been a member for forty years, and my parents had their marriage reception at the Assembly Hall thirty five years ago this past Valentine’s Day.  The members of the department have are a large part of my life and I have many memories of fire schools, auctions, spaghetti dinners, and more. Last year I enjoyed researching some of the history of the department, and learned about an aunt that sewed the first curtains and that my grandfather used to be one of the first janitors after special events. It is with this knowledge of how large of a role this non-profit venue has played in my family’s life that I am happy to create a new Super Special Deal to help raise money for the Meadowood County Area Fire Department. For $400, you can rent the upstairs of the building for graduations, birthdays, retirement parties, baby & bridal showers, and other non-alcoholic events and get up to four hours of entertainment by CJ the DJ. By discounting my services, $150 will go directly to MCAFD, doubling what they would normally make for an event while you save $200 from my regular DJ costs. It also saves you $75 from what a normal local event plus rental would normally cost… If you would like to use the downstairs and kitchen, there will be additional costs. Early reservations are recommended. To check upon the Assembly Hall’s availability, please call Winston Wright at 603-209-1367. To check on CJ the DJ’s availability, please call me at 603-852-6185 or send me an email to cjholman@hotmail.com . Working together, we can make a big difference supporting our hometown community organization. |
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