Ox&Pen

It feels good to give back. No matter how hard you’re working, if you’re supporting a good cause, you’ll walk away with that great feeling inside. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you have the opportunity to give back and have tons of fun while doing so. This was the case when Andrew, Vanessa, Jeff, Adam and I were able to volunteer last week as coaches at Girls in the Game summer camp.

The mission of Girls in the Game is to provide and promote sports and fitness opportunities, nutrition and health education, and leadership development to enhance the overall health and well-being of girls. After spending half a day with the staff at Girls in the Game and the girls they mentor, we understand the importance of this organization. We couldn’t be more impressed with the staff and the clear positive effect they had on the campers. (Plus, they must have some sort of special superpowers; I never would have imagined it possible to keep 120 girls, ages 7-13, in line all day without incident.)

Tip of the hat to Girls in the Game. We had a great time and look forward to continued involvement!

The whole group shows their muscles after a day at Girls in the Game summer camp.

Coach Andrew and a few campers

Christy plays tunnel tag with campers

Andrew coaches lacrosse

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Needless to say, the past two months have been busy since Ox&Pen officially launched, and our mobile apps were released for iPhone® and Android™. We’ve been busy growing our network, working feverishly to increase both our merchant and member base.

Our work hasn’t been limited to forwarding Ox&Pen, however.

As I’ve mentioned before, Ox&Pen is committed to helping promote local communities, from local eateries to local artists to local causes and charitable organizations. In less than three months, Ox&Pen has helped raise over $1,000 for non-profit organizations, including Center on Halsted, Girls in the Game and Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Most recently, the Ox&Pen staff took an evening to help out with The Night Ministry’s Health Outreach Bus. We bought food and prepared meals for 200 people. The most rewarding part of the experience was serving the meals to a sincerely appreciative group. It was incredibly heartwarming to hear the grace and gratitude from the recipients of the meals.

Below are a few photos of our time spent with the Health Outreach Bus. We look forward to the next opportunity to get involved with The Night Ministry!

The Ox&Pen team with The Night Ministry's Health Outreach Bus

Adam and Andrew help serve meals. We served over 200!

Ox&Pen volunteering with The Night Ministry

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A few weeks ago, Ox&Pen celebrated its soft launch at the Ravenswood studio of local artist Armando Pedroso. This was the first party we’ve thrown (so far), and thanks to careful planning led by Vanessa, Ox&Pen’s newest team member, the event was an incredible success.

Armando Pedroso (L) and Andrew Gluck (R) present a check to Tico Valle, CEO of Center on Halsted.

Partygoers enjoyed drinks and passed apps while learning how to check in and earn loyalty points using the Ox&Pen app for iPhone and Android. Members also took advantage of special promotional rates and purchased Pedroso’s original urban abstracts.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the evening was the fact that Ox&Pen and Pedroso raised over $650 for Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s most

Tico Valle, Center on Halsted CEO, and Andrew Gluck, Ox&Pen founder & CEO

comprehensive community center dedicated to building and strengthening the LGBT community, and one of Ox&Pen’s charitable partners.

Ox&Pen is excited for future opportunities to host fun events for members that highlight both local merchants and charitable causes in the community. Quickly approaching is a night of pizza, drinks and loyalty points at Roots Pizza. To RSVP, please visit us on Facebook.

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Today is December 1^st, which is a big day for many people and many cultures.

First of all, it is World AIDS Day, an opportunity for the world to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died. Fact: more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. Learn more about what you can do at http://www.worldaidsday.org/.

Secondly, because it is the first of the month, hopefully everyone woke up and immediately said “rabbit rabbit.” Why? It is a common British superstition to say “rabbit rabbit” upon waking on the first day of each new month; those who do will receive good luck for the duration of that month. At Ox&Pen, we have developed something of a following for curious British words and phrases. Ox&Pen is a shortened form of Oxford Scholar and Eighteen Pence or, Cockney rhyming slang for dollars and sense.

Finally, the first day of December also marks the end of November, better known as Movember, the cause for the drastic spike in moustache fashion. All those moustaches you saw last month were raising funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. A big thank you is in order for all the guys out there who went scruffy for a good cause. Among those who threw away their razors for a while were Peter, Jeff and Adam. Below is the documentation of the final day of facial hair:

these guys.

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