Joy Starts Here
10th Anniversary Celebration
Share a Story Today, Whereever You Are
Since our birth as a little storytelling group in September 2009, The Best Day of My Life So Far has always been a warm and loving community where strangers become friends, and friends become family. Our first participants got it right when they called our storytelling sessions “Partytime.” Inspired by the positive spirit of our founder’s grandma, we choose joy no matter what life brings our way, through the good days and the bad.
In 2019, we are thrilled to celebrate our 10th anniversary with you, and we want to dedicate the entire year to empowering and celebrating you. We believe in your power to create a ripple of joy for the people around you, and impact your local community – one story at a time, wherever you are.
It’s fun and easy to participate: use our listening tips to reach out to one or more older adults, and do it often. Submit each story you hear with the storyteller’s permission with this form.
This is not a competition, but a community project where all of us play on the same team. All submissions will be eligible for inclusion in our inspirational Library. Get your friends involved too, by sharing our submission form on your own social media tagging @bestdayofmylifesofar #joystartshere with a little summary about our mission and how you hope your community can benefit.
10-City Tour and Philadelphia Event Series
Outstanding sites in 10 cities, led by outstanding staff representatives, have been chosen to be our 10th Anniversary Partners. These sites will lead the charge, so you can draw inspiration from 10 diverse communities and find lessons that apply to yours. We will spotlight these cities and the people making a difference as the year goes on, and share some of their stories with you. We will wrap up our year in style with a Celebration Event Series in November in our birthplace, Philadelphia, PA.
Follow @bestdayofmylifesofar and subscribe to our newsletters so you don’t miss out on exciting tour and event updates!
January
Galloway, NJ
Site: Stockton University Main Campus
Ambassador: Megan Foti, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
February
Atlantic City, NJ
Site: Stockton University AC Campus
Ambassador: Megan Foti, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
March
Philadelphia, PA (Best Day’s Birthplace)
Site: Philadelphia Senior Center
Ambassadors: Julie Nelson, Center Manager, and Caitlin Cieri, Best Day group facilitator
with
Site: Center in the Park
Ambassadors: Renee Cunningham, Executive Director, and Cleo Smalls, Director of Programs and Engagement
April
Bloomfield, NJ and Hillside, NJ
Site: Bloomfield College
Ambassadors: Carolyn Spies, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor of Psychology, and Zachary Aidala, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Honors Program Director
With
Site: Hillside Senior Citizens Center
Ambassador: Mary Dawkins, Director of Senior Services
June
Murfreesboro, TN
Site: Stones River Manor
Ambassador: Kirkland Mason, CEO
July
Bellevue, WA
Site: T-Mobile Headquarters
Ambassador: Jennifer Wicklander, DELTA Business Operations Manager
August
Pitman, NJ
Site: United Methodist Communities at Pitman
Ambassador: Sharon Yesner, Volunteer Coordinator
September
Exeter, NH
Site: RiverWoods Exeter
Ambassadors: Stephanie Raymond, Health Services Quality Manager, and Liz Aldred, Life Engagement Manager
October
October – Ewing, NJ
Site: The College of New Jersey
Ambassador: Keli Steuber Fazio, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies and Department of Public Health
Call for Sponsors
Our anniversary plan is set, but the content and format of our November event, and the depth of our impact in our 10 anniversary cities, will be refined based on the amount of sponsorships we are able to get and who our sponsors are. Please let us know if you are a business who can sponsor our Anniversary in any way, whether it is with funding or with a donation in kind. You don’t have to be in one of our 10 featured cities to participate.
We will recognize you with social media and newsletter mentions or in-depth features, proportionate to your sponsorship level – which you can easily share with your local community, wherever you are. If you are donating-in-kind products or professional services, we can feature them in our raffle or silent auction at our event. If your sponsorship is substantial, we can find a creative way to feature you prominently at our event and work your products and services into our celebration activities. As a permanent token of appreciation, we will also name your company a 10th Anniversary Sponsor on our Donor Wall. If you are donating products or professional services, we can feature them in our raffle or silent auction at our event.
To chat more, simply email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org and we can create a sponsorship package that suits your mission and goals.