Talk 4 Hunger + Ignite Orlando

Tonight is a big night here locally for community participation and growth. I am happy to be a part of both instances.

First is Talk 4 Hunger, a new initiative from Rock For Hunger. In its basic role it is a newspaper about the local entertainment scene, business and nonprofit stories. At the heart is a job building, financial training and income generating resource for the homeless community of Central Florida and especially Downtown Orlando.

The idea is borrowed from other successful papers, notably the Homeless Voice in South Florida. Through the Homeless Voice in Ft. Lauderdale and Broward County, the community has been able to provide a voice through the publication as well as jobs and stability in the lives of thousands of individuals.

We are excited to bring a similar program to Orlando. Look for issues to hit the streets next week. They are going to cost $1 with $0.75 going to the distributor. The issue was paid for by advertisements from local business, NFi Studios, 10,000 Villages, The Plaza Theatre and Gen-Y Rock Stars.

Tonight we are having a launch party at Endagon Headquarters at 6pm. There will be light refreshments and snacks as well as a presentation from Chris Goyzueta, Logan Lenz and myself. Donations will be accepted and copies of the March issue will be available for all guests.

Part 2 of the evening is Orlando's 1st Ignite Orlando. The event was put together by local volunteers and is a interesting addition to the free conferences and sessions that take place within the local tech, marketing and entertainment community. From their site:

Ignite Orlando is a local event usually held during a weeknight that brings together artists, geeks, entrepreneurs, academics and others to network with a twist. This free event paid by sponsors and organized by volunteers has two major features that make it different.

5 Minute Presentations

Presentations run five minutes but you are only limited to 20 slides that automatically rotate every 15 seconds. The volunteer speakers are predetermined by the Ignite Orlando planning staff and come from submissions generated by this website. Presentations are collected from speakers before the night of the event and compiled by the Ignite Talk Coordinator (volunteer staff member).

I will be presenting my 5 mintue talk on Using New Media to Make Our Community Cool and will be chatting about everything from Rock For Hunger to NOMSA to doterati to Tweetups to the Orlando Magic.

I will be posting the slides tomorrow, or come see them live tonight at 7pm at Slingapour's in Downtown Orlando. Admission is free and so is the learning and networking. See the schedule here.