Powering Our Programs: Spring Fundraiser @ Tufenkian

Earlier this month, on May 19th, Powering Potential Inc. held its annual spring fundraiser. 39 people in total showed up to show their support for Powering Potential's important development work and 18 people contributed even though they could not attend the event.

This year's venue was the Tufenkian Artisan Carpets showroom, an elegant and spacious space populated with high-end carpets. Big thanks to them for their generosity.

Food and entertainment were provided by Curious on Tanzania. After a brief update on Powering Potential's recent accomplishments, guests enjoyed traditional Tanzanian music, food, and dancing. 

We also hosted a silent auction featuring a wine tasting class by Corks on Columbus, as well as traditional Tanzanian bracelets, necklaces, and fabrics.

Other donors included Curcio & Cohen, Xeniapp, Lyric Chamber Music Society, Serena Hotels, and more. We couldn't have done this without their collective support, so send them some positive energy on our behalf. Thanks, donors!

Also a huge thanks to our super-official Certificate of Appreciation recipients Henry Seggerman and Georgia Allen. These two have been an incredible resource for Powering Potential in several different ways, from helping us find grants, editing videos, organizing events, bartending, and introducing us to valuable contacts. Their work makes our work possible.

Left to right: Henry Seggerman, Denis Petrov, Georgia Allen, and Janice Lathen

And HUGE SUPER EXTRA-SPECIAL KUDOS for Denis Petrov, longtime friend of Powering Potential. Denis has been with us since the start, providing insight and expert guidance every step of the way. He served as a member of Powering Potential's board until stepping down in March of this year. We presented him with a commemorative plaque to show our appreciation for his caring and committed service.

Thankfully, he will continue on as an adviser. Thanks, Denis! Nobody could ever replace you!

So I'm sure you're wondering: how did Powering Potential do, income-wise? Well, we're pleased to say that, after expenses, we raised +$19,400! Special thanks to Barry Segal for his continuing generosity.

As always, we are humbled and thankful for the generosity of our supporters. This money is destined to make a positive difference in the lives of Tanzania's most vulnerable populations. Thank you!

o o o 

Swahili is the language of Tanzania. The following African proverbs are another taste of the beautiful language:

Heri yako heri yangu.

Your happiness is my happiness.

Bega kwa bega.
Shoulder to Shoulder.

Guest Post: Zack @ TechDay New York 2017

NY TechDay: April 18th, 2017

That person looking corny up there is me, and that shirt is one of maybe three button up shirts I own. It is one of those fancy synthetic shirts designed to be breathable and non-absorbent. I used to wear them a lot when I was in the Peace Corps in Tanzania. It was very hot over there, and also very dirty, so having a shirt that didn't absorb sweat was great. They are also easier to clean. (This is a big deal when you have to carry every gallon of laundry-water you want to use.)
I'm wearing it in this picture because I tend to sweat when I get nervous. I flew into New York just two days prior, and now suddenly I'm in a very bright building with a population greater than the town I grew up in. Keep in mind that I spent most of my days like a mushroom or nesting rat, burrowed away in the dim hole of my apartment, typing. Mere eye contact makes me uncomfortable, much less fake smiles and sweaty handshakes.
What I'm trying to make clear is that this is not my element. I was shocked when Janice offered to fly me out to NYC for this event. I thought to myself — doesn't she know? Can't she tell from our phone conversations that I'm socially defunct? Of course I believe in the program, and I want to do everything I can to help Powering Potential spread their valuable work — the two years I spent in Tanzania made me a lifelong advocate of development work — but this?
Well, here I am: freshly resolved to make a positive difference in the world.

Probably going to have myself an anxious vomit, thanks for asking. Oh, please no — did I forget my business cards? Wait, they're right here. Whew. Breathe, Zack. Breathe. You got this.

Oh, lord have mercy...

The place was huge. It reminds me a little of the vendor building at the big annual event of my childhood, the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee (which is as backwoods-redneck as it sounds). That's where they sold things like raunchy t-shirts, custom license plate covers, hand-held massagers, and cheap knives and lighters.

The only difference being that here, the vendors print their names on the cheap crap and give it away for free to anyone who happens to wander by.

Really, Clif Bar? They're like that kid that's always getting perfect scores and ruining the curve. I'm over here setting up my $20 Kinkos sign, and they've got freaking ping-pong. I tried tweeting at them from Powering Potential's Twitter — hoping, like a meager parasite, to benefit from an association with a well-established brand — but they ignored me. Jerks.

As the event started to wind down, and long after I'd given away all my business cards, I took a quick stroll through some of the other exhibits. After a few minutes they all seemed to smudge together into a blur of self-promotion. Here is something pointless related to the internet of things. Here is a gadget that will flash emojis and hideously invade your privacy. Here is something the CEO describes as the new Uber, except for something that isn't taxis. Here are one, two three apps that you can't believe you've lived without. Please take a complimentary corporate-logoed keychain, stress ball, or beer koozie.

At what point does our right to pursue our self-interest end, if it ever does? Sometimes I feel like America (among other Western nations) is too isolated from the realities of the world. There was nothing in that warehouse that I hadn't managed to live without for my entire life, and yet there it all was, loud and exuberant and well-lit by fluorescent floodlights. 

There are people in the world who aren't having their basic needs met. There are people in the world who are having their basic needs met but aren't being given the education needed to make that basic-need-fulfillment self-sustainable. Do I really need to be able to order a picnic through my phone? Do I really need another program that links together all of my various social accounts? Do I really need another beer koozie?

My little nonprofit booth may be small and goofy, and we might not have free stuff or flashy banners, but it's something I'm proud to put my name on.

P.S.: Big thanks to The Yard for sponsoring Powering Potential's TechDay booth -- we wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise. Also a big thank you to PPI Board Member Milt Finger for offering to pay for Zack's travel expenses. We have the greatest board members, don't we, folks?