The Generation Project's summer launch tour--sponsored and hosted by Rugby Ralph Lauren--made a stop in the Windy City Wednesday night at the Rugby store in Lincoln Park.   Over 75 guests enjoyed an open bar, catering from Chicago landmark (and Obama favorite) Minnie's, shopping incentives and, of course, the opportunity to become a philanthropist by designing gifts for kids in low-income areas.  As always, the Rugby store employees's energy and enthusiasm helped make the event a tremendous success.  A special shout-out goes out to Rugby associate (and theatre aficionado) Zach, who was so inspired by our mission that he created a $75 gift for low-income Chicago students to attend a play in the city.    Some other gift highlights from the Chicago event included:

• -$30+ to purchase a Magic Johnson jersey for a high school varsity basketball player who writes an essay on "why passing is more important than shooting."  (Full disclosure: this was from my old college point guard, Kyle Konwinski, who takes that maxim to heart)
• -$40 to help students "win at trivial pursuit for life" (through the purchase of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader books)
• -$60 to help students recognize their creative capacities by attending a show at Chicago's famous Second City Main Stage 
• -Two gifts of $100 for students to start a vegetable garden
• -$200 for running shoes for a high school track team
• -$500 to start a forensics team in Detroit, Michigan
• -A $1000 college scholarship for a high school sophomore who has demonstrated leadership and academic excellence.  This gift is meant to simultaneously expose students to the college admissions process early, and to give the winner motivation to finish high school on a strong note.

In addition, our Chicago event was a high-water mark in terms of fundraising for The Generation Project--thanks in part to a generous $2,500 gift from the Chicago-based law firm Baker & McKenzie. Now, after three successful events in DC, New York, and Chicago, our launch tour takes a short break before continuing in September with events at the Rugby stores in Boston and San Francisco.   As always, your minimum $25 donation directly funds a gift you design, and gets you an open bar, free food, and a chance to win one of three shopping sprees from Rugby Ralph Lauren!  

Login to our community section to see the full list of gifts, and check out our photo gallary from the evening after the jump. For DC pictures, see our earlier blog post or head on over to the Rugby blog and check out their gallary; for NYC pictures, check out our blog post here. More...

The Generation Project's summer launch tour--sponsored and hosted by Rugby Ralph Lauren--made its second stop in New York City Wednesday night at the Rugby store off Union Square.   Over 100 guests enjoyed an open bar, a buffet spread, shopping incentives and, of course, the opportunity to become a philanthropist by designing gifts for kids in low-income areas.  New York City donors took full advantage of the opportunity to flex their creative muscles, as befits a city that was named one of the five best for artists in the world.  Some of the gift highlights from the New York City event included:

• -$25 for a "Build a Robot" kit
• -$40 to teach young men "How to Meet Girls" (through the purchase of poetry books for school libraries)
• -$60 for a butterfly-growing kit for an elementary school class
• -A $200 annual grant for a young person that wants to change their neighborhood for the better
• -$400 to launch a program where high school juniors and seniors tutor younger students
• -$400 for a fully customizable electronic "Jeopardy" set for a high-need classroom
• -$1000 to send 1 or 2 inner-city kids on academic summer enrichment programs 

 And judging from the event, chess is the new hotness in NYC.  Motivated, perhaps, by the Rugby store's proximity to Washington Square Park and the New York City "Chess District," at least eight donors designated their money to go towards a chess tournament and chess education in one or more Bronx schools! 

The launch tour's next stop is in Chicago this Wednesday at the Rugby store (1000 West Armitage).  As always, your minimum $25 donation directly funds a gift you design, and gets you an open bar, free food, and a chance to win one of three shopping sprees from Rugby Ralph Lauren!  

Login to our community section to see the full list of gifts, and check out our photo gallary from the evening--and read about the surprising identity of our $350 grand prize shopping spree winner--after the jump. For DC pictures, see our earlier blog post, or head on over to the Rugby blog and check out their gallary. More...

The Generation Project's summer launch tour--sponsored and hosted by Rugby Ralph Lauren--kicked off with a bang Wednesday night at the Rugby store in Washington, DC.   Over 120 guests packed the store and enjoyed complimentary cocktails, appetizers, and the opportunity to become a philanthropist by designing gifts for kids in low-income areas.  By the end of the night, guests had individually and collectively designed over 70 unique gifts at various dollar amounts for high-need students.  Gift highlights included:

• -$25 to bring "School House Rock" back to classrooms
• -$75 to teach kids about physics, light, and the history of science using hands-on materials
• -$100 to send an inner-city student to see the play "Wicked."
• -$350 to fund a screenwriting competition and give the winner all the necessary equipment to film their script
• -$540 for whiteboards and graphing calculators for math teachers

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Tags:		launch tour, rugby, the generation project, ralph lauren, dc, cocktails
Categories:		D.C. | News
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