Wednesday, August 25, 2010

New Blog Home Sweet Home

Posted by Alexis/Taxi

Well, the ning community was a good one. We liked it...but they have changed policies so that there is no free option. In light of the fact that we still need to find quite a bit of $$$ to buy Graydon Springs, Elise & I decided to move away from ning & keep this online community free. We have moved to a facebook group for the community part & the blog is here now. i spent a bit of time moving the blogs here so that we did not loose our story.

One of the benefits of blogger is that we can earn a bit of $$ by using this site! Soon, I will "monetize" this blog. This simply means that there will be ads on the site that we will earn a few pennies everytime someone looks at the blog & even more pennies anytime someone clicks on the link. Every penny helps!

I have more updates to post...but no time to type them right this moment. Do you feel the suspense building?!

I hope that you  will come back often & comment often as well.

See you all soon!
-Alexis/Taxi

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

And Now for the Morning News

Originally Posted on the ning site by Alexis Webb Bechtold / Taxi on July 7, 2010 at 8:47am

Last Friday I had a meeting with President Todd Parnell at Drury. This was exciting to hear the real story of if they were interested in Graydon Springs. He confirmed that they did pursue a partnership with Good Samaritan to be able to use the property as a lab. Good Samaritan said no thank you. Drury then came up with a proposal that involved creating something similar to Heiffer International. Good Samaritan again said no thank you. So, they just kind of dropped the pursuit.

We are now talking to the group that put together this proposal. President Parnell said that he liked our ideas...we just need to be able to buy the property. So, we now get ready for some fun meetings & brainstorming! Any ideas or thoughts, let me know.

Let's get this rollin'! Woohooo!

ORIGINAL COMMENTS:
Comment by Alexis Webb Bechtold / Taxi on July 8, 2010 at 8:26am
Update: Becky (Batty) & I will be meeting Regina Waters, Tracy Sooter & Darla (I don't know her last name) from Drury Friday at 11am. Please let us know if you have any thoughts on this meeting. Thanks!

15 Seconds in an Elevator & More!!!

Originally Posted on the ning site by Alexis Webb Bechtold / Taxi on June 26, 2010 at 10:05pm

If you only have 15 seconds in an elevator with someone, what do you tell them about what we are trying to accomplish?


[elevator doors open & GSOL supporter enters]
"What floor are you going to?"
"3 Please"
"What have you been up to lately?"
"My friends & I are a non-profit interest group looking to purchase, protect and promote the historic Graydon Springs Resort in Polk County, MO. We want this 220 acre plot of land to be a resource for education, families and healthy living for future generations of Ozarks families."
"Wow! That's amazing! What can I do to help?"
*DING* "Oh, this is my floor, but I will email/call/text/send you a postcard/skywrite you with more information...oh & we need donations!"
[end scene]

Becky, has done a wonderful job word-smithing this statement. Please feel free to use it as needed - that means tell everyone you know!

We have a lot of meetings getting lined up with possible organizations to partner with GSOL & to find funders & friends (see my next blog)! Lot's of people are asking what they can do...get the word out! Please let me know if you have questions of what to say, who to say it to or what to do when people say they would like to help. We are in the "Make New Friends" stage and of course we want to "keep the old". Now, you can't get that song out of your head, which means you need to go & talk to people!

Talk to you soon!
-Alexis/Taxi

Planning & Meeting & Signing

Originally Posted on the ning site by Alexis Webb Bechtold / Taxi on June 15, 2010 at 8:30am

Good morning GSOL!


The summer heat & the crickets in the evening remind me of all of the fabulous memories of Wakahni...which leads me to thinking of my Legacy that I want to leave...GSOL is where I want to be! Can you feel the excitement?!

Things are kicking up again! Here is a quick list of happenings:
■GSOL Articles of Incorporation will go in the mail as soon as Becky & Laurie Thomas sign them (the paperwork is currently signed by the Webb girls & is located in KC - must travel to Spfld to the Thomas' hands - then to the mailbox).
■I am setting up a meeting with Drury's President Parnell & hopefully the VP Radecki. This will be to discuss partnering or at the very least support in our project. I plan on brainstorming ALL possibilities for partnerships since GSOL is in its infancy & Drury is a huge name. If you have ideas of how GSOL can partner with Drury, PLEASE post it here or message me ASAP. Remember, this is brainstorming time, so no idea is a bad idea - those ideas can lead to the most awesome ideas ever. Please share them as you think of them. Don't wait! Now is the time to shine!
■Drury's President Todd Parnell would be an excellent person to have excited about GSOL (he was friends with my dad also). Check out this article about him . Notice his involvement in Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, Missouri Clean Water Commission and is a trustee of the State Historical Society of Missouri.
■Once the Articles of Incorporation are sent in, I will contact the current owners of Graydon Springs, Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, and discuss our plans & any possibilities they may see viable to their organization & GSOL.
■We still need to be thinking of fundraising ideas. Again, no idea is a bad one! Let your creativity flow!

Fun in the summer sun! Let's get this going & leave one awesome Legacy for the Ozark generations to come! Wahoo!!!!

See you all soon!
-Alexis/Taxi