<![CDATA[Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership of Maine - HOBY Maine Blog]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 07:52:54 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[$202,343.28.... WOW!]]>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 06:05:04 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/08/20234328-wow.htmlLast month Amy Davis forwarded an article to me that highlighted the financial impact of HOBY Alumni and Volunteer hours in the past year. The article stated that the value (national average) of a volunteer hour was $21.36.  As an organization HOBY's volunteer financial impact was over $5.6 million!  That got me thinking about our impact here in Maine.  The only data I have access to is what our Alumni have logged on the L4S site.  Here are some highlights:
  • In the past 5 years (how long I have volunteered with HOBY), HOBY Maine Alumni have logged 9,473 hours of volunteer time representing an positive financial impact of $202,343.28! 
  • The 2010 Alumni have given back 2,434 hours since their seminar alone  - that's almost $52K!
  • Finally, our Alumni Board President, Kristi Leclerc has logged the most hours of all alumni since her seminar year in 2008.  Kristi has logged 894 hours which equates to nearly $20k!
I suspect HOBY Maine's actual impact to be significantly higher as I know many of you have not logged all of your hours - or you stopped logging hours after your seminar year.  Please take a few moments and update the L4S site - make yourself a reminder and do it each month - it is another great way to share your appreciation for HOBY.  By logging this information you help HOBY and HOBY Maine demonstrate the incredible impact of our programs, alumni and volunteers!

HOBY has made it even easier by creating a Facebook App for logging hours.  You can find it on our HOBY Maine Alumni FB page on the left hand side - all you need is your login and password.  If you don't have it - email me and I can get it for you!

To read the original article click here: http://election-2008.tmcnet.com/news/2011/08/23/5724678.htm

Keep up the amazing work HOBY Maine! 
Syd

]]><![CDATA[HOBY Maine 2011 DVD ready to ship!]]>Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:14:46 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/07/post-title-click-and-type-to-edit.htmlHey HOBY - I will be mailing out copies of the HOBY Maine 2011 video this week for those of you who ordered.  If you didn't order and would still like a copy there is still time.  Just send me a note with your mailing address and a check for $10 to HOBY Maine 26 Ardsley Ave. South Portland, Maine 04106 and I will drop one in the mail for you.  

It was fun to relive our OUTSTANDING adventure while I was tweaking it!  Miss you all.
Syd ]]><![CDATA[8 years after my HOBY experience...]]>Sun, 12 Jun 2011 11:14:18 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/06/8-years-after-my-hoby-experience.htmlPicture
When I told my coworkers and friends that I was heading to Maine to spend a sleepless weekend with 15-year-olds, the most common response I got was, "Are they delinquents?" Far from it my friends. "Well then, why do you do it?" Allow me to explain...
HOBY found me in 2003 when I was a sophomore in a small Vermont high school. I had never heard of the program before and really had no incentive to go other than someone told me I should apply. I quickly scribbled down something on a piece of paper on why I should be selected and a group of teachers bought it. At the time I was really depressed and honestly did not think I would live through high school. I did not want to live anymore. At HOBY, I was able to check my reputation at the door. Nobody remembered the embarrassing incidents from elementary school or knew how obnoxious I could be... I was actually encouraged to be loud and obnoxious and cheer until my throat was sore. And in return, nobody judged me. I found 60 people that loved me for me.

I went back to HOBY Vermont in 2004 as a Junior Counselor and then sort of fell out of touch with HOBY until 2008 when HOBY Maine found me while in my junior year at the University of New England.  I found it no coincidence that HOBY Maine found me in a similar dark place as HOBY Vermont had 5 years earlier, and at the time, doing HOBY Maine was convenient because it was brought to me.  I took on the role of Senior Facilitator and started Team Purple. HOBY 2008 rekindled my love for the program and there was no doubt that I would stay involved with HOBY Maine.  6 days after graduating from UNE, I moved back into a dorm for HOBY Maine 2009. It was an emotional weekend for me because I knew once it was over I needed to pack and move... not back to Vermont, but to Denver, CO to start my new job. I faced the possibility that may never see these students I had grown to love and respect ever again.

Anyway, long story short I am back in the state of Vermont working full time. It would probably be easier for me to just volunteer with HOBY Vermont, but I would prefer to drive the 4 hours to Maine to work with this group. For starters, most of the staff that works year-round on this program did not have the opportunity to go when they were 15. They were asked to help out and got hooked. They aren't about recreating their HOBY experience as some alumni staff are, but about giving those 43 students the best experience they can. I still keep in touch with my fellow 2003 alumni, but I have made more meaningful connections with students I've met. Not many 24-year-olds think that hanging out with 15-year-olds is a fun time... but I think it's outstanding. I am excited to take on the role of Alumni Advisor so I can cheer you on while you change the world.

(Amiable) Amy Davis
HOBY ME Alumni Advisor
HOBY VT '03
]]><![CDATA[One week ago we met... ]]>Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:06:20 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/06/one-week-ago-we-met.htmlHey HOBY!  Can you believe it has been just one week since we all met at UNE for a life-changing weekend? What are your favorite memories from your HOBY Maine experience?  Share them below so we can relive HOBY Maine 2011 together! ]]><![CDATA[Another year. Another amazing experience.]]>Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:07:35 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/06/another-year-another-amazing-experience.html Returning to HOBY as a junior facilitator is a privilege and honor. As an ambassador, I had a life changing experience. I became a better leader, I became more confident, but most importantly, HOBY gave me a new outlook on life. As a junior facilitator, my life changed in a completely different way.

There aren’t many places in the world where one can witness such an amazing transformation of young adults. I watched as a group of shy, quiet, high school sophomores walked into an unfamiliar setting. I watched as they introduced themselves and made friends. I watched as they struggled through team building. I watched them slowly started to come out of their shells. I watched them become stronger leaders and for me, that experience was incredible.

Every year I return to HOBY I learn something new. This year I learned about a new generation of students. The most recent group of ambassadors at HOBY Maine is a great group of leaders. I have faith that they will all go on to do outstanding things. Programs like HOBY give me confidence that our country and our world will always have strong leaders. As long as HOBY is around, extraordinary leadership will be around as well.

I love HOBY because it’s the one place in the world where I can truly be myself. Sadly, at home, at school, and even around my friends, I don’t act like myself. I act like a dull version of HOBY me. It is something about my character that I need to work on and HOBY helps me with that.

My goal as a junior facilitator was to give the ambassadors an amazing HOBY experience. If I make the slightest impact on just one student, my job is done. 

-Ben Glidden, HOBY Maine '07 Alumni

]]><![CDATA[We helped build this too!]]>Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:24:04 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/06/we-helped-build-this-too.htmlCheck out this article in the Portland Press Herald about the Born Learning Trail at the Northern York County YMCA!  We helped start this work on Saturday - OUTSTANDING!
http://www.pressherald.com/news/day-of-caring-mobilizes-volunteers_2011-06-09.html
]]><![CDATA[One week ago an amazing thing happened...]]>Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:52:13 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/06/one-week-ago-an-amazing-thing-happened.htmlExactly one week ago, on Friday, Jun 3 at 9am, our 2011 HOBY Maine Ambassadors started to arrive to the University of New England for a weekend many of them will not soon forget.  They checked into their dorms, said goodbye to their parents and joined the rest of the ambassadors for cheering and icebreakers.  I expect many of them were pretty freaked out at that point! Most of them did not know any one else there and some of them were away from home for the first time - anxiety was running high. 

A quick introduction to the weekend was followed up by our first guest - Keynote Speaker, Will Nelligan.  Taking a rather unconventional approach, Will immediately gave them a group challenge and they were working on their first skit as groups!  There was no time to ease out of comfort zones - we took them to the edge of the nest and pushed them out... and they flew!  

By lunch time, an outside observer would have thought these young men and women had known each other for days, not hours. The afternoon brought more team building activities some in their small groups, where they were becoming more comfortable and others in new groups to once again push them beyond their new comfort limits.  

At check in the next day we were already hearing comments like, "I wish this experience would never end!"  The morning was spent volunteering at the Northern York County YMCA and the teams worked seamlessly together accomplishing a tremendous amount in a very short amount of time. Ron and Becky from the Y were impressed!  

Group close down that night was intense, with ambassadors speaking of the life-long friendships they had made in just two days and the value of the experiences they had during their time at HOBY. There was a lot of laughter and some tears (good ones). 

As parents began to arrive for the luncheon on Sunday, I was able to hear the other side of the story - of ambassadors calling home during the weekend so energized and excited about their experience.  I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share the HOBY journey with these incredible individuals.  I am so grateful to the staff and Junior facilitators who help create an engaging, safe environment for our ambassadors to explore their potential for leadership and personal development.  In many ways I am ready to put this year on fast forward so we can do it all over again!  

Sydney Clifton - Corporate Board President & Leadership Seminar Chair & HOBY Mama ]]><![CDATA[New Website!]]>Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:02:10 -0800http://www.hobymaine.org/1/post/2011/06/first-post.htmlThanks to Justin for recommending Weebly as a solution for our website design!  Stay tuned for a recap of our 2011 Seminar.  Alumni or HOBY Maine volunteers who are interested in writing articles for our blog should contact Sydney to be added to the site as a contributor!


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