“Arc in the Park” – Justine Nelson & Jason Maynez

Justine Nelson and Jason Maynez, two interdisciplinary students, joined the Adventure Risk Challenge (ARC) team to put on a new annual event in fall 2014: Arc in the Park. Sean McAlindin, ARC’s Outreach Coordinator, had an idea to create a benefit concert in support of ARC, a leadership and literacy youth organization. Jason and Justine jumped on board to bring this the idea to fruition. Justine (Art and Psychology) and Jason (ODAL and Entrepreneurship) aligned their skills with their responsibilities in the event planning process. Jason focused on lining up food trucks for the event, reached out to sponsors and donors, and managed security and ticket sales during the event. Justine concentrated on advertising and social media by creating the posters, tickets and a Facebook page. She also ran the raffle booth during the event.

The concert attracted around two hundred members of the Tahoe community, seven local bands, and over ten local sponsors in addition to businesses that donated raffle prizes. The event raised over $4,000 for the ARC program, to be used for student scholarships.

Ultimately, Arc in the Park was successful in bringing the community together to celebrate a youth development organization. Justine expressed her gratitude after the event, saying “it was amazing to see all of our work produce an event that was well received by the community. I found this experience greatly influential in my strengthening my skills in graphic design and business communication.” Jason added, “immediately after Arc in the Park I received a couple job offers based on my achievements and professionalism, this was a huge moment for me. I knew then that it was worth every hour I spent preparing for the event.” Due to the success of this first time benefit concert, ARC hopes to make Arc in the Park and annual event, growing in size and support each year.