5 Questions for a GOTO Alum: Danny Salmon

1. How did you first hear about GOTO?
From my high school and college classmate, Cameron Snaith, GOTO's founder.

2. What were your roles while you were a GOTO volunteer?
I began on the marketing committee and joined the Board when it was first created. I also oversaw the Events committee in 2002-03.

3. What have you been up to since joining GOTO’s Alumni?
I left to focus on a new work opportunity, so that has been keeping me pretty busy. I still live in New York, attend the fundraisers and stay in touch through the volunteers I know.

4. What was your favorite GOTO moment?
Visiting Appel Farm for the first time and overseeing GOTO's first casino night fundraiser before I retired stick out as highlights.

5. Where do you see GOTO twenty years from now?
In 20 cities!

Bonus 1. If GOTO sent you to Arts & Music Summer Camp, what would be your major?
Music, specifically percussion and "beat-making."

Bonus 2. What piece of artwork (song, album, book, movie etc.) best defines you?
The motion picture Die Hard. Like the film's hero, John McLane, I too aim to rid the world of evil with little to no appreciation. John fought international terrorists; I do battle with a messy apartment, which is sort of the same thing.

GOTO on Adina Ba's Blog

Adina Ba is an advocate for citizenship and responsibility. A while back, she started a blog where she could (in her words) "share and disseminate easy ways for any concerned citizen to be an agent of change in their community and the world at large." She interviewed GOTO founder Cam Snaith last week and it's now posted on her blog.

Check out the interview here.

Our Kids Rock

Raven Page (GOTO Class of '03) was just admitted into Columbia University's prestigious College Prep Program. It's competitive. It's rigorous. It's kind of a big deal.

Raven's mom shot us a note letting us know that "it wouldn't have been possible without the support of the GOTO team." That includes all of you.

GOTO's Class of 2009

GOTO New York's Scholarship Committee hunkered down for four hour last Sunday and emerged with recommendations for our Class of '09 scholarship recipients. Twenty-seven qualified kids from 14 different schools applied for scholarships, but we could only choose 10.

As with years past, all ten scholarship recipients are all-stars. There are dancers, artists, photographers & musicians. Most of them come from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan. Some traveled a little further.

One of our recipients recently emigrated from Africa with her family and according to her scholarship profile "while she has had some difficulties learning the idiosyncrasies of our language, she has had no trouble communicating with others through her music."

Trust me. These kids are awesome.

The ten scholarship recipients will be joining our 20 returning scholars at Appel Farm this summer. Once the scholarships have been formally accepted, we'll post complete profiles of the Class of 2009.

Thoughts on the 2009 Winter Gala

It's been about two months since GOTO New York's 2009 Winter Gala, but I'm still blown away by how great it was.

First of all, the Winter Gala was held at Capitale. Have you seen this place before? It is just awesome. I can still remember GOTO's first fundraiser at a little lounge on the Lower East Side by the name of Angel. Angel was nice, but it was no Capitale.

What else stood out to me was the acapella performance by one of our former scholarship recipients. About an hour into the party - in front of hundreds of guests - she took the stage and sang for a few minutes. With no backing band. That take a lot of guts for anyone. Let alone a 15-year-old!

Besides the space and the impromptu performance, it was an all-around great night. The food was great, there were a lot of cool silent auction prizes and the band kept everyone dancing. What more could you ask for?

If you haven't seen them already, check out all the Gala photos when you have the chance.

Late to the game

 So it took us a while to join the blogosphere.  Who cares?  Well ... hopefully a few of you.  

Along with our webpage and our Facebook group, watch this space to keep up to date with all things GOTO.

We'll be starting slowly, but hopefully this blog will become a home for profiles on scholarship recipients & former volunteers, a showcase for fundraiser photos & student artwork and a place to visit for updates on your favorite volunteer-only 501(c)(3) organization.  

So go ahead and bookmark us.  And please come back often.  This blog is for you, after all.