Photo developing time!

Alright ypBers...time to develop those photos! Gather all the pics you took while on the scavenger hunt and bring them with you on Thursday for the prize ceremony. Note: the more creative you are with the display of your pics, the more bonus points you earn! Make a scrap book, glue the pics to a poster board, make a collage...you are only limited by your imagination here! And FYI, Walmart will print 4x6 pics directly from your memory stick/card of your digital camera in one hour for only 19 cents a piece! At that price, how can you NOT print out your pics?!

And don't forget the most important part...the clue sheet! Bring your answers to the Chili Pepper in Cocoa Beach this Thursday no later than 6:30pm to be eligible to win great prizes!

Legislative Awards!

Alright scavenger hunters, this is your very last weekend to visit all those galleries and eateries and answer the clues! They are expecting you, so don't let 'em down! And remember to get that film developed so you can bring your pictures on Thursday for major bonus points!

We would now like to switch you attention over to a civic matter. ypB fully supports young professionals getting more involved in politics and happenings in our community. Now is your chance to show your support for some strong advocates for business. The Brevard County Council of Chambers presents the Legislative Awards June 26th at the Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place beginning at 7:30am. Click HERE to see the flyer and to RSVP.

We would like to see a good YP turnout for this event. The cost is only $5, so if you can spare the time, then make your presence known to these local political and industry leaders. Let's show the rest of Brevard that YP's are active and engaged in our community!

Make a difference!

The Volunteer Committee, co-chaired by both Brandon Percy and Kim Carpenter, held its inaugural meeting on Monday June 18, 2007 with members Jonathon Krauser, Grady Marshall, and Kristin Johnson in attendance.

This initial meeting was held to brainstorm possible community service events where YP’s could volunteer their time. The Volunteer Committee would like to provide a variety of opportunities to all YP’s by offering community service events at least once a month.

Volunteer Committee co-chair, Brandon Percy, had this to add, "By increasing our volunteer frequency, we hope to spread the word that YP’s are out there making a positive difference in the community, and hopefully we will gain some name recognition in the process."

We here at ypB are very excited that the Volunteer Committee has stepped up their game! We also hope this excitement is contagious because the Volunteer Committee needs your help! They have brainstormed some ideas of their own, but they need to know what you want to do. Do you have any volunteer events you would like us to hold? Do you have a favorite charity you would like to see get a little TLC from ypB? Please let us know your ideas by leaving a comment below, or by sending Brandon Percy an email at bpercy@esinc.cc.

ypBuy!

We are currently in the initial stages of launching a new program to go with our new website. ypBuy! will be a virtual shopping mall where ypB members can view business advertisements and take advantage of special discounts only available to us! Currently we are looking for businesses to participate in this partnership and we would like your input. Do you know of a business that would be interested in participating? What businesses would you like to see on our list? Where do you like to shop, eat, play? Leave us a comment below!

Also, don't forget tonight is the Membership Committee meeting at Charlie and Jake's in Suntree from 5:30-7pm! We will be sitting outside in the "front porch" area, so dress for the weather!

Art demonstration this weekend!

For those of you that have taken a real shine to our Scavenger Hunt, why not take your culture to the next level with a painting demonstration? A world-renowned American impressionist whose works have been acquired by the likes of billionaire Donald Trump and director Ron Howard will hold a free art demonstration for residents this weekend.

Robert LeBron will discuss the techniques used in his paintings during a demonstration at the Palm Bay Community Center this Saturday. The cultural demonstration will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the community center, located at 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. LeBron is known for using only a palette knife with oil paint to create works centered on urban street life along images of day-to-day Americana.

LeBron, a New York native, lived in Puerto Rico before becoming an artist. He developed his palette knife technique in Spain. For more information call 952-3443 or visit RobertLeBron.com to see a gallery of LeBron’s artwork. Article from Florida Today.

To do this week.

We hope this weekend proved a success for all you scavenger hunters out there! Here are some of the eatery signs you might've seen on your travels across Brevard:

Looking for something to do after work on Wednesday night? Why not come to our Membership Committee meeting from 5:30-7pm this Wednesday, June 20th, at Charlie and Jakes in Suntree. The goal of the Membership Committee is to conduct and monitor membership building programs and efforts. We focus on developing strategies for membership recruitment, creating new member welcome packages, monitoring membership application process, greeting new members and following-up with potential members, among other things. We need your help to make ypB a thriving community! All those interested please email info@ypBrevard.com for more details!

Also, Emerging Leaders (EL) is having their "Third Thursday" this week at 6pm at The Avenues' Pizza Gallery. Join them for free pizza, networking, and socializing, and find out how you can help volunteer for the United Way of Brevard. RSVP for this event by calling Frank Barger at 631-2740 or via email to emerge@uwbrevard.org.

And one more thing for today. Brevard Zoo is bringing back butterflies June 16 to July 31. The butterfly house will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will feature a variety of butterflies for your viewing pleasure including queens, monarchs, gulf fritillaries, and a variety of swallowtails, sulphurs, skippers and potentially luna moths. Also on exhibit with the butterflies are beautifully-colored turaco birds. So show your support for our fabulous local zoo and take a trip into Viera for the afternoon!

Happy Father's Day on Sunday!

Alright ypB hunters, we're entering the third weekend of the Cultural Arts Scavenger Hunt, so gas up, buckle in, and head out to soak up some art! It's still not too late to join in on the fun! Visit our website (http://www.ypbrevard.com/) to download a copy of the map and questions. You could easily knock out the entire sheet in one Saturday if you are diligent!

As you all probably already know, Father's Day is this Sunday, the 17th. Father's Day was initiated by a woman named Senora Smart Dodd from Spokane Washington while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Her father, Henry Jackson Smart, had raised Sonora after her mother died, and she wanted him to know how special he was to her. Her father was born in June, so she chose that month to celebrate the new holiday!

ypB thinks Father's Day is a fantastic idea, and we would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all you YP fathers out there that are doing such a good job. So here is a little tip on how to diaper a baby from Jimmy Piersal in "man" terms:

Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then, fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher's mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again.

Have a great Father's Day everyone...and don't forget to call!

Turtle walk!

Tonight from 8-11pm, a small group of ypBers will get a chance to witness something very few of us have seen in real life...a sea turtle crawling her way onto Melbourne Beach, digging a hole in the sand, and laying her eggs. This exciting opportunity has been brought to us by Hubbs Sea World Research Institute.

Some of you may remember their informative talk at Red Lobster, Merritt Island a few weeks ago. HSWRI is a non-profit organization dedicated to using science and technology to advance positive change in marine mammal ecosystems. VP for Florida Research, Dr. Duane De Freese, describes Brevard county as "perfectly suited to build and sustain a world-class center for marine and coastal research." We should all feel lucky to live in a community that is so environmentally conscious.

If you missed out on this opportunity to witness sea turtle nesting, don't fret. We hope to arrange another outing with HSWRI later this summer. We also hope to partner with HSWRI for volunteer opportunities, so stay tuned to find out how you can help!

We're taking over!

Ever wonder if other YP's from across the country have a special community or program set up just for them? The answer is a definitive YES! The YP movement is taking the country by storm and organized groups are popping up all over the place!

At YPCommons you will find over 200 listed YP organizations/programs that are dedicated to integrating YP's into their community. And those are just the ones we know about! There are probably hundreds more that haven't advertised on this website!

YPCommons also has their own BLOG where you can interact with other YP's from across the nation. Cool, huh?

Not only that, but why not become a YP Panelist and get your voice heard while earning some $$ or winning awesome prizes?

So take a gander at some of the other YP's websites. What do you like/dislike about their group? What are they doing that you would like us to do? We need your input! Leave your comments below, or e-mail your suggestions to info@ypBrevard.com.

Oversight Committee

We like to introduce you to the volunteers who help make this program run like a well oiled machine; the members of your Oversight Committee.

Chair - Adam Gracia of the Central Brevard Humane Society
Chair Elect - Dawn Hamilton of the Brevard Workforce Development Board, Inc.
Treasurer/Professional Development - Jason Breitfeller of BreitIdeas, Inc.

Sub-committees:
Membership Chair - Jessica Benson of Brevard Job Link
Personal Development Chair - David Hall of The Bank
Marketing Chair - Hallie Leverich of Professional Business Brokers
Volunteer Chair - Brandon Percy of Environmental Services, Inc. and Kim Carpenter of Suntrust
Cultural Arts Committee Chair - Nikki Zeuli of ARC of Brevard

ypB Liaison - Rene' Brown of Computer Sciences Raytheon
Committee Member - Chris Hill of Office Brevard County Commissioner Helen Voltz
Committee Member - Rick Rodriguez of Harris Corp.
Committee Member - Shannon Meyer of Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

The Oversight Committee (OC) meets on the second Thursday of the month. All OC members are elected in by a majority vote and will serve a term of 1 year.

NOTE: We are still looking for a Social Chair! This person would be in charge of organizing member's only events, helping secure venues for monthly networking events, and generating door prizes for give-aways. All interested applicants please e-mail your interests to the ypB Chair, Adam Gracia, at communityrelations@cfl.rr.com

Also, we are always looking for more sub-committee members! Do you have ideas on what events we should do? Why not sit on a sub-committee? You could have a real role in helping to make ypB the best young professionals program on the Space Coast! All interested members please e-mail info@ypBrevard.com!

Picture this...

Good morning everyone. We hope you were able to visit some galleries and eateries this weekend. We stopped by a few places ourselves and got some great shots! Here are a few of the smiling faces you might see on your hunt...

This was only the second weekend of the hunt, so for those of you that haven't started yet, don't worry. You still have plenty of time to catch up since the contest doesn't end until June 28th! Happy hunting!

Go get 'em!

Alright you ypB hunters...it's time to gear up for this weekend and get yourselves out to those art galleries! The answers to the questions aren't going to magically appear on your sheet...you actually have to do the work! But we thought we'd give you a little help by listing some of the known hours of operation a few of the galleries below:

Vessels in Stoneware: 10am-5pm M-Sa.
Tiki Shack: 10am-6pm T-Sa.
The Black Dog Gallery: 10:30am-5pm T-Sa.
R. L. Lewis Gallery: 10:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday ;10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday; Sunday and Monday by appointment
Art and Antique Studio: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday
Fifth Avenue Art Gallery: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday
Imago Fine Art: Tuesday through Saturday 1p.m. to Midnight
Lopressionism Gallery: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sundays

Are your cameras ready? Don't forget to pull them out and photograph your cultural journey along the way! We are headed to the bulk of the venues today, so we'll have pictures to share with you next week! Stay tuned and good luck!

Flight and Fun

Today's post consists of two things that we think YP's would want to know about. First off, Space Shuttle Atlantis is poised for liftoff tomorrow (Friday) at 7:38pm. The crew will be restarting the International Space Station (ISS) assembly after a five month hiatus due to hail damage last February. For live updates on Atlantis' progress visit the Mission Status Center of Spaceflight Now. Let's all show our Brevard County pride by stepping outside for a few minutes tomorrow night and witnessing seven brave souls journey where few have gone before. Nowhere else in the entire country has these bragging rights. It only happens right here folks!

Also, since we are so close to Orlando, we thought you might be interested in a Universal Theme Park Annual Pass. They have a special going on right now, buy one year, get the second year FREE with a Coca-Cola coupon from Walgreens! The Annual Pass gets you into both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure FREE with no blackout dates, FREE parking, and discounts on food and merchandise! Click HERE for details.

And one more reminder: if you want to help plan our 2nd Anniversary Birthday Bash, we're meeting tonight at 5:30pm at Chili's in The Avenues!

Know your YP Groups

As much as we love ourselves here at Young Professionals of Brevard, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you three other YP groups that are in your community. We have made them permanent links on the right sidebar------------->

Emerging Leaders is the YP group for United Way of Brevard. And for those of you that have been living in a hole in the ground for the last half of a century, United Way of Brevard is a huge fund raising organization that donates to agencies such as the American Red Cross, ARC of Brevard, and the Salvation Army. UW wanted to focus on getting the YP's involved in their efforts, and to train the next generation to take over as community leaders, so they formed Emerging Leaders. EL's primary focus lies in volunteerism, board training, and fund raising for UW.

Vivace Society is the YP group for the Brevard Symphony Orchestra. The Vivace Society exists to cultivate Brevard’s younger business professionals into an emerging generation of BSO patrons and supporters. They hold events such as a Meet the Musician Soiree, backstage tours of performances, and discounted concerts.

And lastly, the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast has a YP/New Grad Retention and Recruitment Program called ypCONTACT. Their main focus is on attraction of young talent in Brevard by assisting local employers with the resources they need for recruitment.

Together, we all encompass your YP community here in Brevard. We are all focused and dedicated to making your community in which you live a thriving environment for a young professional. Can you feel the love :)

We need your ideas!

Attention all party planners - Summer is finally here and that only means one thing….our second anniversary for Young Professionals of Brevard is coming up in August!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We are having our second planning meeting to discuss the Big Birthday Bash logistics, this Thursday June 7th at 5:30 at Chili’s in the Avenues of Viera! Last year's theme was the First-ever Flip Flop Fest luau...what should the theme be this year?

If you are interested in helping us out or having a say, we would love to have you out there! We welcome lots of new ideas and we can’t wait to hear what everyone has to say! If you are going to attend and know of someone who would like to attend, feel free to bring them along! The more the merrier and we will take all the help we can get!

Spread the word and we'll see you Thursday!

A dog of a different color

Well, our Cultural Scavenger Hunt is in its infancy as of this morning. We hope some of you were able to visit some of the venues on the map over the weekend.

We stopped by LoPressionism Gallery in downtown Melbourne to view the wonderful artworks and also to pick up one of the prizes for the contest: a signed copy of Ron Burns' book, "The Dogs of Ron Burns". This colorful artist has been featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition donating his time and artistic talent by painting a mural in a children's room. He has also been named the Official Artist for National Dog Day, and has recently had his artwork displayed in a major Hollywood film, Deja Vu, staring Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer. Check out his website HERE.

So for all you dog lovers out there, or for those of you that just love colorful and fun art, get yourselves into the listed galleries and answer the questions to earn a chance to win this awesome prize! And don't forget to take lots of pictures!!

We've been zapped!

Hello fellow ypB-ers!

We hope everyone enjoyed last night's social at Chowders. We just wanted to let you all know that you've been zapped by Florida Today's Zap Squad. So if you haven't seen the photos in the paper today, then check out the link below

ypB gets zapped!

Also, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to your new ypB blog. Here you can post suggestions or comments about what you like, what you don't like, what you want us to do, etc. This is your community, so help us make it better! We want this blog to be completely dynamic, so stop by often because we plan on keeping it current.

Last night at Chowders we anounced the official kickoff of our first ever Cultural Scavenger Hunt! For those of you that weren't able to make it out, here is a link to the printable map and questions so you can participate too! There are just a couple of points we want to make about this contest:

1) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes will be given away per answer sheet. That means if you want to work in a team and turn in one answer sheet, you may have to share a prize with your fellow teammates.

2) Don't forget to take lots of pictures! You get extra points for photographing your cultural journey...the more points you get, the better your chances of winning the contest! Scrapbooking anyone?

3) Turn in your answer sheets and pictures/scrapbooks at the June 28th social by 6:30pm. Prizes will be given away that night and you must be present to win!

4) HAVE FUN!

Use this blog to update us on your scavenger hunt progress!