Rock The Boat Basin: 07/30/09

Tickets go on sale today for GOTO New York's 2009 Summer fundraiser, "Rock The Boat Basin." There's a lot to like about our upcoming party.

1. It's being held at the 79th Street Boat Basin, which New York Magazine describes as "the Upper West Side's unofficial summer HQ."

2. There are three affordable ticket options ($35, $55 & $65) for "Rock the Boat Basin." The two cheapest options will only be available during our pre-sale period.

3. All event proceeds go towards sending GOTO's talented scholarship recipients to camp.

What's not to like about that?

Buy your tickets here. Visit the Facebook event page here. Learn more about GOTO's mission here.

5 Questions for a GOTO Kid: Joseph Gordon '02

1. What did you like most about Appel Farm Arts & Music summer camp?

The thing I liked the most was the family-like environment that was created. Everyone was accountable for everyone and there was very little conflict. Everyone got along and it was easy to make friends.

2. What were your majors?

My majors were always music (either concentration in piano or saxophone).

3. What are you up to now?

Right now I'm attending Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm majoring in Business and Minoring in Music (concentration in Piano).

4. What are your plans for this summer?

My plans for summer is to be playing at different churches, participate in a few sporting competitions in football, baseball and track. Also, learning to drive a stick shift.

5. Who’s your favorite artist or musician?

I don't really have a favorite musician or artist.

Bonus 1. What do you want to be doing ten years from now?

I should be working and have my PhD in Music and Masters in Accounting and working up the corporate ladder to Chief Financial Officer and starting a music school/studio.

Bonus 2. What’s your favorite activity that does not include arts or music?

Playing baseball, football, soccer and any sport that keeps my interest.

Memories of Appel Farm

To give all of gosince01's readers an idea of what GOTO's current campers are experiencing, we asked Alex Akulov - a former GOTO scholarship recipient - to walk down memory lane for us. Here are Alex's memories of his first week at Appel Farm ...

I arrived to Appel Farm two weeks late for the second session. I was welcomed to camp with a poster made by my 6 soon to be bunk mates and great friends. I remember getting a tour of the camp, and thinking "can't wait to go in the pool." I remember unpacking my things and then going to get lunch with my bunk buddies.

I especially remember the one hour of quiet time after lunch. Most of the people in my bunk didn't really have "quite time." We had as much fun as we could. We played our gameboys, some cautiously jammed on the guitar, and other wrote letters back to their parents. Thinking back, one of my favorite parts of the day was receiving letters and emails from my family and friends.

I know all the GOTO campers await a lot of fun!

Camp Begins

A handful of GOTO New York's scholarship kids pushed off for the 1st session of Appel Farm Arts & Music Summer Camp this morning.

As always, there were a few tearful parents. But the kids were all smiles.

The bus ride from 34th and 8th to Elmer, New Jersey is a long one. But our kids will forget all about it as soon as they set foot on the Farm.

(NY to Appel Farm)

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Back to Camp ...

The first session of Appel Farm's 2009 camp season begins on Sunday.

Some of GOTO's kids will be returning to rekindle old friendships. Others will be arriving for the very first time. But for all of our kids, Sunday will be the start of a very special month.

For a look at what's in store for GOTO's scholarship recipients, check out this Facebook Photo Album of 2008 Appel Farm Camp Highlights.

5 Questions for a GOTO Supporter: Chet Safian

Chet Safian has been a friend of GOTO since our very first days. Long before that, he helped establish Princeton Project 55 in 1989 to engage Princeton University's alumni in addressing critical issues affecting the public interest. Ten years later, he started The Alumni Network to develop similar alumni organizations at colleges across the country.

Through this outreach initiative, Princeton Project 55 has partnered with alumni from Princeton and 14 other institutions to inspire, support, and share best practices with the goal of increasing the number and impact of alumni-driven public interest organizations.

Here's our Q & A with Chet ...

1. What was your 1st post-collegiate public service experience?

My first public service experience after college was teaching a summer course to a group of rising seniors at the public high school which I attended.

The course centered on the interpretation of the first four pages of the Bible (through the Cain and Abel story) and how it has been interpreted in various disciplines. Among others we read "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck (a novelist’s approach),"City of God" by Aquinas ( a religious thinker's interpretation), "The Dragons of Eden" by Carl Sagan (a scientists approach); etc.

2. How has Princeton Project 55 evolved since it was launched in 1989?

The main change in Princeton Project 55 over the past 20 years is that it is now a multigenerational organization with members coming from many different classes and not just the Class of 1955. Less than 1/3 or the board of directors come from the Class of 1955 and the past two presidents have come from younger classes.

3. How has your involvement in Princeton Project 55 effected you personally and/or professionally?

Aside from my family, PP55 has been the most rewarding, the most interesting and the most productive aspect of my life. I believe that I have benefited much more from the organization than the organization has benefited from my efforts.

In addressing and exercising my civic responsibilities through PP55, I have learned a great deal, have met hundreds of fascinating and talented people of all ages, and have achieved a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction unmatched by my other endeavors.

4. Do you consider yourself artistic? In what ways?

Other than enjoying some facets of art, I have absolutely no artistic talent. I cannot sing, dance, paint, sculpt, play a musical instrument, act, etc.

5. GOTO's 1st scholarship recipients are just entering college. What advice can you give to a student who wants to balance their studies with on-campus public service? How can they make the most impact on their community?

The most important thing a student can do is to use their special interests and talents in a productive way. If you are interested in music, then use that interest and your abilities in the public interest sector.

Balancing study and public interest work in my judgment is not a balance but collaboration. Your studies will help you understand the needs of your community and how you can address them, and your community activities will help you better understand what you are studying.

A science major who works to improve the environment on campus will learn both from the work in the classroom and work in the field. An English major writing a paper on Charles Dickens and working with the disadvantaged will benefit from and enhance both activities.

Life is not broken into separate and distinct compartments. The Bible, for example, is literature, history, ethics, science, psychology, morality, religion, and involvement with the public interest!

A Summer Fundraiser Retrospective

We're 6 weeks away from GOTO's big summer party (7/30/09 at the 79th Street Boat Basin), so we thought it'd be fun to post a slideshow of our favorite pictures from GOTO's first 3 summer events.

For our first summer party (August '01), we classed it up in the garden of the Merchant's House Museum. A jazz band serenaded a few hundred GOTO supporters and we were joined by Appel Farm founder, Albert Appel.

The following year, we traded the jazz band & Merchant's House for steel drums & the Peking. Docked at the South Street Seaport - and with a capacity of close to 600 "passengers" - the Peking was an awesome outdoor venue for us. We were at the Peking for four summers in a row. Everyone had fun on the Peking.

Except the guy who tried to climb the 170 foot mast and got arrested ... true story.

Enjoy the photos!

Top Ten PRACTICAL Reasons to Volunteer

As part of our partnership with the POLO Ralph Lauren Foundation a few years ago, we submitted the following "Reasons to Volunteer" for use on their website. We think it still holds up, but you be the judge ...

In theory, there are dozens of compelling reasons to volunteer: altruism, giving back, building your community, etc. But intellectual arguments aren’t quite enough to get some of us off the couch, so here’s a list of reasons that might hit a bit closer to home:

Top Ten PRACTICAL Reasons to Volunteer:

1. Because how many more Saturday morning trips to Pottery Barn can you really tolerate?
2. Because you’re temporarily smarter than the kid whom you’re tutoring, and that boosts your self-esteem.
3. Spend less time with your boyfriend while avoiding the hassle of breaking up.
4. Because the paltry wage that you receive at your paying job is little more than an insult, anyway.
5. Another job = another water cooler = another set of opinions on reality TV.
6. Free donuts.
7. Studies show that women are more likely than men to volunteer, and those odds are hard to find elsewhere.
8. After your 80 hours of court-ordered community service, you’re already in the habit.
9. Because you know you have a novel in you, but it can’t be called “Decent Grades in College and the Reasonably Comfortable Life That Follows”.
10. Everyone knows that Superman is the only guy who gets paid for saving the world.

5 Questions for a GOTO Alum: Dana Deluce

1. How did you first hear about GOTO?
I learned of GOTO through Cameron Snaith, Founder. We had met through mutual friends in high school and college in Canada and then reconnected in New York City in 2001 when we had both moved there after graduation.

Cam shared his plans for GOTO and I was anxious to get involved with a young organization focused on enhancing the creative lives of New York city kids.

2. What were your roles while you were a GOTO volunteer?
I served on the Board for five years. I focused on managing the volunteers, filling roles, outlining job descriptions and general planning for New York expansion.

3. What have you been up to since joining GOTO’s alumni?
While in New York, I attended some of the events as a guest. I moved back to Toronto in the Fall 2008 and have remained in contact with GOTO Members and follow their progress and successes through their frequent communications. I've also turned many of my New York friends into loyal event attendees in my absence.

4. What was your favorite GOTO moment?
As I volunteer, my favorite moments were the scholarship recipient events when we awarded our grateful kids their camp scholarships. The excitement generated and the resulting personal growth we saw over the years after they attended camp was the highlight of my time as a volunteer.

And of course the rate at which GOTO has grown. From the first small scale event in 2001 to the huge gala events now held, it has been amazing to see where the organization has gone and how many volunteers and children have benefited from being involved.

5. Where do you see GOTO twenty years from now?
I see GOTO expanding to many more cities (hopefully Toronto where I now reside). Now more than ever, young people are looking for ways to give back. The mission of GOTO will remain relevant as young people continue to seek out ways to get involved, help out and join a like-minded philanthropic community of awesome people. Hopefully some of the scholarship recipients in 15 years will circle back and get involved knowing firsthand how GOTO has shaped their lives as creative individuals.

Bonus 1. If GOTO sent you to Arts & Music Summer Camp, what would be your major?
I would love to do drums because I love percussion and would also love to reconnect with my childhood love for dance - specifically ballet or tap dancing!

Princeton Project '55 Turns 20

GOTO Boston Scholarship Outing

Our volunteers in Boston recently got together with their scholarship kids for a sporty outing in the park.

Here's the Flickr album of the day's events:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/28099412@N08/sets/72157619457372618

GOTO in the PAW

The Princeton Alumni Weekly recently profiled GOTO for their Weekly Blog.

The piece does a nice job of summarizing our 8-year history in a few short paragraphs. You can check it out here.

5 Questions for Grotesk

Grotesk (aka Kimou Meyer) is a Swiss- born artist who moved to New York City in 1999. He studied at the art school Le Cambre in Brussels, has worked with fashion guru Marc Ecko and is the Creative Director at Zoo York. He also designed the iconic cover art for The Cool Kids' 2008 album, The Bake Sale.

Grotesk recently agreed to a short interview with gosince01 and has some words of wisdom for GOTO's kids as well ...

1. How were you inspired to take up street art?

I think I am not doing street art. I am doing illustration inspired by the street. I am not trying to put my artwork in the street just to make it "street" I walk all day long to take photos that inspired me for illustration/projects.

2. How has living in New York City influenced your art?

New York inspired me for many thing. The first is the energy. You have to hustle every day in order to stay on the top of your game. There is so many talented people in New York that you have good visibility in the creative mass.

This pushes you always to come up with an evolution in your work, new challenges. You can't just sleep on one thing you did once. New York also inspires my work for color, themes, exhibition, food, friends, fashion, drama,etc...

Not one week happens in New York without some crazy shit going on.

3. Who are your major creative influences today?

Children's books, eastern Europe vintage posters, Mexican art, New York streets, 90's hip hop, my friends and kids.

4. What advice would you give GOTO's young artists who want a career in art or design?

Work as hard as your body can take it for few years, be patient and aware that a "style" comes with many year of practice and that first of all when you're a designer you need to learn how to communicate the same way the baker learn how to make bread.

Study the history of art and design to be aware of the culture and what has been already made. Also avoid to design straight in the computer until your ideas are as strong as a rock on a nice sketch book.

5. If GOTO could send you to arts & music summer camp anywhere in the world, where would you go & what would you study?

I would probably go to a beautiful place like Cuba and go in la Habana to study silk screen with old Cuban masters of posters and then study salsa percussion at night.