What have Lonestars been up to this summer? Pt. 2: Jessica Humphreys

This summer I studied International Marketing at ESCP Europe: Paris, France for the entire month of June. While studying abroad this summer, I also had the privilege to visit Istanbul, Turkey; Riems, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; London, England; Munich, Germany; Madrid, Spain. I have favorite pieces of each place I visited and really enjoyed having Paris as my home base.

Also this past semester, I competed in L’Oreal’s Brandstorm Competition where we developed a strategic marketing plan for L’Oreal’s Lancome Travel Retail Sector. My team of three won the national competition on May 8th and got to compete at the International competition level on June 18th. I was actually living in Paris during that time and was able to take a few days off of classes during the week in order to compete. The competition involved a lot of hard work in preparation, but provided me with invaluable experience.

What have Lonestars been up to this summer? Pt. 1: Jennifer Byrnes

Out of everything that I've done this summer, my absolute favorite memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life was volunteering as a camp counselor at Camp Spike 'N Wave. This is a camp for kids aged 8 to 14 living with epilepsy. The campsite, Camp For All in Burton, TX, holds week long camps all summer for kids with various disabilities, illnesses, and hardships. 

As a first-timer to really any kind of summer camp, I was anxious and a bit nervous about what to expect. The first day I arrived was a training day for all of the counselors which included seizure first-aid as well as bonding and team building activities among the entire staff. Arrival of the 100-something campers quickly approached where I met my cabin made up of 9 eleven-year-old girls. They were so shy and timid at first but I knew that would quickly change. Every day was filled with early wake up calls to loud music, amazing food, multiple trips to the MedStaff room for medicine, singing loudly everywhere we went, and awesome camp activities. Our days were packed with fun events like water day, a ropes course, horseback riding, canoeing, a camp dance, a talent show, a casino night, and a pool party, to name a few!

The most amazing thing about camp was watching my campers blossom and make so many friends. This is the only place in the world where they can go and feel extremely normal since everyone there is also dealing with epilepsy. Having seizures at camp is no big deal, whereas having one at school or anywhere else in public might be a little frightening. At camp, every one can do everything, despite any challenges or obstacles one might face. The last day quickly approached, leaving me with many tears, 9 newly acquired little sisters, and a new outlook on life. I was truly blessed to a part of such a life-changing week.

Congratulations to Our New Exec Board!

Election season is officially over for Lonestars and we're proud to announce our brand new round of officers! These girls are each so enthusiastic about their position and are excited to improve Lonestars even more this coming year. Last year's team definitely left a lot to live up to!

Get ready, because these girls are about to bring a whole lotta fresh ideas your way:

President: Kelby Salinas

Vice President: Kelsea Sadler



Service Chair: Montana Moore



Spirit Chair: Alexa Turney



Social Chairs: Jackie Vo and Olivia Berkeley

 

Project Princess Director: Rachel Wheaton



Treasurer: Nicole Zarate



Secretary: Shelby Middaugh



Publicity Chair: Darby Smith



Historian: Laura Bowman

Alumnae Relations Chair: Jessica Humphreys

Date Dash

Our social chairs surprised our members by telling everyone slightly before Friday that we would be having our Date Dash at Austin's Park n' Pizza! If you have never been there, you are definitely missing out! From rides to rock climbing to a buffet to go-karts, Austin's Park n' Pizza was a perfect choice for this year's Date Dash. 

 

Lonestars and their dates enjoyed the buffet before heading off to mini golf, go-kart races, laser tag and other rides. Thank you to Jen and Natalie for planning this awesome event!

Boutique Day 2014

The day we work so hard for every year has come and passed successfully! This past Sunday, March 23rd, was our Boutique Day, where we help over 150 high school girls find the perfect dress and accessories for their upcoming Prom.

When girls come for their appointment, they are greeted with a Personal Shopper (a Lonestar) and together they find dresses among our several racks. After trying on dresses and finding the one, the dress is taken for alterations if necessary. Then, Lonestars and our high school girls take pictures at the photobooth, snack on some delicious cookies, and pick the perfect pair of shoes and jewelry to match their dress. Girls also have the option of getting their hair and makeup done.

Abby and her mom helping girls pick out the perfect pair of shoes.

Alterations at work.

Girls can also enter raffles to win cool gifts such as a pair of Kendra Scott earrings, a Chili's giftcard, and more! Special thanks to all the businesses in the Austin community who donated because without their donations, we would not be able to hold these raffles. Lastly, girls can enter a short essay contest and win a discount on their Prom ticket. 

Tala posing at the photobooth with two high schoolers she helped.

We are so thankful for all the hard work and dedication our Project Princess Director, Matty Scott, and her committees devoted to make this event such a success. We would also like to thank the Texas Spirits, Lonestars' family members, and other volunteers who helped make Boutique Day run so smoothly!

 

Kelli, Rachel, and Laura helping with the photobooth.

Jen, Lauren, and Natalie taking a break and posing with props.

Madi and Carly rocking the Check Out table.

Jamie and the high schooler she was a personal shopper for.

Natalie and Brook organizing jewelry.

7th Annual Project Princess Benefit Concert

Above are our Project Princess Director and Committee Heads

The concert we've been planning for finally arrived! Last Thursday, February 27th, Texas Lonestars hosted our 7th Annual Project Princess Benefit Concert at El Sol y La Luna. This year we had the amazing opportunity to have Brendan Flippo opening for the wonderful Brandon Rhyder.

 

 

Our Benefit Concert was a hit! We raised a lot of money for Project Princess and had a great time doing it. Thank you to everyone who came out and to our amazing Project Princess Director Matty Scott and her Fundraising Committee Head Jessica Humphreys for this successful event! Y'all rock!

Project 2014

Yesterday Texas Lonestars participated in UT's Largest Day of Service, Project 2014. The Project brings out over 2,000 volunteers of students, alum, and people in the community who want to help. This year, Lonestars volunteered at Sanchez Elementary where we put down soil to prepare for planting flowers. We all had a great morning helping out East Austin and can't wait to volunteer again next year!

We also entered the Project's photo contest, so help us win a $250 grant by liking our picture here.