MrAndrewBradley

After a morning news segment with News10 , I was off to Roseville High School as part of Bayside's second Serve Day , a weekend where the church is shutdown and everyone goes out to volunteer in the community. This year approximately 10,000 volunteers completed 150+ projects throughout the Sacramento region. I signed up for and helped with a project at Roseville High School ... we cleared a large and steep hillside of weeds, spread 30+ yards of bark throughout the campus and did some other general maintenance and beautification work. I was on the first of three shifts and we got a lot done in the first four hours, I'm looking forward to seeing what it looked like when it was all done. On Sunday night I headed to Bayside for the wrap up service (and meal) ... pulled pork sandwiches, listening to other volunteers tell their stories, learning what was done all around the community, and even a little ice cream to finish off the night. After Serve Day on Saturday (and two showe...

First for the week in review ... my roommates bought me a McFlurry , evidently they thought I was eating too healthy and needed some more Reese's in my life. On Wednesday I met up with friends for happy hour at Islands before watching Hunger Games: Catching Fire (I suppose we didn't want to go to the movie hungry). On Friday I headed to Lincoln Brewster's "Joy to the World" Concert at Bayside and Saturday met a friend for breakfast at Peg's before heading to Bayside for church, their Christmas Tree lighting, ice skating and dinner with friends at Red Robin . Now to the making a difference part. At the Lincoln Brewster Concert Covenant Kids Congo and World Vision were there. I already sponsor two kids through World Vision, one from Swaziland and the other from Ethopia , I thought that was enough, but then as I was thinking about it, I have so much to be thankful for and in this Christmas season I knew I could do something more to help one more ch...

The Holidays are all about helping people and giving back. I am lucky enough to be part of a company and a church that does just that. Through my office we prepared holiday meals for 25 needy families and purchased a few Christmas gifts, including a Disney Princess bike , for kids who may not have gotten what they wanted from Santa otherwise. I also had the opportunity to head to The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa to help the management team as they prepared an elaborate dinner for the rest of the staff, served at at huge masquerade ball. Not only was it fun, it was amazing to see what goes in to preparing and hosting a three-course banquet for 350 guests. In response to the tragedy in Connecticut I also got calls from Sacramento area media to arrange interviews with Bayside's pastors , Bayside is not a client of mine, but I was happy to help everyone that called me. As part of Bayside's Christmas Services , they donated all proceeds from ticket sales to CovKidsCongo ,...

Last night I had the opportunity to see Unconditional at a special screening presented by K-LOVE and Air 1 . The movie, with some spiritual undertones, was really good with high and lows, a storyline that was compelling and an ending that inspired action . If you're the movie going type, go out and see it . It's not an action thriller or a romantic comedy, it is a great movie with a few great lessons. Like them on Facebook , Follow them on Twitter .

It's a project with a simple mission ... getting neighbors to help neighbors. For the second year I was able to help Convoy of Hope Sacramento with media relations and once again the Sacramento media was hugely supportive of the event. From pre-event coverage in print, online, on TV and on the radio, plus day-of and post event coverage by everyone I couldn't have asked them to do any more. With their help and the help of thousands of volunteers thousands of people in need throughout the Sacramento region converged on Cal Expo to get free health screenings, dental checkups, haircuts, family portraits, tattoos removed, eyes checked and of course take home a few bags/boxes of groceries. It's also a great way for me to prove I can wake up at 2:45 a.m. and buy donuts for volunteers who I ask to be at early morning live shots. Check out Tweets (mainly from me) and pictures below.

It was a busy week and weekend for me. First, I was able to have lunch with friends that I hadn't seen in a while at Smashburger (twice) and The Counter . Friday, I experienced Bayside 's Stations of the Cross. These stations allowed me to quietly reflect on what Jesus did for me and take some time to remember what happened 2,000 years ago. Since I was in the area, I decided to stay for the first of Bayside's 20 Easter Services (yes I went to Easter on Friday) supporting five important causes in the Sacramento region and around the world. The service was great as usual and most importantly allowed me to reflect on the sacrifice that was made and the miracle of the resurrection. After a late night meeting with friends at Yard House , I had the same friends and their kids over for waffles on Saturday morning. Although I was too busy with cooking and hanging out with their seven fabulous kids to take pictures it was fun to have them over. When they left I quickly clea...

I had two events planned this week. A live shot with Chef Mike Collins from The Meritage Resort and Spa at Fox40 on Tuesday and the IABC / AMASV mixer at Lounge on 20 , Wednesday night. It wasn't going to be too exciting, I was going to catch up on reading, relax, sleep lots and maybe get a few runs in over the weekend. Thursday: Plan = gym, work, home Actual = gym, work, Jars of Clay concert at Bayside with Andrew Ripp and Dave Barnes , got email asking me to take over media relations for Convoy of Hope Friday: Plan = gym, work, watch a movie, read Actual = gym, work, Convoy of Hope media outreach, trip to OMG Yogurt for pumpkin froyo, dinner at Burgers and Brew , Matt Nathanson concert at Ace of Spades Saturday: Plan = sleep in, clean house, run, church, read, watch TV Actual = woke up early, did media outreach for Convoy of Hope, cleaned house (more than I thought), got $14.91 at Coin Star by trading in my pennies, nickels and dimes in, church, talk...

  Although I'm not a professional runner, I do enjoy running and exercising regularly. I have known about Team in Training since volunteering during the Wildflower Triathlon while attending Cal Poly , San Luis Obispo . Each year they would bring a hundreds of runners, swimmers and bikers to the event and as part of my volunteering I would set up tents for their team. The Sacramento Chapter of Team In Training , benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society participates in dozens of events each year and currently have some openings for all females wanting to run in October's Nike Women's Marathon . The event is sold out to the public, but if you run through Team in Training, they will get you registered and help you train.  Not only will you help raise money for a great cause, you will get to run by some of San Francisco's most famous sights ... Coit Tower , the Golden Gate Bridge , Fisherman's Wharf and every woman's favorite ... Ghiradelli Square . Altho...

Two weeks ago today, a devastating earthquake struck off the coast of Japan causing a massive tsunami wreaking havoc on property, displaced many and killed thousands. In the wake of tragedy there is one thing that is always certain. Americans and many others from around the world will come to the aid of those hurting and in need.  We sent teams of searchers to look for survivors. Our military brought in emergency aid and water.  Nonprofit groups mobilized to provide food, water, shelter and safe zones for children. Over the last two weeks my church has also been active and helping to support the relief efforts.  Just after the earthquake Bayside Church took a second offering in each of its seven weekend services to raise $85,000.  When churchgoer and restauranteur Taro Arai ( Mikuni ) approached Bayside about hosting a fundraiser they launched the beginning of a miracle .  In ten or so days, they reached out to other restaurants, lined up entertainment , secu...

We live in a nation of discounts, deals, specials, coupons, Groupon and more.  We shop at discount and big box stores. We look online to see if there is a better price.  But what about making a difference?  Are we willing to spend a little bit to help someone?  Are we willing to make a difference? Are we willing to change a life? I got my World Vision Gift Catalog a few weeks ago, I wasn't going to buy anything, money has been tight this year, but then I looked.  I realized that despite money being tight by my standards, I have more than most.  I have water to drink, food to eat, a job to go to, a bed to sleep in.  So I decided to buy the most expensive water bottle and coffee mug of my life.  At $70 each, I know I could have gotten a cheaper one almost anywhere, but no where else can my purchase go to make such a difference. So what gifts will you give this holiday season? Will your gifts make a difference or will they just end up in the ...

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a special event at Bridgeway Christian Church in Rocklin . The event brought attention to the immense problem of sex trafficking not in Cambodia or Thailand , but in the United States , in California and in Sacramento. You see we thought slavery was abolished during Lincoln's time , but sadly that is not the case, it is estimated that more than 500,000 people within the US are being trafficked every day across the US, in fact one mom from El Dorado Hills even told how her daughter was kidnapped and taken into the "industry" before being rescued. All in all, this is not just the stuff we see in movies like Taken it is a real problem and a problem that many are trying to find a solution for. Right now in the United States there are only three houses for people to go to after they have been rescued (many end up in Juvenile Hall for their own protection), the Courage To Be You organization hopes to be the fourth and the firs...

I tried to post something last week on Haiti , but despite having everything typed and ready to go, I just could not publish it for some reason. Now a week after the devastating earthquake I have decided to re-write the post and actually publish it. I was at the gym last Tuesday when the earthquake struck and thanks to the power of Social Media ( Twitter to be exact) I read that an earthquake had struck Haiti and the city was in ruins. Sadly, my first thought, was "I hope Labadee is okay" ( Royal Caribbean 's private beach, it was beautiful when I was there a few years ago and now I am happy to say they are using their resources to help the people in Haiti with food, water and other supplies). That thought was of course before I saw pictures of the devastation or heard death toll estimates . Once I got home and saw the pictures my heart broke, what could I do to help? What would relief organizations be doing to help? How would supplies get into a country in rui...

As many of you know my week started out with expected news, but none-the-less sad news. I and two other employees were the latest laid off from Perry Communications Group . Once I got the official notice, I mobilized my network of contacts and began to do outreach asking everyone to keep their eyes open for jobs that I would be a good fit for through personal e-mails , Twitter and Facebook . On Tuesday I got a phone call to schedule a third round interview (round 1 was an interview, round two was writing an op-ed) for Monday (tomorrow), went to a small career fair at William Jessup , got my Blackberry working and contacts synced with my Google contacts, and calendar and continued my job search. Wednesday I was fortunate to attend an informational event on stem cells and current research at UC Davis Medical Center as part of Stem Cell Awareness Day sponsored by the Northern California chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America . Not only did I get some great food and lea...

It was a fun weekend of family time in Sacramento and Roseville . First my family ( brother's family - aka parent's of my nephew, our parents and our grandma) met at my parent’s house for a beautiful dinner in their backyard under the pergola. Then on Saturday I met everyone in Old Sacramento , where I was a “home town tourist” and we climbed aboard the Sacramento Southern Railroad for a ride down the Sacramento River , with views of the State Capitol , Tower Bridge , the river, the Delta King , Miller Park and of course, I-5 . As a parent on the train told their child, we were riding on “ Thomas the Tank Engine’s ” cousin, I might say it is more distant than that, but it seemed to work for almost every kid, including my nephew, Luke, who loves the Thomas DVDs and playing with his Thomas’ train set. After a ride down the river and some time walking around Old Sacramento we all headed to my house in Roseville for lunch and to hang out before starting the family progressive ...

So, I'm not really a regular Oprah viewer, but I watched today's show since part of it was filmed last week in Sacramento by Lisa Ling . Although it didn't show Sacramento's best side, it showed a real side of not only Sacramento, but our nation. Everyday thousands of American's have no place to call home. Thousands of kids have no place to do their homework , many sleep in shelters , others sleep in tent cities or on the streets. I spent one (somewhat controlled) night on the streets of Sacramento outside of the Salvation Army a few years ago, it was an interesting experience and gave me some perspective on what others are facing, but I honestly have no way of feeling what they feel. I don't have a solution to the problem and I'm not even going to give a suggestion, just remember, this recession has many stories and many faces. Sacramento Bee story from my experience on the streets ... 'It's hard out there' A night on the streets teaches...

Proof that one person can make a difference in the world ... 14 year-old Austin Gutwein's has already raised $1 million for AIDS in Africa through World Vision partnership with the Hoops of Hope program. Hoops of Hope on YouTube

I volunteered at Hope Walks today and although I wasn't feeling the best, it was uplifting to be around others and know that what I and 1,000+ others were doing would help kids throughout Africa and Cambodia . What is Hope Walks? Hope Walks engages the hearts and minds of our children to help others. Through Hope Walks we can bring hope to orphans who, like children everywhere, are deserving of care and simply want to be embraced with love and have a secure future. Hope Walks is more than a fundraiser; it’s an opportunity to learn about the struggles of others, to see how they live, to write notes of encouragement and to plant seeds of hope for the future. Pictures from the event - as you can see we started before sunrise, cheerleaders cheered , people got tattoos and kids made an incredible impact.

The Olympics have started and as the world watches the athletes compete for the gold, many others struggle to get through each day. The contrasts are great, but the hope that each has for a better life is the same from culture to culture throughout the world. Let us for one day, be one world with one dream. Beijing 2008 World Vision HOPE Video

In high school a program called " Every 15 Minutes " came to my school. It showed in a real way that "every 15 minutes, someone dies of an alcohol related collision." Tonight, I was again reminded of an even greater tragedy affecting our world, HIV/AIDS . As you may remember, I wrote about " World Vision Experience: AIDS - Step into Africa " exhibit a few months ago, this time I actually got to go and experience it for myself. I followed the young life of Babiyre, a young girl who watched her father die of AIDS, watched her mother battle the illness and then was diagnosed with HIV. To read more about Babiyre and the tour read this story from the Modesto Bee . To read about the current exhibit in Folsom read this Sacramento Bee story . We may not be able to change the world all at once, but each of us can change the world one life at a time. If you have the resources, sponsor a HopeChild through World Vision or another relief organization . We are so f...

So, I can't really think of anything better to talk about today, then to make sure everyone is paying attention to the links at the right side of the screen. Here is a quick look at just a few of them .... LifeSnacks - my brothers blog, that used to be all about his life, then he and his wife, now it's all about the baby, pictures are posted weekly (if not more often), we are now in week 27 (that's just over 6 months). Carbon Offset Joke - once again from the creator of LifeSnacks, my brother decided to capitalize on global warming and thinking green with joke/product, I have actually seen the prototype, it's pretty cool. Cal Poly's Campus Crusade for Christ and Veritas Forum - Cal Poly has one of the best college Christian ministries I know of with Campus Crusade. It is great to know that it continues follow its mission statement of bringing the Gospel to every student at Cal Poly. The Veritas Forum at Cal Poly seeks to explore the radical and ancient possibi...