Week Eight and The "Henrietta" Dance

Eight weeks ago I began this crazy adventure to become the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's 2015 Woman of the Year. I remember thinking that ten weeks (the length of the campaign) was such a long period of time (It isn't!!). And today we are just 14 days away from the finale - just 14 days until we meet again at the Radisson to see who earned the title!

We've gotten a lot accomplished in the past eight weeks (thanks in FULL to my amazing campaign committee): Two Zumbathons, a yard sale, BINGO, and more. But we still have lots to come in these final weeks: the Poker Run, the Elvis Tribute Show, Wine and Paint Night, and a Murder Mystery.

I'll admit it - this morning I felt tired. I was ready to for this campaign to be over! I kept thinking about all we have yet to do in the next two weeks, and it was overwhelming. Last year's Woman of the Year, Kathy McCauslin-Cadieux, joked that there would be a moment that we would see a bus and consider getting on it (or stepping out in front of it). I may have hit that moment.

BUT... just as I thought my will to fundraise had given out on me, I was given a reminder of why this campaign is so important. 

Today was our monthly visit to the Hershey Children's Hospital as part of the Soaringwords + Zumba Fitness program. Along with Stephanie Okuniewski and Cindy Riess, we led a Zumba Fitness class for the patients and families staying there.

One amazing little girl danced with us the entire time - she was energetic and vivacious and insanely adorable! Forget our choreo, this little girl was creating her own dance moves! She was teaching us! She even helped us to create some fun new choreo named after her chicken, Henrietta (check out the video below)!

This girl should not have to deal with being sick. Kids like our Boy and Girl of the Year, Chase and Ady, should not have to deal with being sick. Our loved ones - spouses, parents, cousins, neighbors - should not have to deal with being sick.

Is it crazy to think that WE have the power to make cancer a think of the past?

Every dollar raised gets us one step closer to finding a cure, and allows kids like Chase, Ady, and our amazing little dancers today to just be kids!

So I am bracing myself for the final charge to the finish line. I can't quit. I have two more weeks - two more weeks to use to change the future for cancer patients and their families.

Will you join me? Please donate now or purchase tickets to one (or more!) of our upcoming fundraising events:

1. POKER RUN - THIS SATURDAY, May 30 (departs 10am) at the Local 520 Union Hall, Harrisburg
2. ELVIS TRIBUTE SHOW WITH NICK FERRARO - THIS SATURDAY, May 30 at Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg
3. WINE AND PAINT NIGHT WITH AMUSE UNCORKED - Monday, June 1 (6-8pm) at Best Western Premier
4. MURDER MYSTERY DINNER - Thursday, June 4 (6:30pm) at The Conference Center at
   Central Penn College
5. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Sunday, June 7 (2-4pm) at Gold's Gym Camp Hill

You can also shop for the cause: 

1. JAMBERRY PARTY - Order online through May 31
2. TSHIRT SALES - Order through May 29, $12 each
3. MARY KAY SATIN HANDS PROMO - Earn some bling when you sell 10 of our specially packaged hand creams, $15 each

Thanks so much for your continued support through this campaign! See you at the finale!! #somedayistoday #mwoy2015

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

Weeks 5 and 6: Over Half Way!

When people ask me how my campaign to be the 2015 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year is going, I simultaneously experience two powerful and contradictory feelings. Part of me begs for the weeks to slow down - I have so much left to do! Then the other part wonders how I'll make it through the final four weeks! I'm so thankful for my campaign committee (30 people strong). They are such a huge source of support - and I'm continually inspired by all that the team is accomplishing!

Each week of the campaign challenges me to learn and grow in new ways. During week five, the LLS office challenged us to have a CALL PARTY to call 30 people to ask them for $100 - this was painful for me! Luckily Shawna Strine and Deb Schell were willing to join me (and Steph Okuniewski virtually)! We ended up having a fun night drinking margaritas at Arooga's - end earning a $500 bonus for our efforts! I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone (a lot), and I know that will be beneficial to me long after this campaign is over.

TEAM YARD SALE also saw their big event come into fruition! This one was LOTS of work, but a ton of fun! We had face painting, carnations for all moms thanks to Pamela's Flowers, yummy food thanks to Mama's Soup Coupe, baked goods, and masses of treasures for shoppers to take home! I can't say thanks enough to our event team Kim Lehman, Shawna Strine, Steph Okuniewski, Mandie Levan, and Heather Kat Stouffer; our sales "managers" Shawn Thoman and Brian Okuniewski; our "stock team" Rita Goodyear Thoman, Barry T, LuAnn Gallup, and Lexy Pollack Ridgley; and the MANY people who donated merchandise or came to the sale!

Other ways to get involved:

1. We have a jamberry party going on through the end of the month (Thanks Dawn Leeson). 
2. We are taking orders for tshirts (Thanks Artistic Imprints). 
3. We even created a special Mary Kay satin hands promo where you can earn some bling when you sell 10 of our specially packaged hand creams (Thanks Kimm Moore)! 

Upcoming events:

1. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Saturday, May 23 (1-3pm) at Halifax Elementary School
2. POKER RUN - Saturday, May 30 (departs 10am) at the Local 520 Union Hall, Harrisburg
3. ELVIS TRIBUTE SHOW WITH NICK FERRARO - Saturday, May 30 at Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg
4. WINE AND PAINT NIGHT WITH AMUSE UNCORKED - Monday, June 1 (6-8pm) at Best Western Premier
5. MURDER MYSTERY DINNER - Thursday, June 4 (6:30pm) at The Conference Center at Central Penn College
6. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Sunday, June 7 (2-4pm) at Gold's Gym Camp Hill

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

Weeks 3 & 4: Pirates, Picture Frames, Campfires, and BINGO

Well, the last two weeks have been BUSY! I can't believe we are almost halfway through my campaign to be the 2015 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year! Here are a few highlights of what's been happening! I included a few personal and professional updates as well!

PIRATES
I took a break from campaigning to head to the Outer Banks with two of my running besties, Shawna Strine and Denise Zern! We had been prepping for MONTHS to prepare for the Flying Pirate Half Marathon (and that was just for the costume contest!) - ok, we ran a little, too! We ran an amazing 13.1 miles through the beautiful Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve and took the stage after the race to accept THIRD PLACE in the costume contest (was there ever any doubt?)!! But don't worry - we kept the campaign in mind! We wore our Woman of the Year pins the entire time we were in OBX - even during the race!

PICTURE FRAMES
Once we were back in PA, it was time to prepare for our FIRST campaign fundraiser - the Harrisburg Zumbathon! Two hours, six licensed Zumba instructors, and a room full of friends ready to dance for a great cause! Stephanie Okuniewski organized this AWESOME event - complete with goodie bags, a silent auction, and fun homemade picture frames for us to take those #sweatyselfies and show our commitment to finding a cure for blood cancers! Thanks to Lindy Aurentz, LuAnn Gallup, Kim Petrides, and Kim Lehman for joining Steph O. on Team "Zthon in the 'Burg!"

CAMPFIRES
The day following the Zumbathon I found myself at Camp Hebron with an AMAZING group of Central Penn students - the participants of the FIRST ANNUAL Women's Leadership Retreat! I co-planned and facilitated the retreat with two of my faves in Student Services - Residence Life Director Megan Peterson and College Counselor Megan Cline. During the retreat we talked about becoming more assertive, managing conflict, and expanding our worldviews. We also had the opportunity to hear from incredible female leaders like Dr. Deb Heath-Thornton, Una Martone, and Tracey Jones! Weekends like this are exactly why I got into Student Services!

BINGO
Today we held our second official campaign fundraiser - PRIZE BINGO! Darla Smith led TEAM BINGO along with Shawna Strine and Denise Zern. 20 games of BINGO, 30 raffle prizes, and at least a dozen door prizes - the hottest items? A football-themed crock pot and a wheelbarrow! And we had plenty more to give away including Longaberger baskets, wine from Armstrong Valley Winery, yard tools from Ames Tru Temper, Mary Kay, home decor from Celebrating Home and MORE! Lunch included homemade soups, BBQ, and some incredible whoopie pies! Thanks to everyone who joined us today!

WHAT'S NEXT? 
We just solidified one final event in our campaign lineup - an Elvis tribute show starting The Philly Elvis, Nick Ferraro! So save the date - Saturday night, May 30, at Appalachian Brewing Company on Cameron Street in Harrisburg!

For info about other upcoming events, click on the links below! We hope to see you there!

AROOGA'S FUNDRAISING NIGHT  - Every Tuesday through June 9
JAMBERRY PARTY - Orders collected through May 31
YARD SALE AND FOOD TRUCK - Saturday, May 9
ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Saturday, May 23
POKER RUN - Saturday, May 30

ELVIS TRIBUTE SHOW WITH NICK FERRARO - Saturday, May 30
WINE AND PAINT NIGHT WITH AMUSE UNCORKED - Monday, June 1
MURDER MYSTERY DINNER - Thursday, June 4
ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Sunday, June 7

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

MWOY Week 2: Penguin Antics and Pre-Meditated Murder

Cancer's not cool!

It is really the end of week 2 already? This campaign seem to be flying by!

Each week we are given a fun bonus challenge to earn extra dollars toward our fundraising total. Our week 2 challenge involved collecting as many cash and check donations as possible. Our plan? To head to Sonic with our donation buckets in hand, and collect donations at the intersection! Oh - and I happened to be wearing a penguin costume, too!

Shawna and Alex Strine

In just two hours, we raised $200, received a visit from the Susquehanna Township Police Department (they received reports of underage penguins on the street corner- haha!!), were visited by lots of familiar faces (thank you, all!), and earned countless smiles from passersby along the way! And did we win our challenge? YES! Special thanks to Shawna and Alex Strine for teaming up with me!

Roundtable Productions

We also made some major strides in the planning of our Murder Mystery Dinner (Thanks Caitlin Copus and Melissa Mahoney)! We will be teaming up with Roundtable Productions for an amazing event on Thursday, June 4 at the Conference Center at Central Penn College! All I can say is that it will be a LOT of fun and will have plenty of surprises throughout the night! Tickets are $50 and can be purchased on my fundraising page (just click on the link to "purchase event tickets"). 1920's theme, so costumes are welcome! Wine and beer to be provided by Lancaster Brewing Co.!

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Here is a complete list of our upcoming fundraising events!!

AROOGA'S FUNDRAISING NIGHT
Every Tues., April 7 - June 9
All day, any location!

ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Saturday, April 25 (2-4pm)
Gold's Linglestown

JAMBERRY PARTY

Orders collected through April 30

Online 

BINGO/FUN DAYSunday, May 3 (2pm)
Faith Church, Halifax

YARD SALE AND FOOD TRUCK
Saturday, May 9 (7am-1pm)
CrossPoint United Methodist Church, Harrisburg

ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Saturday, May 23 (1-3pm)
Halifax Elementary School

POKER RUN
Saturday, May 30 (departs 10am)
Local 520 Union Hall, Harrisburg

WINE AND PAINT NIGHT WITH AMUSE UNCORKED
Monday, June 1 (6-8pm)
Best Western Premier

MURDER MYSTERY DINNER
Thursday, June 4 (6:30pm)
The Conference Center at Central Penn College

ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Sunday, June 7 (2-4pm)
Gold's Gym Camp Hill

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

MWOY Week 1: Kickoff, A Donkey, and Elvis

“Beginnings are sudden, but also insidious. They creep up on you sideways, they keep to the shadows, they lurk unrecognized. Then, later, they spring.” - Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

The campaign committee
gets sassy at kickoff!

Campaign Kickoff

It's here! The campaign has begun! We officially kicked off the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year campaign at the Radisson last Wednesday. Thanks to your amazing support, I was one of just four candidates to achieve the first bonus challenge (our team raised over $700 in the first DAY)!

A handwritten message from
the Girl of the Year!

At the kickoff, we were introduced to the Boy and Girl of the Year, Chase and Adyson! These amazing kiddos will be attending events, sharing their stories, and providing inspiration throughout the campaign! I even got a handwritten card from Miss Ady that morning!

I also got to meet my competitors for the first time! 13 total: eight men and five women. And they are FIERCE and FOCUSED on the cause! I can't wait to hear the total dollars raised by this group at the finale! I already know it's going to be incredible!!

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With Leroy, the Easter donkey

Leroy the Easter Donkey
Saturday morning I got to scope out the competition firsthand at a fundraising event I could not resist - Brunch with Leroy the Easter donkey!

Mandie Levan and I traveled to Ironstone Ranch in Elizabethtown. We had an amazing brunch by C&J Catering, took a tractor ride, saw the future home of the Star Barn, toasted marshmallows over a campfire, AND got to meet Leroy (who may be the sweetest Donkey I've ever met)! Congrats to Bryan Laudermilch for a fun event (fundraising totals are top secret until the finale, but I'm guessing it was a success)!

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With Dot and Nick Ferraro

The Philly Elvis
Saturday night it was time for me to do some of my own fundraising! I was invited by past Woman of the Year, Dot Ferraro and past candidate Nick Ferraro to Hershey Italian Lodge for Nick's performance as the Philly Elvis (I'm a huge Elvis fan, so I couldn't resist)! Kimm Moore was my date for the evening.

During the show, Nick and Dot introduced me to the audience and encouraged everyone to donate to the cause. As I was walking through the room with my donation bucket, I met another "why" for taking on this challenge - a survivor (now in remission!) introduced himself and shared his story. More motivation to kick some cancer butt over the next ten weeks.

Our big win!!

And we have a new tool to do it! While we were there, we won the grand prize raffle - a kiddie pool filled with beer, wine, snacks, and more! We are going to pay our luck forward and use our winnings as a prize at one of our upcoming events! Watch for details of how YOU can win our fun PARTY POOL!

Dot and Nick - Thanks so much for all of your support and encouragement! 

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Coming Up Next... 
At the end of our first week, we are going strong! We are busy finalizing the details of our many fundraising events, confirming sponsors, making flyers, and starting to promote! Here's what's coming up next...

Today is our first AROOGA'S FUNDRAISING DAY. Every Tuesday, April 7 - June 9, All day, any location! Just give this VOUCHER to your server and 15% of your bill will be donated to LLS (like we really needed another excuse for their crab pretzel!!)

We are also gearing up for an incredible ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT Saturday, April 25 (2-4pm) at Gold's Linglestown! Don't miss our first official event of the campaign! Just $15 for six instructors, two hours, and one amazing cause! Message me to reserve your spot on the dance floor!

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Save The Date
Here are a few other events that are coming up in May!

BINGO/FUN DAY
Sunday, May 3 (2pm), Faith Church, Halifax

YARD SALE AND FOOD TRUCK
Saturday, May 9 (7am-1pm), CrossPoint United Methodist Church, Harrisburg

ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Saturday, May 23 (1-3pm), Halifax Elementary School

POKER RUN
Saturday, May 30, Local 520 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall, Harrisburg

BENEFIT DINNER
Thursday, June 4, The Conference Center at Central Penn College

ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Sunday, June 7, West shore - Location TBD

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org.

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

One Day 'Til Kickoff: MWOY Campaign Updates

Kat Stouffer, Shawna Strine, and Kim Lehman
joined me at one of our first official team meetings!

Are We Ready For This??!!
We are just one day away from kicking off the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Man and Woman of the Year (MWOY) campaign!

Since making this commitment, my Facebook Messenger has been firing off non-stop - and for good reason! My campaign team has been BUSY these last few weeks! Here are a few highlights of our pre-kickoff prep work:

• My amazing campaign team has grown to over 25 people! 
• I've heard words of wisdom from three different past candidates! 
• We confirmed our first corporate sponsor - Central Penn College!
• We finalized dates for eight different fundraising events!

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Our First Challenge!!

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has given us our first bonus challenge, and I'm going to need YOUR help to achieve it... On the day of the kickoff (Wednesday, April 1) I need to raise $500 on my personal fundraising website between 12am and noon. That's just 12 hours! Will you help?

I'll be sending emails and posting Facebook reminders early that morning. All you need to do is a make an online donation - and any amount will bring us closer to our goal! Remember that the donation needs to be made no later than noon in order to count toward the challenge!

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Upcoming Fundraising Events!!
Remember those eight fundraising events that I mentioned? Please plan to attend! We are working on Zumbathons, a poker run, a murder mystery, and MORE! We would love to see you there!

1. AROOGA'S FUNDRAISING NIGHT
Every Tuesday, April 7 - June 9, All day, any location! Just give this VOUCHER to your server and 15% of your bill will be donated to LLS.

2. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Saturday, April 25 (2-4pm), Gold's Linglestown

3. BINGO/FUN DAY
Sunday, May 3 (2pm), Faith Church, Halifax
Looking for prizes and raffle donations!

4. YARD SALE AND FOOD TRUCK
Saturday, May 9 (7am-1pm), CrossPoint United Methodist Church, Harrisburg
Looking for sellable "treasures!"

5. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Saturday, May 23 (1-3pm), Halifax Elementary School

6. POKER RUN
Saturday, May 30, Local 520 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall, Harrisburg

7. BENEFIT DINNER
Thursday, June 4, The Conference Center at Central Penn College
Looking for a wine/beer sponsor!

8. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT
Sunday, June 7, West shore - Location TBD

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Survivor Story: Matthew, Philadelphia
Stories like Matthew's (found on the LLS website) remind me of why this campaign is so important.

Matthew was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma and Leukemia in November 2008 at just two years old. After long and difficult chemotherapy treatments, Matthew achieved remission. He is now part of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia survivorship program.

Matthew finds time for his hobbies like making crafts and running make-believe restaurants and stores. He also stays busy playing baseball, swimming, and basketball. Matthew also enjoys looking for treasure in his backyard. When he grows up, Matthew wants to be a teacher or a restaurant owner because he loves people. 

LLS has invested more than $1 billion in blood cancer research. This research is improving treatments, increasing survival rates, and SAVING LIVES. By supporting LLS, we are ensuring that kid's like Matthew can continue their backyard treasure hunts and baseball games!!

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

Don't Stop The Party

Wild West at Ladies Night Out

Legend has it that Beto Perez walked into his aerobics class one day and discovered (gasp!) that he forgot his music! So he grabbed some salsa and merengue tapes from his car and improvised the first ever dance fitness party (later named ZUMBA)!

Call it fate, call it magic - but since that day, the party he started has taken on a life of its own. You can now find Zumba classes at over 200,000 locations and in 180 countries!

If you know me personally, you know that I love a party - especially a party with a THEME (costumes are an added bonus)! Those 200,00 locations mentioned above have a theme (one of my favorites)... #zumbalove. Caring instructors, passionate students, and a whole lot of people wanting to make the world a better place. I wonder if Beto ever imagined the infinite number of lives he would affect with the creation of Zumba. The ripple stemming from that fateful class is mind-blowing.

This weekend I was lucky enough to be a part of three different parties for three very worthy causes (and lucky for me, they all had some awesome themes of their own)! Here's a recap:

Ladies Night Out:
For the 6th year in a row, Northern Dauphin County Human Services welcomed hundreds of women to Ladies Night Out. This year's theme? Wild West! The event was free and featured health screenings, a blood drive, and a canned food drive for the Northern Dauphin County Food Bank. Guests could also shop from a ton of vendors (I bought my first bag of fat-burning coffee! Too tempting to resist!) and enjoyed a variety of entertainment including line dancing, music, and more! My awesome Halifax students, dubbed the Halifax Hotties, came to help me share some of our favorite Zumba songs with the crowd!

Purple and Pigtails for Catie's Wish

Catie's Wish/St. Jude: 
In 2009, a beautiful 7-year-old girl named Catie lost her life to cancer. Her dying wish? To raise enough money to cover the operating expenses of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on her birthday, April 23rd. Her family, from Mechanicsburg, PA, works to raise over $1.4 million each year to make Catie's wish come true. Led by my original Zumba instructor and owner of Progress Fitness, Liza Smith, we teamed up to raise over $3,000 for the Catie's Wish Foundation! All while wearing our purple and pigtails!

Zum-bots for NHS Autism School

NHS Autism School:
Calling all Zum-bots (another fun theme)! The CDC's latest statistics show that 1 in 68 children have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). On Saturday afternoon, I participated in a Zumbathon Charity Event to support the NHS Human Services Autism School in Carlisle - a wonderful school that serves all students on the autism spectrum, ages 5-21. We even had a few awesome students join us on the stage!

Beto may have created Zumba unintentionally, but the power of the program is undeniable. One magical "mistake" has led to MILLIONS of lives being changed for the better. 

Beto, THANK YOU for inviting us to the party! 

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year Campaign Update! We are only one week away from the campaign kickoff! Learn more at www.mwoy.org/pages/cpa/hbg15/athoman.

The opinions and views expressed by this ZCOM Volunteer on this website are solely those of the ZCOM Volunteer and do not reflect the opinions or views of Zumba Fitness, LLC, its subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees and agents.