"Soulja Boy" Rapport (2/1/09)

How do you build instant rapport with 300 middle school students in a Westside Chicago Public School? Why, do the Soulja Boy of course! Before a Character Counts! Assembly at Kellman School in Chicago, a few of the students had heard that I was a dancer. Instead of asking to see ballet turns or proof of flexibility, they first wanted to know: "Can you do the Soulja Boy?".

For those of you estranged from the pop music scene, "Soulja Boy" was a hip hop song that swept Top 40 radio stations two summers ago with its catchy lyrics and "How To" YouTube dance video. I spent a good hour with that video and have taught dozens of people (I kid you not) how they, too, can participate in the craze.

I never in my wildest dreams thought that my pop culture prowess would have come in so handy. After dancing to an acapella version rapped by the students, the group erupted with applause and I couldn't stop smiling. I had earned a small piece of respect and the students showed it to me in their attentiveness to my presentation.

While I didn't do any dancing, I did have a great time at Jane Addams Jr. High in Schaumburg. The students and staff were so welcoming to me and I love the emails I've received from so many of their students!

I've been so thankful to have worked with Children's Miracle Network and Children's Memorial Hospital on multiple occasions this month to help promote a number of their events! I flipped pancakes in their cafeteria to help promote a preview to IHOP's National Pancake Day and visited children upstairs to sign autographs and take pictures. I got a sneak peak at the auto show during First Look for charity and helped Children's Memorial sell raffle tickets and effectively double their earnings from last year. A HUGE thank you to Morgan, Jenny, Angela, Erin, & Beth! I so admire the work you do and am proud to call you friends. :)

Valentine's day was a whirlwind for me and I started it out in Aurora with Triple Threat. Triple Threat is an organization dedicated to empowering urban youth to develop confidence, character, and life skills and I was proud to help out at their basketball tournament! I handed out awards, took pictures, played bags, spoke a little Spanish, got a tattoo! (washable, I promise), and called out numbers in a Valentine's version of Bingo. The volunteers and organizers there were nothing short of awe inspiring and I thank Caleb and his team for sharing their passion for the kids with me.

I ended the night at the Zebra Ball in downtown Chicago to raise awareness for Carcinoid Cancer. This was a beautiful, black tie event that included a silent and live auction, dinner, dancing, and a few words from yours truly! It was a wonderful Valentines Day and I'm happy to spent it with the dedicated volunteers at the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation.

Until next time! KT :)