Tampa Bay to Bae

Tampa Bay to Bae Charity Fundraising Campaign 

I have been selected as one of the TOP 20 singles for the Inaugural Tampa Bay to Bae Top Singles Charity Event which will be held on Friday September 28, 2018 at Steinbrenner Field from 7:30-11:30pm.

This will be a fun and friendly competition to see who can raise the most money for their charity with several events hosted by KIK leading up to 9/28. You do not have to be in Tampa Bay to be a part of this event! You can donate using the links provided.

There will be an overall winner announced on 9/28 at the end of the night. The Tampa Bay Times will do a spread of the winner, his/her charity and his/her bio in that news outlet. Stay tuned for more PR updates as the host of Bay to Bae will work to get the winner on Tampa Bay News 9 as well.


** Please mark any donations made between now and Sept 29th BaytoBae so that we can keep a running total of monies raised for this campaign.

DONATE

or

Facebook Fundraiser

Kids Inspiring Kids will host at least one charity fundraiser for our cause between 7/1 and 9/25. Details to follow. Follow us on Facebook to stay up-to date. If you would like to be a part of hosting a fundraiser with proceeds going directly to KIK please contact me directly! nicole@kidsinspire.com

Event ideas:
Happy Hour
Fitness Boot Camp
Raffle
Spin Class
Golf Tournament

*Contribution to this is not limited to these events as the cumulative donation total between now and September will count towards our total.

On Friday September 28, 2018 at Steinbrenner Field from 7:30-11:30pm 

At the grande finale there will be an auction for packages (vacation packages, sports packages, spa packages, etc.). Each Top Single will represent a package and the bid funds will go towards their charity of choice.

Kids Inspiring Kids will have a VIP table for the GRAND FINALE. We are looking for 10 generous individuals to purchase VIP seats or an entire table. You can do this as an individual or as a company sponsorship. 

Cost: $1,500 for the table OR $150/person

This is fantastic opportunity to get some recognition for your company or just have an amazing VIP experience at the grand finale. Please contact me about this ASAP as it is limited to 10 people/seats. Table/Seat sponsors will have recognition at the event.

*The main event website with $75.00 general admission tickets will be up and running by 7/1. www.baytobae.com

Nicole Mills- Public Relations Manager for KIK

• Get to Know Her:

After Nicole graduated from high school in Austin, Texas she attended a military prep school on scholarship from the United States Air Force Academy as an Air Force Academy prep. Unfortunately, after a bad bout of asthma she was sent home and forced to re-imagine her future. As she attended college in Oklahoma she felt lost. Something bigger was knocking on her heart. She just didn't know what it was or how to discover it. In 2005 her mother moved to Uganda, Africa and in 2006 Nicole followed.
"I just needed to be a part of something bigger than myself. Serving others in a third world country with my mom was the biggest thing I could think of."
She helped establish Kids Inspiring Kids with Tomi Mills. Now, 13 years later she now works to support KIK full-time. Nicole's passions include competitive beach volleyball, writing, reading and her two dogs.

• Her Purpose: 

"I try to live life every day with a sense of purpose. Whether that means answering a ton of emails purposefully and considerately, or gearing up for a large speaking event or fundraiser, it all matters."
Nicole's mindset shifted not too long ago from having one specific purpose to daily purpose.
READ MORE

• Her Charity

Kids Inspiring Kids is vital to not only the people of Uganda, but also the refugee crisis as a whole. The largest refugee crisis in the world is currently in Uganda, Africa. On average 2 new refugee camps pop up every month to accommodate the incoming refugees from over 13 African nations, more than anywhere else. The largest refugee camp in the world houses over 270k people and it in Northern Uganda. KIK is creating a tangible solution. By building a self sustaining village these refugees can know a place to call home for the first time in their lives. It is a hope in a future.

• Her Motivation

A civil war raged through Uganda for more than 20 years. They call it "the war the world forgot". Along with the forgotten war came an entire generation of forgotten people as well. These people deserve a place to call home. A safe place. Every life matters. Every child matters. Every refugee matters. Humanity matters."We can do something about reminding these people they are no longer forgotten."

Nicole's promotional video

Christmas 2016

Kelli's Blog Post: Twin Take

Fifty Shades is Abuse

http://endsexualexploitation.org/fiftyshadesgrey/ Frankly, it disgusts me. Society pays a price when we teach men to be turned on by women in pain. 89% of scenes in mainstream pornography today depict violence against women and this is spilling over into the mainstream media. As a result, sexual violence is on the rise in our military, in our best universities, and on the street. When we make violence sexy, it is no wonder that these are the consequences we face. These books perpetuate the rape culture that so many, especially recent, have been trying to deal with. The main character is in fact raped in the book and women are fawning over Grey as a romantic hero. It sets women's suffrage back 50 years. It is disheartening. Women cannot expect to fight for rights and then hand them back by telling men that this type of behavior is OK. It is so far from OK.

Even the BDSM culture is upset with the books, because it portrays it incorrectly. Author E.L. James has often insisted that Fifty Shades of Grey is wildly popular not because of its titillating trappings of transgression, but because it tells a simple love story for the ages. But this is a romance for a particular kind of age — a time of growing inequality. The social order is breaking up and leaving massive human wreckage in its wake. Dreams of love turn into fantasies of power – who has it and what they can do to those who don’t have it. "I’ve long struggled to define feminism, but if 50 Shades of Grey makes the cut, then feminism is dead and buried. Surely the movement is worthless if it won’t loudly reject a book about a woman’s adventures in being manhandled and used by an emotionally stunted playboy." -Matt Walsh

#ShesMyHero

So, every year on Mother's Day I post a lengthy, crazy comment about how awesome my mom is. This year for some reason there is a deeper nagging sensation. A keen sense of awareness that she is so far away. And I wish I could do more. With my mom in Uganda it makes it difficult to spoil her like I wish I could. Cards and gifts have all gotten lost in the mail process. We have a saying TIA (this is Africa) to explain away such situations. I have started writing posts about her on Twitter. She has a Twitter account, but isn't the most tech savvy. Not to mention internet in Uganda is spotty to say the least. But if she did she will have seen my #shesmyhero comments. The most recent of tweets was: Nicole Mills @NicoleMills85 · May 8 My mom has no idea how awesome she is, but she should #shesmyhero

Growing up my childhood was blessed in many ways, but not always the easiest. We struggled. She was a single parent raising twin daughters. I watched her struggle with her self worth and body image, working long hours to make ends meet. It broke my heart. We fought constantly growing up mainly due to my extreme stubbornness. But I remember we were always going on amazing adventures. We traveled constantly. We explored Mexican villages, panned for gold in the Colorado river, went horse back riding on a working farm ranch, braved the rapids...through it all I listened to my mom talk about her incredible dreams. She spoke of flying over the jungles of Africa in a black and orange plane. She never forgot to tell us we were born to dream big. I remember her saying, "if your dreams seem possible, then you aren't dreaming big enough." Most of the time she tried to not let it show, but I watched her continue to struggle; barely making ends meet. I remember always wanting to make her proud. I worked hard in school and athletics. I worked to find my place in the big wide world. When I accomplished my goals of being an Air Force Academy Prep I assumed my life was set. My perfect plan was in place. And then everything came crashing down. I was hospitalized and then medically disqualified and sent home. I felt like I had let everyone down, especially my mom and grandparents. I was suppose to do big things and I had no back-up plan in place. While my life was falling apart it seemed like those around me were progressing on the opposite path. During my short stint back at home before returning to college, the main topic of conversation in my family was my mom going to Africa. She had nothing holding her in the states anymore with my sister and I both moving onto live our adult lives. I didn't realize how serious the conversation was until then next thing I knew my mom sold and gave away most everything she had, packed two 70 lb suitcases and got on a plane. I was left in...awe. She had done it. She had really done it. Just like that. The conceptual idea of "living out one's purpose and dreams" was suddenly being done right before my eyes. I was never more proud or scared. It was the best thing that could have happened for her (other than me and my sisters :) ). Even at this point things were still a little conceptual for me with her being half a world away. Until I got an email while at college. It was from my mom basically stating that she and another woman had been abandoned in Uganda and needed a contact. They were in the North and this was 2005. The War the World Forgot was still on-going with Kony and the LRA. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kony ) My mom ended up living with a local family in a three room house, with no running water, or bathrooms for the next 8 months. At the end of 2005, I was home from college and she was visiting for the holidays. I was miserable. I had not been able to produce a new dream or plan for my life. I decided to go to Africa with my mom. My reasoning was that if I didn't have a dream, I would help her build hers. I needed to be a part of something bigger than myself. My mom's dream was HUGE. I know she was shocked when I told her because I will never forget the look on her face. "Are you sure, Nikki," she asked. I answered honestly, "no." But I had made my decision. We landed in Uganda and as we got onto the bus to go to Kampala, the landscape began rolling by. The dirt was distinctively Uganda red and the sky was a clear pollution-less blue. I didn't even notice my mom looking at me, but she just very quietly said, "you love it, don't you." I nodded. I did. I was in love with Africa already and it was impossible to explain. But, now I understood. My mother's passion suddenly became tangible and real. She had a calling on her life to go to Africa and she was here. She was home. My mother's and my relationship changed forever that year. I finally had clarity that growing up the reason we butted heads so often was that we were just alike. It is always a humbling time in one's life when they reach that point in adulthood and realize their parent was right. I saw my mother in a capacity I never had the honor to before. She lit up in this world, even on the hard days and there were a lot of them (TIA). She showed me what it meant to have faith. To know that no matter the circumstances things weren't just going to be OK, they already were. I got to witness her have big vision (and then leave it to me to figure out the logistics). There isn't a Starting an African Nonprofit and Building a Village 101 handbook. We took it one day at a time. I learned how precious and fragile life is and to tell her I love her everyday. I learned there is a reason to dream big outside of one's own self because the world needs it. Not everyone is called to Africa. I am not, but it will forever hold a very special place in my life and heart. 10 years later she is still there and I have four amazing sisters added to our family circle that I wouldn't trade for the world. Living in Africa with my mother changed everything. I attribute a lot of who I am today because of the decision to help my mother build her dreams. We are still building. We will continue to build. She will continue to be my hero and never really understand the depths of how or why. She defines beauty and courage. She is the person you hear stories about, out changing the world. But that is MY mother. Being able to say that is hugely humbling. For God to have blessed my life with an example of "possible" is an honor. She is far from perfect, but I prefer it that way. Mother's Day is my favorite holiday because of the mother I have. In a way this is a vain attempt at a thank you. So, thank you mom. You are amazing. You are strong. You are powerful. You are courageous. You are beautiful. You are MY mother. I love you. #shesmyhero

The Inbetweens...

I am beginning to learn to appreciate what I have come to call the "in-betweens". Let me explain... Life is a series of moments, of events. These can be easily remembered and seen in things like a blog post, a journal entry, and mostly in photographs. It is what we talk about with friends when we are gathered for a friendly dinner or on the phone with long distance relatives. These moments are snapshots that pinpoint progress on this path called life, but what about everything else?
Everything else is what I am referring to as the "in-betweens". The mundane everyday life. The waking up, the gym, the house chores, the car washes, the daily meals...all of this that helps us define and comprise our lives is, in my opinion, too often forgotten.
The in-betweens are the majority of our journeys in life. They allow us to really get to know the people we are choosing to surround ourselves with and help us realize our potential and quiet character. I am learning that starting to recognize these in-betweens allows us a greater reflection for which way we are walking in life as well as who is coming with us.
If someone is tolerable in only the grand moments of your life, they probably aren't there for the right reasons. But if they are there day in and day out and there is still mutual respect, love and honesty then they are worth the effort. I have also noticed that giving more recognition to these in-betweens allows one to create bigger moments. I think this is because in retrospect it gives us permission to not only dream bigger but plan for it better. Dreams must have a plan of attack in order for them to achieve reality.
That isn't to say things always go according to plan, but that is when we can take the in-betweens to re-strategize. I am learning. And it a process full of failure and frustration, but without accepting and embracing the in-betweens we miss out on so much of our own lives. Only living for moments leaves us tired, wanting and wondering if there is more to life...I believe there is. I believe the in-betweens are important.

...it is a new year

Through the mess, through the heartache, through the laughter, through the hope and The Promise, it is a new year.

Beauty in Life

"To know the beauty of life in every breath we take, to feel heaven's tears in every drop of rain and the breath of angels in every breeze that caresses the skin; the wonders of a child's laugh and the hope in every new spring flower. Oh, how I so easily forget that each new sunrise is a gift to be taken in with every fiber of my being and then harnessed into the strength needed to survive life's battles. " ~Nicole