shoulder pads + depeche mode + you

Hi Team,

Greetings from week two of my new job. So far so good: I have fun people to eat lunch with, am really loving my 12 minute walk to work, and my cube is near lots of big windows. I am slowly getting the hang of the Convio language (there are lots of acronyms and words I don't understand... so I just discretely write them down when people use them, then look them up on the company Intranet when I'm back at my desk... then try to incorporate them into conversation at least once the day I learn them, Clueless style).

Although I miss my colleagues at RCRC and lunching at the Juice Joint, I think this change is suiting me well and look forward to reporting about my adventures when I venture to Austin next week. Stay tuned!

Alas, I am writing about something totally unrelated... the PLANNED PARENTHOOD 80s PROM! I have alluded to this before, and recently changed my Facebook photo to an ad for the prom. So you know it must be important. This is the scoop:

I am working with the Planned Parenthood Metropolitan Washington Young Professionals to put together an 80s themed prom to raise money for the Planned Parenthood clinics in the DC area. The tickets are $40, can be purchased online, and include an OPEN BAR, lots of delicious hors d'oeuvres, and an evening filled with all the 80s music you could ever want. I have created a little list of reasons why you should come to the prom below and hope that at the end of this post you are fully convinced and hop on over to the PPMW website to buy your tickets.

You should come to the prom because...

• PPMW provides, promotes, and protects health. Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington serves a REALLY important role in the community. In fact, PPMW provides quality, affordable reproductive health care; promotes education that empowers individuals to make informed reproductive choices; and protects the right to make those choices. Sounds important, right? Well, it is.
  
• I am planning it. Yes, I am on the planning team. You should come to the prom because I'm asking you to! Remember all those times that I came to your events and took photos? And clapped really loudly for you? And wore a good outfit and made conversation with your dog trainer? This is a time when I am guilting you into coming to one of MY events.
• Wild and Crazy BIRTHDAY. I am turning 27 the day AFTER the prom, and as I am a child of the '80s, I feel the prom is the perfect place to celebrate my BIRTHDAY. Last year we crafternooned together, this year we will Electric Slide together.
• Music from the '80s is the best music for dancing. This is an undisputed fact. Which basically means the Prom will be the most fun night, ever. The DJ that we've hired for the event put together a sample play list which includes A-Ha - Take On Me, Culture Club - Karma Chameleon, Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough, Modern English – Melt With You, Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me, The Clash – Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Go-Go's - We Got The Beat, and The Vapors – Turning Japanese. If that list is not enough to convince you that the prom will be a night to remember, I don't know what is.
• Remember when you went to the prom? You were most likely 17 and perhaps couldn't really let loose because you were in high school and therefore insecure. Here is a photo from when I went to the prom (and my very handsome date, Todd R., hi Todd!). SO the people at the Planned Parenthood 80s prom will be social justice activists and therefore really welcoming to all crazy 80s outfits and dance moves you choose to showcase on the dance floor. All judgment will be checked at the door (except for the people who don't come in 80s themed garb... I will judge you).
• The outfits and frizzy hair. I don't know about you, but my hair is ALWAYS frizzy. And I try to attend as many 80s themed events as possible so that my halo of crazy curls will be considered stylish as opposed to socially inappropriate.
  
• A bargain. The prom is really a great deal: $40 buys you an OPEN BAR, some delicious food, a chance to boogie with yours truly, and endless hits from our favorite decade. This is significantly less money than you'd spend on a night out (or so my friends who actually go out tell me, we both know I am usually asleep by 9:30 and have no idea what nights out cost).
• An all star cast. The people who will be there are really fabulous people. So far, I know that Hanaa R., Alex M., Rebecca G., Sarah and Erik R., Sara F., Bill S., Rebecca B., Katey Z., Beth K., Robin W., Julie F., Adam G., and Meredith S-H. will be in attendance. With a team of dancing stars like that, you will NOT want to miss this shindig.
  

So, now you've heard why I think you should be there. But I'd love to hear from you--why are you coming? Why will May 7, 2010 go down in prom history as the best prom fundraiser...ever? If you've already bought your tickets, tell me why in the comments section below.

PS: Help us spread the word! Here are some easy ways to publicize the prom:

• Make a new friend at the grocery store! See that throwback "March for Women's Lives" button on your fellow shopper's bag? Invite him or her to the prom!
• Use your Twitter and Facebook statuses to direct people to the ticket buying page. I even created a "Tiny URL" for just this purpose: http://www.tinyurl.com/PPMWprom. Splash it all over your social media empire and let the world know you love the 80s and reproductive justice.
• Change your Facebook icon to an ad for the prom. We've created a smaller version of the flyer above which can be downloaded here.
  
• Consider donating some precious real estate at the bottom of your e-mails to a prom ad. I used a service called WiseStamp to add the info to my gmail signatures and am quite pleased with the results.
• E-mail a few friends and consider making an evening of it! Pick a fun pre-prom dinner destination (there are lots of great places within walking distance of the venue) and take cheesy prom-esque photos with corsages before you arrive.
• And most importantly, set a good example and buy your tickets now! We can and will leverage the power of peer pressure to sell lots and lots of tickets.