The rest of the Upward Bounce team...

Meet the rest of the Upward Bounce team:

Kevin Holbrook – Kevin and I met in high school and have been close friends since. Actually, I lied. Kevin is family. Kevin is a proud alumnus of Stanford College Prep/Stanford Upward Bound. In fact, part of the reason why I wanted to partner with SCP was because I saw the success that it had with mentoring Kevin (and a couple of other close friends) during high school. When I approached Kevin with my idea and asked him if he wanted to help, he was ecstatic and instantly started networking and developing action plans.

Kevin was vital in spreading the word of Upward Bounce and also helping develop press releases. With his effort, we were able to get some press for the campaign. He was able to help us get an article written (which would eventually end up on the front page of the Daily News), and he also helped negotiate an advertisement sponsorship with Equinox Fitness, Performance Gaines, and the Daily News, which has helped raise awareness for the cause and led to many contributions for Upward Bounce. Kevin’s efforts have helped make Upward Bounce a campaign that has raised awareness and funds all across the Bay Area.

Kyle Obot – Kevin introduced me to his good friend from college, Kyle. He brought Kyle on board, and his contributions have been immense. Kyle’s ideas and knowledge on how to navigate the social networking world (Facebook, twitter, etc.) has been a huge help. Furthermore, Kyle helped spread the word and bring large crowds to our fundraiser at Mr. Smith’s. He was also integral in getting donations from businesses for our raffle at the fundraiser. Kyle’s efforts and contributions have been vital to the success of Upward Bounce.

Gen Ovalle- I have known Gen since our undergrad days at Stanford. Her enthusiasm for helping others and excitement for Upward Bounce was exhibited immediately in our meetings. She brought great ideas and was our “Facebook Guru.” She helped spread the word around the mid-Peninsula region. She would also make me delicious Chocolate Chip cookies to keep me motivated.

Yesenia Aguilera – Last but not least, my sister Yesenia. She has been a very important contributor to Upward Bounce. She has greatly helped with the fundraising, spreading the word, and helping organize the fundraisers. With her efforts, we were able to get some radio shout-outs from various DJ’s on Bay Area radio stations. She was also very important in helping send out press releases and organizing raffles and fundraisers. Her support and words of encouragement have also been a major help throughout the campaign and training.

These are only some of the Upward Bounce team members that have helped make this campaign successful. On top of their support with the campaign, they were also always constantly sending me messages, texts, calls, and emails motivating me during my training and keeping me focused. Without them, we would not have been this successful. There have been so many people that have helped in many ways, from spreading the word, bringing people to fundraisers, giving donations, giving services, and much more. This has been a great experience and journey because of the unimaginable success that we have garnered. Thank you to everyone who has helped—it touches me deeply that there are so many people out there that want to give back to others and support a cause, such as Upward Bounce. I leave you with another quote that I live by and the Upward Bounce team believes in, in hopes that your desire to serve the community continues:

“Some people see things as they are and say, why? I dream things that never were, and say, why not?”-- RFK