Thank you to everyone who helped with a donation!

Thank you to The Grill at Leon Springs for their support in the Parade of Kettles! This Friday and Saturday (17 and 18) I will be at The Grill at Leon Springs from 6-9 pm accepting donations for my kettle. I was also provided with a gift certificate, so on my morning interview with KABB Fox 29 I will announce that the first person to donate $100 to my kettle will receive that gift certificate! (Of course I’ll be bringing Jose from The Salvation Army with me for safety reasons.)

For more information about The Grill at Leon Springs click here.

Tis the season for donations! So who should you donate to? And where does that money REALLY go?

Working in the legal industry a majority of my e-mails, regarding my participation in the Parade of Kettles campaign, have gone to several attorneys and judges. Today I had a well known attorney respond to my e-mail with some information he thought I should share. When I read the information I was speechless. And then … and then I was proud. So now I pass it on to you.

Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross… Salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses. (That’s $74.42 an hour for EVERY hour of EVERY day.)

Brian Gallagher, President of the United Way receives a $375,000 base salary, plus numerous expense benefits. (That’s $42.80 an hour for EVERY hour of EVERY day.) 

UNICEF CEO receives $1,200,000 per year plus all expenses and a ROLLS ROYCE car wherever he goes. (That’s $1,369.86 an hour for EVERY hour of EVERY day.)

The Salvation Army’s Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing a $2 BILLION dollar organization.

Now can you see why the slogan “Doing The Most Good” truly does fit The Salvation Army? Click here to donate to my Salvation Army online kettle.

Today is exactly one week of the second annual Parade of Kettles campaign and the numbers are absolutely amazing! In the first 4 days of the Parade of Kettles campaign, we were able to increase donations by 220% from last year! And no that is NOT a typo.

This morning I went to The Salvation Army to drop off more donations and was told right now we have raised a little over $12,000.00! How wonderful is that?!  A huge thank you is in order for everyone participating and to April Ancira as well. April has raised over $3,700.00 so far on her own and is a motivation for me on many levels. Right now I have raised $502.26 (and yes I am proud of every penny I’ve raised) and continue to try and raise more. From flyers at Starbucks, apartment complexes and restaurants, to my infamous mass e-mails and phone calls, and even going to the mall with my kettle; April has challenged me to try and go above and beyond my normal fundraising tactics to try and help The Salvation Army.

Next week our media exposure will go full force, so we expect to see more donations and raise even more awareness of this campaign. (Tune in to KABB Fox News with Shaun Stevens on the 15th from 7-9 am (we’ll be at Wal-Mart receiving a $50,000.00 check!), WOAI’s San Antonio Living with Shelly Miles on the 16th and KENS5′s Great Day SA with Bridget Smith on the 22nd.)

Thank you again to everyone who has helped this campaign become an instant success! And if you’d like to donate to my online kettle simply click here.

This Saturday I went to Ingram Park Mall in hopes of generating more donations for my kettle. Having little expectations I was excited when I found out that instead of being in front of a department store, I was set up in the center of the mall by Santa! Then to make things even better, KONO 101 was there to help with media exposure, some great tunes and wonderful people to talk to.  (It really is a small world when the radio show hosts remember you from two other events over a year ago!)

The hour and a half I was there went by quickly and I noticed something during that time. There are two kinds of people. One is the person who is happy to help even if it’s just by donating a dollar. This person is usually the person who has their young child put the money in the kettle as well (if they have a child of course). The other is the person who refuses to even make eye contact with you if you simply say hello, and thinks if they pretend you aren’t there then maybe you really don’t exist. After my mall experience, I started to think maybe my fundraising techniques need some creativity.

Over the weekend I created a flyer. My flyer has all the information about the Parade of Kettles and at the very bottom are slips with the website information for people to take and donate to my online kettle. With the help of Starbucks and their community board, I have now started to place these flyers throughout the city. So now what? I don’t want to wait for results, so I’m thinking maybe I should talk to restaurants about letting me stand by the hostess stand with my kettle and a sign letting people know what I’m doing. The sky is the limit. I’m sure I’ll come up with even more genious ideas. Until then, I’m on a roll and it’s all in the name of charity!

Click here to donate to my online kettle.

It has begun! After a wonderful Parade of Kettles 2010 debut party at the Emily Morgan Hotel, the fundraising has officially started. And Mrs. April Ancira has not held back. In the last 24 hours she is now at $2,300.00! How amazing is that?! This year I have devoted myself to The Salvation Army campaign, so in an effort to keep up with April I will take my fundraising to the streets!

Saturday December 4th, I will be at Ingram Park Mall with KONO 101 with my kettle raising funds as the holiday shoppers arrive. And don’t worry if you don’t have any cash on you I’ll have the credit card machine with me. That’s right you can donate using any major card and I’ll even hand you a receipt right then and there!

Click here to view and donate to my kettle.

Click here to view the Parade of Kettles participants on The Salvation Army San Antonio website.  

On Thursday, December 2nd at 6:00 pm, the Parade of Kettles participants will debut their kettles at the historic Emily Morgan Hotel. The debut will be the official kick off to the second annual Parade of Kettles and on that day the online donations can begin. It will also give the public a chance to see which companies and local celebrities will be competing, as well as view the different designs on each kettle up close and personal. 

Last year April Ancira raised the most money. Will she win again? Only time will tell … wait … I mean, I hope not! I refuse to come in second again and with your help I will be just like The Salvation Army and continue “Doing The Most Good!”

Hope to see you on Thursday!

Click here for the Emily Morgan Hotel website.

Last year I was blessed to be a part of the first ever Parade of Kettles in San Antonio, Texas. The Parade of Kettles began as a group of local celebrities or “Who’s Who” along with well known companies each doing their best to raise funds for The Salvation Army. Each person or company decorated their own kettle and had an online donation link on The Salvation Army website. At the last hour, I came in second place to April Ancira losing by $100.00. I’m proud to say I was referred to as The Little Mexican That Could during that campaign.

This year I was asked again to participate and even more well known individuals and companies have joined to make this year even better. With that said, I’m going to need even more help so I can come in first! (On December 2nd we will unveil our kettles and announce the companies and individuals participating. More details on that ceremony will be coming at a later time.)

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I’ll be decorating my kettle. This year I’m going to name it The Little Kettle That Could, slightly changing my nickname from last year. I also plan on creating a few flyers to leave in some local businesses to generate more awareness to the campaign. If you’d like to have a flyer at your place of business, please contact me through the website.

Have a great holiday season and I’ll post more about the Parade of Kettles unveiling ceremony when I have details.

I always say that becoming Miss Latina World is a blessing and a curse. Yesterday was my second year being a part of Fandango and my first year doing so as Vice Chairman. Before my title, I considered myself a giving person. Becoming Miss Latina World, I felt the need to be active in the community and do as much as possible to have a legacy that would make my family, friends, and one day my children proud. And I can honestly say, that’s how it all began.

Yesterday was a reminder of how much my life has changed. For the first time in my life, I feel like everything makes sense. While walking around the room of hundreds of people saying hello and thank you, I had an old man tell me something that solidified my feelings of content. He had to have been in his 80′s and while his hand shook and his cain wobbled, he said to me, “You’re the most beautiful cowgirl I’ve ever seen. And I wish there were more young women just like you.”  We had a short chat and then he talked to me about how he never sees young women doing work like this.

The remainder of the night I had several other board members tell me the same thing.  I’ll admit joining Guadalupe Home was intimidating, since I was new and also significantly younger than everyone. Since then I earned their respect, became Vice Chairman, introduced my amazing cousin to help as well and can honestly say they each have a special place in my heart. And so does Guadalupe Home.

Next month the Parade of Kettles campaign starts and I’ll have another month of trying to support another wonderful cause. Even last week when I picked up my kettle I met a homeless man who was eating a meal that The Salvation Army had given him, and I knew this is where I should be. Meeting people less fortunate, knowing you’re doing at least a little something … it’s so rewarding. Even though I’m in school full time, working part time, and have less to give, I know my extra effort is still just as important. If only I could do more.  Until then, I can just do what I can.

The results are in for The Salvation Army red kettle campaign and I’m pleased to announce that I came in second place! I was able to raise over $1,000.00 in contributions and lost by less than $200.00. I am so thankful for everyone who helped me with this endeavor and supported The Salvation Army, which is a truly wonderful charity that I whole heartedly love.

I may only be 25, however I believe the fact that I came in second place and competed with large companies, celebrities and even the Mayor of San Antonio is a testament that persistance does pay off. I most definitely fulfilled my nickname of “The Little Mexican That Could” and I’m pleased to say that.