Posts tagged wall street journal

Yesterday, I had the honor to attend the Wall Street Journal Donor of the Day Gala at the Whitney Museum. The gala, which was sponsored by Oscar De La Renta and Harry Winston, celebrated the philanthropic commitment of people (like myself) profiled in the Donor of The Day section of the Wall Street Journal. If you don’t read the column, I highly recommend you do. Each profile is only a few paragraphs long but they all show the amazing breadth of causes readers of the paper are tackling every day, from eating disorders to boxing style competitions on Wall Street that raise money for cancer. The column profiles everyone from athletes and celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and Mark Teixeira (Sarandon was in attendance last night) to ordinary people of all ages, from 12 to 80.

Stan posing next to his picture on the Donor Wall.

What I appreciated the most about last night’s event was how the spotlight was on the donors and their causes; the purpose of the event didn’t get lost in the glitz and glamour. In addition to a great dinner (and an amazing chocolate mousse desert), the gala featured speeches by renowned artist Jeff Koons and Ernie Allen, director of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), and a private acoustic performance by Brandi Carlisle. See more pictures from the event here

Even though I work on Trip of a Lifetime for the recognition or honor, it is always nice to be recognized. Thanks to the Wall Street Journal for making last night possible and giving this amazing organization the press it truly deserves.

Me and my lovely guest/mother - Helene Kuker Rosenberg

Today, while checking our Facebook and Twitter feeds, I noticed a surprising amount of chatter about Trip of a Lifetime. After looking closer, I noticed an article on MTV Act, a blog by MTV that mentions stories of student empowerment about my efforts with Trip of a Lifetime. Unlike most press coverage Trip of a Lifetime receives, this was a complete surprise to us. This kind of coverage is great, as it shows people are interested in the cause and want to help spread the word as quickly as possible. We hope to continue the success we are having and be picked up by more blogs in the future.

In addition, the article in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal has lead to 135 official Facebook Shares, 35 Twitter Shares, and mentions on NYU Stern’s Social Media Outlets and multiple travel blogs. We are also about to close two corporate partnerships, neither of which would have been possible if it wasn’t for the publicity generated from the article. It is truly humbling to me the outpouring of support Trip of a Lifetime is receiving.

Today, I was featured in the Wall Street Journal for my work with Trip of a Lifetime. As soon as I got the first congratulatory email, I quickly jumped out of bed, eager to read the article for myself. After spending five minutes staring at my computer screen with the article open, I knew something amazing had happened; Trip of a Lifetime finally got its big break.

Before I go any further, I want to give a huge thank-you to all of my founding members: Dustin Alin, Philip Gallagher, Claire Hodgdon, Steven Kline, Josh Kogan, Saket Mehta, and Mitchell Mosk. Three years ago, we all embarked on this journey together, knowing nothing about the non-profit world. It even amazes us how far we have come in this short-span of time. Although it is hard for all of us to communicate about the organization while we are away at college, I still try to reach out to them as much as possible with ideas and feedback for the charity. They may not work as frequently but their influence is still readily apparent in the organization.

This article marks an important benchmark in the history of Trip of a Lifetime. For the past three years, Trip of a Lifetime has been a small nonprofit organization, struggling to gain mainstream awareness and support. But this article has affirmed that Trip of a Lifetime has, and will always be so much more. If my non-profit organization that I dreamed up on the plane ride back from San Francisco four years could be featured in a paper that has close to a million daily readers, anything is truly possible.

Here’s to three more years of success!

- Stan