Danny Konopka - No Shave November
Donation protected
No Shave November is a contest I run each year to raise money for a good cause and have some fun and competition – you don’t shave the month of November and then on the last day of the month (this year it will be Tuesday 11/26/2019 due to a lot of people being off on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Black Friday) you shave into the most creative mustache, beard, etc.
I want to give a little history on No-Shave November since not all of you have been with us since the beginning….
It started with a small group of us in Columbus, there were about 10 of us that all competed in 2014. We all chipped in a 6 pack and we had a vote and split the beer. We didn’t raise any money, nothing important, just a way to not have to shave for a month and I could have an excuse for my wife since she hates when I grow out my beard.
In 2015, we rolled it out to a larger audience in Columbus and more people wanted to participate. We stuck with the beer and wine but added donations to a great cause and we made a small donation to the American Cancer Society.
On to 2016 and No Shave November went viral across the company. We had all branches participate, and we raised a lot more and were able to donate to the American Cancer Society. Everyone chipped in $5 and we had about 50 people across the company join in. We had companywide votes and it was a fun thing that a lot of people enjoyed.
2017 we had over 75 people in Columbus alone participate. We had T-shirts made for the winners and captains in the branches. We now had a specific cause to donate the money for – The Homeside Foundation. In 2017 we raised over $1700 in donations for the charity. No Shave November is now a staple of Homeside and I love having a great cause to put this contest towards.
2018 was a record year with over $10,000 donated – and we made a big change that really hit home. Instead of raising money for a more general cause – we raised money for a specific cause unique to our teams at Homeside/Lower: one of our own, Trevion Blanding. Trevion suffered from a stroke which had left him in critical condition. He had a long road of recovery ahead of him. All donations last year went to him to help him get through this tough situation.
Now it is 2019 and we have something very special to a lot of Homeside/Lower teams to rally around. Jim Konopka is one of the staples of Homeside and has been a part of our lives for 15+ years even before we all joined Homeside. If you know Jim at all, you know there is nothing more important to Jim than family. Nothing comes close. Earlier this year Jim lost his oldest son Danny to a sudden heart attack. Danny was 35 years old and has a wonderful family including his oldest son Brady. Brady is autistic and one of Danny’s passions was Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine (http://www.campsunshineofaurora.org/) improves the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum by educating, coaching, and connecting the autism community with evidence based information. Danny always raised money and sponsored this cause, and with his passing, we would like to take up the challenge of raising money on his behalf. Homeside is a family and something that impacts one of us impacts all of us.
All donations of any amount are welcome!
I want to give a little history on No-Shave November since not all of you have been with us since the beginning….
It started with a small group of us in Columbus, there were about 10 of us that all competed in 2014. We all chipped in a 6 pack and we had a vote and split the beer. We didn’t raise any money, nothing important, just a way to not have to shave for a month and I could have an excuse for my wife since she hates when I grow out my beard.
In 2015, we rolled it out to a larger audience in Columbus and more people wanted to participate. We stuck with the beer and wine but added donations to a great cause and we made a small donation to the American Cancer Society.
On to 2016 and No Shave November went viral across the company. We had all branches participate, and we raised a lot more and were able to donate to the American Cancer Society. Everyone chipped in $5 and we had about 50 people across the company join in. We had companywide votes and it was a fun thing that a lot of people enjoyed.
2017 we had over 75 people in Columbus alone participate. We had T-shirts made for the winners and captains in the branches. We now had a specific cause to donate the money for – The Homeside Foundation. In 2017 we raised over $1700 in donations for the charity. No Shave November is now a staple of Homeside and I love having a great cause to put this contest towards.
2018 was a record year with over $10,000 donated – and we made a big change that really hit home. Instead of raising money for a more general cause – we raised money for a specific cause unique to our teams at Homeside/Lower: one of our own, Trevion Blanding. Trevion suffered from a stroke which had left him in critical condition. He had a long road of recovery ahead of him. All donations last year went to him to help him get through this tough situation.
Now it is 2019 and we have something very special to a lot of Homeside/Lower teams to rally around. Jim Konopka is one of the staples of Homeside and has been a part of our lives for 15+ years even before we all joined Homeside. If you know Jim at all, you know there is nothing more important to Jim than family. Nothing comes close. Earlier this year Jim lost his oldest son Danny to a sudden heart attack. Danny was 35 years old and has a wonderful family including his oldest son Brady. Brady is autistic and one of Danny’s passions was Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine (http://www.campsunshineofaurora.org/) improves the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum by educating, coaching, and connecting the autism community with evidence based information. Danny always raised money and sponsored this cause, and with his passing, we would like to take up the challenge of raising money on his behalf. Homeside is a family and something that impacts one of us impacts all of us.
All donations of any amount are welcome!
Organizer and beneficiary
Homeside Financial and Lower Dotcom
Organizer
New Albany, OH
Lindsay Konopka
Beneficiary