FeelGood Story Script

7/31/2019 FeelGood Story Script

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. The love story of how FeelGood founders and team fell inlove with our human family, started the very first deli, and ignited the movement as we know it.

A story that now includes dozens of students who courageously decided to take a stand for aworld that works for all life by starting FeelGood chapters on their campuses.

With those words, FeelGood was born.

Moved by the magnitude of chronic global hunger,

Their concept was simple: offer students grilled cheese sandwiches in exchange for a

donation, and give the money to organizations with a proven track record of eradicating globalhunger. In less than 6 months, they raised $10,000.

They also raised awareness. Turns out that a grilled cheese is more than just a sandwich: Itsalso a powerful vehicle for engaging people in a new dialogue about the root causes of hunger,and how, as global citizens, we each have a role to play in ending it. Were on to something,they thought.

Inspired by her experience and convinced it was a model that would flourish on other collegecampuses, , tobring FeelGood to every campus across the country.

After graduation from UT-Austin, they wrote a business plan, and in 2005 FeelGood earned501(c) 3 status, making FeelGood an official non-profit with its

.

Spread entirely by word of mouth, FeelGood chapters were soon starting up on

each chapter generating thousands of dollars for the end of hunger, and thousands of

conversations about one of the most critical global issues of our time.

Each chapter - fresh with ambition, ignited by commitment, and infused with passion -electrified FeelGood into the movement it is today.

Tonight, we want to share FeelGoods rich history by tracing the story of our movement, atestament to the contagious nature of a compelling vision accompanied by a clear call to action.


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As Kristin and Talis were lining things up for FeelGood to be a bonafide non-profit, Kristinsboyfriend at the time and now husband hatched a plan to launch FeelGood at the

.

He and friend Adam Yellin got to work building a kiosk and convinced two other friends -- to step up into leadership.

At an annual concert called , UVM FeelGood made its debut withimmense success. The next Fall they were set-up at a in the student union andFeelGood sunk roots that would sustain it for years to come. Today, UVM FeelGood has abeautiful and a permanent deli location where they sell hunger-ending sammies threetimes a week.

FALL 2006Next, FeelGood came to , though its true beginnings remainshrouded in mystery. Legend says it began as a class project in Fall 2006, but no evidenceexists to confirm it.

The names we have on record are and who webelieve were the original founders. What is clear is that by Fall 2007 the fate of FeelGoodColumbia was uncertain until stepped up to take the reigns.Between their leadership and two-year presidency, FG Columbia grewimmensely and forged a relationship with , an on-campus dining facility where theyserved their tasty sammies 4-5 days a week for years. Today, FeelGood Columbia is a thrivingchapter whose creativity, resilience and drive will prove essential as they seek out a new delilocation this coming year.

SPRING 2007Destiny was surely at play when the founder of FeelGood at the

was surfing the web in Spring 2007.

Her name is , and as a business major and natural leader, she was well-poisedto invite the UIUC campus to contribute to ending hunger. Precious is also from

, a country where roughly 40% of the people live in poverty. This connection to theroot motivation of ending hunger in our lifetime has remained ever-present in this chapter. Fiveyears later, FG UIUC is going strong with a robust leadership team, recent innovations infundraising approaches, and an energetic community of committed members.

While Precious was getting things fired up at UIUC, Kristin Walters younger brother Jason wasgallivanting around the globe on Semester At Sea and talking up FeelGood while he was at it.


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Jasons commitment to creating a world free from hunger caught the ears and hearts of manypeople, and two chapters were born.

FALL 2007First was in Fall 2007.

returned from Semester at Sea excited to share the idea of FeelGood with herfriend They recruited the Greek community to support their first

at home football games! The following Spring Clemson FGs grilled cheese becameavailable in the student union and Coca-Cola sponsored a concert they hosted! Today thelegacy of enthusiastic leadership and a deep commitment to our vision persists, as their creativeresponse to a recent bureaucratic challenge attests. Clemson FG is going strong!

SPRING 2008

Another of Jasons Semester At Sea classmates was equally taken in. Her name is ,and she couldnt wait to bring FeelGood to life at the upon herreturn.

By Spring 2008, Jen had assembled a team - including Robin Tedder, Amanda Patterson, HollyForsberg, and Kristen Bobby - and Pitt FG was born!

Today Pitt FG has a , a strong community ofmembers, a both effective and wicked fun, and some of the mostcreative media productions this movement has seen.

FALL 2008Over time, FeelGood has grown much like a tree

where new shoots spring up unexpectedly and there are seasons of tremendous new growth.The Fall of 2008 was one such season, and we saw chapters spring up across the U.S.

In the months leading up to school, - an incoming junior at O- was in Mexico on a pre-medical internship. One day he came across FeelGood

online, as he was exploring ways to become more involved in responding to world hunger andpoverty. Impressed with FeelGoods professional online start-up manual, Carson committed tofounding a chapter upon his return, which he did in large part by enlisting the help of hisfraternity brothers. OSU FG has a unique legacy in the movement, with one of the longeststanding and largest annual fundraisers - their This past semester,


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OSU Feelgood experienced a resurgence under the leadership of presidentThey resumed weekly delis and had another kick-ass Dance Against Hunger featuring 8different dance groups!

At the same time, a second Illinois school was waking up to the possibility of a world free fromhunger, At the decided to launch FeelGood afterhearing about it from his friend Precious at UIUC. Between his familys restaurant business andhis relationships at UICs business school, Frank and a small team got a goingwith significant donations of gourmet grilled cheese supplies and an impressive menu. Thefollowing school year, UIC FeelGood had the privilege of catering lunch for The Hunger Projects

Vanguard of Leadership Program and introduced many THP investors to the magic ofFeelGood. They also started hosting annual in addition to their weekly deli.Today, UIC FeelGood is in a delicate period of transition, and we look forward to seeing whatemerges under new leadership.

found out about the movement during her first semester atShe was competing at a cross-country meet at Stanford, which Kristin and Talis

also happened to be attending. Inspired by the mission and the fact that it was founded byfellow runners including her own coach!Hanna returned to campus and started a chapterwith her Today Arizona FG has attracted members beyond the team,fostered several lasting community partnerships, ran a stand for four consecutive days at a

, and is one of the only chapters to be awarded a localgrant to fund their efforts!

While Hanna was getting FeelGood going at Arizona, was doing the same at. EEsha heard about FeelGood from Clemson FGs founders while they were

studying abroad together in France the prior spring. So in Fall 2008, she recruited a foundingteam of 4 including who well hear more about later. Berkeley FGs resilienceand persistence in the face of administrative barriers over the years has been inspiring andthey consistently operate a .

FG Berkeley has also made two huge contributions to the movement. First, they initiatedsponsorships that led to FeelGood-wide partnerships with

! FG Berkeley was also the impetus for FeelGood to seek out and certify a secondpartner organization:

Speaking of contributions to the movement, Fall 2008 also brought the inception of FeelGoodsawesome alumni organization: Just that past Spring,

saw their founders graduate and leave campus to continue their life paths.As many of you know from experience, once a FeelGooder, always a FeelGooder. So

joined forces to co-chair FG4L after graduation from UVM. Today,FG4L has a representing three of the oldest chaptersincluding Clemson, UVM, and Pitt. They are fully coordinating FeelGoods


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for the second year, and our gratitude for their ongoing partnership isabsolutely beyond measure.

SPRING 2009So within four years, FeelGood had grown from one chapter to eight, raising thousands ofdollars annually for two certified partner organizations: and CHOICEHumanitarian. FeelGood was gaining momentum as a movement!

In Spring 2009, as part of this momentum, Kristin and Talis took a handful of FeelGood leaderswith them to the Clinton Global Initiative University or CGIU as you may know it a hugegathering of young people committed to addressing the worlds most pressing issues. Therethey met , then a sophomore at UC Riverside near Los Angeles. Already a leadermotivated to create social change, Hanna was capitavated by FeelGood and got busy starting achapter right away! Hannas incredible commitment over two years as chapter President paidoff. Today UCR FG not only has a in the busiest area of campus, but also

incredibly , and a solid foundation to ensure sustainability.

FALL 2009By fall of 2009, our newest partner organization - CHOICE Humanitarian-- was spreading theword about how college students are ending hunger with a grilled cheese.

Those words caught the ear of , an incoming first-year student at the, who decided to partner up with fellow student to start

FeelGood in Salt Lake City. Lindsay and Eric had traveled together on twoand saw FeelGood as a way to stay involved upon their return. While the

Utah FeelGood team remains small, their stellar on-campus partnership with dining services hasallowed them to launch several . We look forward to seeing what ispossible this coming year!

Around this time, Kristin and Talis were realizing an immense opportunity to propel FeelGood tothe next phase of development. In order to equip FeelGood students to be strong, effectiveadvocates for catalyzing the end of hunger, was born and

brought on as Academy Director. His main role was to develop supportive andempowering curriculum that we all now know as . Prior to joining FeelGood, Kernwas VP of communications for a Silicon Valley corporation which he left to found a non-profit

called . While attending a talk he was giving for Global MindShift, Kristin andTalis knew it was destiny to meet Kern, so the story goes they harassed him incessantly until hegave in. Boy are we glad they did! Kerns wisdom, skills, and partnership as well as those of

are invaluable to themovement!


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Later that same year, Kristin & Talis asked to join the FeelGood team full-time as the University Director. As an administrator in Continuing Education at UVM, she hadbeen serving as for two academic years after she fell inlove with FeelGood at the Hunger Summit in 2008. Corins background of working in colleges &universities for 10 years and her training in student affairs was just what the movement neededat this time. She was familiar with the inner workings of university administration and could bewholly dedicated to .

It was September 2009. and was ready to shiftthis movement into even higher gear!

SPRING 2010For , starting a FeelGood chapter at felt like acalling.

Smitten by FG as a first year at Clemson, Alex carried FeelGood with her as she transferred toWKU. Within one month, Alex garnered the support of Aramark dining services (includingdonations of staple ingredients), recruited a leadership team of 8 students and a member baseof 20 more, and established FG as an official student organization with funding for the comingyear. Today, WKU FG is going strong with , experience launchingseveral different fundraising events, and a dedicated executive board!

As quickly as things can sometimes happen, it also can take awhile. So is the case in SantaBarbara, CA, where planted the FeelGood seeds asstudents at a local community college. They agreed being at UCSB would be ideal, and spent alot of energy trying to drill through the bureaucracy there to no avail. But Herschel made onelast effort before leaving the area, hosting an info session where he met .When Hanna shared FeelGoods exciting vision and tangible model with friends S

, the dynamic trio had found their purpose and FG UCSB was born. Today,FG UCSB sells grilled cheese on-campus as well as a popular street called the DP. Since thefounders just graduated, FG UCSB is now in the capable hands of new leaders and good thingsare sure to come!

FALL 2010 started her college career at the University of Arizona, and while shedidnt find her niche academically, at least she discovered FeelGood before transferring to

.

Emilys charisma, drive, and ridiculous organizational skills allowed her to recruit a solid coreteam and inspire the inception of NAU FeelGood. Now headed into their third year, NAU FG is aparticularly impressive chapter; despite the fact that they STILL do not have permission tooperate a grilled cheese deli on campus, they have launched several immensely creativefundraisers while educating their campus on hunger.


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, they never cease to amaze us. Were crossing our fingers that THIS is the year for abreakthrough at NAU FeelGood and the grilled cheese will be unleashed.

In another corner of the country, a similar story was unfolding. landed at theafter testing the waters at the University of Vermont. One of the

gifts of this path was Laurens introduction to FeelGood, and the vision of a world free fromhunger. Laurens exposure to a well-established chapter with a professional kiosk and hernatural tendency to dream BIG ensured UConn FG was launched with passion and purpose.Within less than a year, they had 2 food safety certified leaders overseeing their

and a committed core team. UConn FG is well-poised for success this comingyear.

While UConn FG was getting a foothold, the love and magic of UVM FG sprouted yet anotherchapter, this time at the in Seattle. , a recent

alumna of UVM FG, was working at Ann Taylor Loft before starting grad school. There she meta wicked smart rising sophomore at UW who Leah just KNEW was a

FeelGooder in the making. Once Paige caught the FeelGood fever, it was absolutely contagious;her long-time friend stepped up, along with a handful of other students, to getUW FG off the ground. Adventures and runaround with university bureaucracy ensued, so theteam decided to set up and sell until someone said they couldnt, which took almost anentire quarter! Getting shut down was kind of a gift, because it became clear what was needed- and with whom they needed to partner. Their savvy and solid self-advocacy is a stunningexample of taking a stand!

In case you werent counting, five chapters just got added in the last year! The FeelGood Worldstaff was taking note, and seeing more clearly what is needed to ensure a chapters success.Thats when joined Corin on the University Team, just in time for the 2010Hunger Summit. Sarahs energy and talents are a perfect match for FeelGood. Her backgroundin community organizing, human rights advocacy, and strengthening the non-profit sectormakes Sarah a natural Changemaker Ignitor. She also happened to play a key role in the earlydays of the movement. Back in 2004 Sarah was dating Gareth Walter, Kristins oldest brother(and now Sarahs husband!). When he told Sarah about the hunger-ending grilled cheeseenterprise Kristin was launching, she suggested the name FeelGood - inspired by her Burtonsnowboard. Thank you, Sarah, for helping this movement find its identity!

Around that time, Kern & Talis were laying the groundwork for a new venture: FeelGoods firstaccredited college course! FeelGood friend was working at

, a small liberal arts school in Kristins hometown, and connected FeelGood with theopportunity.SPRING 2011


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So, in partnership with , an incredible faculty & staff member at Bryn Athyn,FeelGood launched an that deeply explored hungeracademically, while engaging students in launching a as a fund- and awareness-raisingvehicle. This past year, the course ran again, broadening the base of Bryn Athyn studentsfamiliar with and invested in FeelGood. This fall there is a committed core team ready to launchan official FG chapter and we are psyched!

The next chapter to join the ranks was , another school just outsideof Philadelphia. Founder had been hearing about FeelGood for a fewyears from her close friend and UVM FG alumna junior yearshe decided it was finally time to start a chapter at DelVal, and when Lauren gets her sights seton something it WILL happen. Within three weeks the DelVal FGs three co-founders made amiracle: they were up and running with their , had not one but two advisorsoffering their full support, and partnerships galore. In other words, DeVal FG was quickly aforce on campus and immediately a legend in the FG movement! This reputation was reinforcedwhen this past year - their first full year in operation - DelVal FG raised a whopping $3100.

Whats next? Probably just more blowing our minds!

Speaking of mind-blowing amazingness, in the Spring of 2011 Sarah and Gareth Walter gavebirth to an incredible little boy - River King Walter. In the wake of his arrival, Sarah took leaveto be a full-time mommy, which meant FeelGoods University Team needed anotherChangemaker Ignitor.....

...or two! Rachel Rubenstein and Jamie Seiffer, both alums of UVM FG, joined FGW to bridgethis gap, and we cant imagine our story any other way! Jamie had graduated in 2009 with abusiness degree and Rachel, a sociology major, graduated a year later, in 2010. Both served fortwo years in leadership positions with UVM FG - Jamie as Advertising Chair and Rachel first asDeli Manager then as President. In other words, these two were radically qualified to ignitechangemakers throughout the movement....and since it was impossible to choose, they wereboth hired on with FGW!

FALL 2011That Fall, Jamie took off on other adventures - mostly skiing the Rockies - after helping remindus of something super important: one of the greatest opportunities in FeelGood is developinghard-n-fast business skills as social entrepreneurs. This week, youll see how this reminder hashelped us continually improve.

Rachel, on the other hand, came on board full-time with FeelGood World. She was and isstunningly capable at fostering students empowerment as changemakers with love, humor,grace, humility, and clarity. Her natural talents, recent experience at the chapter level, andhoned skills are a continual gift to the movement!


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Kristin and Talis couldnt be more psyched about how the movement was evolving, andreflected on the growth with gratitude and amazement when interviewed that fall by Taste ofHome Magazine.

The article they published caught the eye of , a rising senior atin Philadelphia. Becky submitted an online inquiry, had a call with FeelGood World, got

introduced immediately to Cheese World, and was totally sucked in. She recruited friendand the support of university administration, aiming for a DelVal style rapid launch.

And launch they did - first with delicious as theQuidditch Tournament, then in a re-purposed coffee shop housed in one of the residence halls!By the end of the school year, theyd attended their first in NY and hostednumerous delis. They also catalyzed a collective campus effort toward creating a community

garden and implementing a composting program. This year is bound to be one of continuedgrowth and creation - reminding us that even small schools can make a big impact!

Meanwhile, the FeelGood magic was spreading to Massachusetts. Four sophomore women werehatching plans to jumpstart FeelGood at the .

were inspired byBriannas lifelong friend Danielle Smith, who is heavily involved in UVM FeelGood. After securingrecognition as a student organization, they began recruiting members and exploring how tolaunch a grilled cheese deli on campus, fueled by a deepening connection to our shared vision.While theyre still working to obtain a permit, the inspired young team partnered with some RAsfor their first event in May which doubled as a recruitment tactic. So smart!

On the other side of the state, UC Berkeley co-founder was starting hersecond year teaching at charter school, where she was servingthrough Teach For America. Alissa had the unique opportunity to advise a group of 10 highschool sophomores enrolled in a year-long service-learning course. When considering FeelGoodas their community partner organization, they loved the concreteness of raising awareness andmoney for the end of hunger. Sending four students to the sealed thedeal. After an entire school year of delving into the issue of hunger, designing their delienterprise, and galvanizing their team, PHA FeelGood launched this Spring

and . Three young women have expressed interest in forming apermanent FeelGood club at PHA, and we look forward to seeing what unfolds!

SPRING 2012


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The momentum in Massachusetts continued into Spring 2012, whenstudent and her core founding team met the criteria to be an officialFeelGood chapter.

The Summer prior Shannon learned about FeelGood while interning ats offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. Absolutely ignited by the idea of ending hunger

with grilled cheese, Shannon got immediately to work at BU. Now they are a recognized studentorganization with one of the most inspiring constitutions in the movement, a complete start-upbusiness plan, and an extraordinarily committed team. This coming year, theyll navigate the

jungle of deli permitting on campus and whatever else it takes to unleash BU FG as apowerhouse of hunger-ending advocacy!

Another chapter in the Northeast started with a tweet. - a sophomore at

in New Jersey - saw his best friend post about FeelGood.So Nick took the bait and several minutes later knew he had stumbled upon something special.Nick recruited a of three friends to found the chapter - and had a member base ofanother 8 students within weeks; everyone was fired up to end hunger with the power of agrilled cheese! They quickly garnered support from campus programs, full partnership withdining services, and a committed advisor. They are totally geared up for launching delioperations this fall and were psyched for what is to come!

Some kind of magic was in the air back east this year for sure. , a sophomore

at in Pittsburgh and active member of Circle K, was looking for a wayto engage more students in service. Katie was struck by the opportunity FeelGood presents tomake a tangible impact in a FUN way without even leaving campus! For the first time inFeelGood history, a chapter was founded within an existing student organization when theCircle K leadership team adopted FeelGood as their primary community service vehicle atDuquesne. This comes with extraordinary benefits like well-established campus relationships,access to school funding, a credible reputation, and a bunch of students already committed tosocial change! It definitely paid off. They by the end of springsemester with immense buy-in from the Circle K membership and the Duquesne campus, so weare certain this coming year will be incredible.

Spring 2012 also saw FeelGood sprout another West Coast chapter, this time at the. Rising senior wanted to leave a legacy at

UCLA, and originally set out to start a foundation. In sharing these aspirations with her life longfriend - a FG UCSB co-founder - Rachelle became completely inspired by Shellysexperience with FeelGood. Within a few short months, UCLA FeelGood was up and running as astudent organization at UCLA. In April, they joined forces with FeelGood UCR and our newestcorporate partner to staff the at


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the Rose Bowl, where they practices their FeelGood pitch. By the end of Spring quarter, UCLAFeelGood had established weekly chapter meetings and hosted four innovative deli fundraisersfor the end of hunger. Basically, UCLA FeelGood is totally on fire and ready to light up thismovement!

Youve probably noticed how FeelGood grows most often through personal connections, andour newest chapter at the University of Minnesota is no exception. -UVM FeelGood alum- got talking with her cousin, about contributing to aworld free from hunger. Christina was pretty intrigued and excited - a contagious combinationthat helped her recruit a core team at U of M to get this thing off the ground - including

. This coming year, FeelGood U of M gotpermitted for five deli days per semester, and in the process formed essential relationships thatare sure to be crucial in the years to come. We cant wait to celebrate their chapters first delifundraiser this fall!

WOW! We are growing a MOVEMENT.

7 years. 15 states. 24 chapters.

over 1500 changemakers.

over 99,000 conversations.

over $325,000 invested in the end of hunger from deli sales alone.

Tomorrow well hear more about the impact of our movement as we co-create it movingforward.

We also want to take a moment to acknowledge chapters which are no longer active. Over thepast seven years, FeelGooders at these schools raised a total of $8,845 for the end of hungerand we honor their contributions!

Middlebury College ($1,500) University of Pennsylvania ($145) UTSA ($214) George Mason University ($522) Linfield College ($2,150)

University of Arkansas ($3,274) University of Mexico ($550) Pitzer College ($339.15) University of the Philippines, Diliman Washington and Jefferson College ($150) TOTAL INVESTMENT END OF HUNGER = $8,844.15


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Were also stoked to share the movements potential new chapters - what we call SeedChapters - who are at some stage in the process of establishing a chapter. Note: This list

includes potential chapters in 2 NEW STATES (CO and MO). Brown University

San Francisco State University

University of Missouri, Columbia

University of Colorado, Boulder

University of San Francisco

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