The pulse of Alexander Interactive

During the month of November everyone awaits their Thanksgiving tradition. Whether it’s Turkey mid-day or takeout at dinner time, it is a time to be with loved ones, reflect and give thanks. This month we also decided to give back.  And Ai showed up. BIG.

Although usually camera shy, I gladly posed in front of what seems like a delivery for a mid-sized NYC bodega. However it is 564 food items donated by Ai-ers during our Thanksgiving food drive benefitting Urban Pathways (UP). With me are Jennifer Leao, committed staff member of UP, and Ora Timbers, a formerly homeless New Yorker who lived at Ivan Shapiro House – one of the residences Urban Pathways supports. Ora is now in her own apartment in the UP scatter site program with a permanent part time job in UP’s development department. Food drives free up budget dollars, allow for increased critical services and help Urban Pathways have more success stories like Ora’s.

The Ai food drive was scheduled to run from November 8^th to 28^th.  As our 1^st food drive, I was prepared to accept 150 cans as a success. It was a satisfying surprise that we more than tripled our goal.

We got off to a very slow start with no can contributions the first days. Once the race got going, the Front-End Engineers took an early lead.

The last week the competition got tough.

On November 22^nd, the Management Team + IT pulled ahead. They continued with a solid pace, courtesy of a genius strategy (i.e. boxes of food delivered from Amazon). At the last moment, the Front-End engineers won back their victory as half of the team trekked to a nearby grocery store returning with over a 100 cans in one trip.

The winning Front-End Engineers are below in all of their glory. Congratulations to them on a big win and to everyone who participated for having a positive impact on the lives of homeless this winter. We tip our proverbial hat to you!

As I prepare for an upcoming charity weekend, I thought it an apt time to reflect on and share some of the remarkable events we’ve been involved with recently.

In May, Chief Experience Officer and cofounder Josh Levine, his wife Paulina, and 20 fellow ai’ers strutted the streets of New York City with March of Dimes’ March for Babies. Team Levine raised over $40,000 this year, bringing its all-time total to an inspiring $125,000 towards preventing premature births and finding solutions to the problems that threaten our babies. It was a memorable experience for those who were able to join on walk day, and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.

Jess Levy, Senior Project Manager, had a busy summer with a mud run raising money for the National MS Society and Fight Gone Bad, a charity workout benefitting the U.S. Armed Forces Special Operations community. She also participated in Long Island’s Ovarian Cancer Walk.

As a committee chair of the Young Professionals Board of Urban Pathways, I assist homeless New Yorkers increase their likelihood of living independently. I co-hosted a breakfast at Ivan Shapiro House, a residence for formerly homeless, mentally ill New Yorkers, to kick off our series of social events and am back at it this week with a card game night (I’ve been honing my strategy at War).

But this month, whether you’re shopping, watching football or just walking down the street, you’re bound to notice a little more pink around town. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM).

Every three minutes a new case of invasive breast cancer is diagnosed. Although survival rates are on the rise, every 13 minutes a life is taken by this terrible disease.

Throughout this month, Ai is doing its part to help decrease those figures.

This weekend I will be staffing the two-day, 39.3-mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer as thousands of dedicated walkers trek from Pier 84 to Randall’s Island and back again.  The money raised provides access to care and funds research leading to a cure for breast cancer.

Later in the month, Jess will also join the cause at Barbells for Boobs benefiting Mammograms in Action (MIA). MIA is a non-profit organization that provides screening and early detection tools for low-income and uninsured women and men.

Whether raising funds, awareness, or simply remembering the importance of self and annual exams, Ai invites you to join us in the fight against breast cancer. For more information check out the NCBAM’s website or the American Cancer Society.