PE CPA Adventure Hunt

#1: This month marks the 13th anniversary of Hurricane Ike, which covered most of the Island in a tidal surge. The damaging combination of powerful wind and waves immediately uprooted many trees, but ultimately the salty storm waters led to the demise of the thousands of others. Ike forced us to say a sad goodbye to so much of the island’s beautiful tree canopy. Years later, sculpture artists have breathed a second life into something Mother Nature attempted to destroy. Whimsical sculptures have replaced the majestic oaks that once lined many neighborhood streets and shaded homes. Tucked into gardens and nestled in side yards the sculptures are there for you to enjoy. Find any one of these Hurricane Ike tree carving sculptures around the island and take a team picture posing like the sculpture you found, or creating a memorable scene using the carving as a background prop.

#2: Not only is garlic a much needed ingredient at every great Shrimp Festival, but research shows that consuming raw garlic can boost your immune system. So take a video of all your team members each chewing a separate raw clove of garlic for at least 10 full seconds. Team members should be actively chewing the clove and not just holding it in their mouths. Disclaimer, although healthy this will likely not be pleasant, which is exactly the point.

#3: Get your team to one of the most beautiful Children’s Museums in the country (2618 Broadway Avenue J). Once there find any youth (or group of youth) outside the museum and take a video of them teaching your team members how to “Floss”. And no, it has nothing to do with your teeth.

#4: Take a video of at least half the members in your group completing the "Bite The Bag" challenge. Stand on one leg, bend down and grab a brown paper bag with your teeth and lift it up as you stand back up on one foot. Must remain on one foot the entire time and can not use your arms, hold onto anything, or bump into anything else. To watch a video of someone successfully completing this challenge click HERE.

#5: At the core of any successful CPA firm are professionals who are skilled with numbers and work well together. Anywhere around the area find a piece of pie and take a video of your team with it while everyone closes their eyes and in unison slowly recites the first 12 digits of Pi from memory without anyone else assisting you. Just as a helpful tip, the number 8 is typically considered to be the 12th digit. If anyone makes a mistake, encourage them, and have the entire team start again.

#6: Click HERE to see a small portion of a public artwork here in Galveston. Find the artwork that contains this secret image and have someone take a picture of your team with that artwork behind you while everyone is jumping in the air and high-fiving at the same time. Work together as a team, and with the photographer, to try and time your jump perfectly.

#7: Take a video of your team successfully completing the Whipped Cream Catapult Challenge. There are two options for completing this depending on your Covid comfort level with the other members of your team. Option #1 is to divide your team into pairs. Have someone squirt a dollop (small lump) of whipped cream onto the back of their hand. Have the other person stand a few feet away from them ready to catch the whipped cream in their mouth. The person with the whipped cream on their hand will swing their arm back, palm down. When that hand gets back in front of them at about waist height, they’ll strike their wrist with their other free hand, causing the whipped cream to go flying. The second person should successfully catch the whipped cream in their mouth, or at least catch some of it in their mouth and the rest on their face. For this option, at least half your team should make a successful catch in the video. For Option #2 each team member will put the whipped cream on the back of their own hand and fling it up to themselves, at least 3 feet above their head. For this option everyone on the team would need to make a successful catch in the video. To understand the challenge better and to watch a video of a team successfully completing it click HERE.

#8: Find any two strangers around the area wearing cowboy hats or cowboy boots. You could also find one wearing a hat and one wearing boots but both strangers would need to be wearing one of the required items. Once you’ve found them, take a video of your team all singing the first line of the classic 1941 song "Deep in the Heart of Texas", and then have the two strangers respond accordingly (with clapping and singing)! To see an example of this song being sung successfully click HERE. Sing it loud and proud and encourage your Texas loving strangers to do the same.

#9: Take a video of any two team members both successfully completing the “Bottle Flip Challenge” at exactly the same time. Basically, take a video of both members each flipping their own standard (16 ounces or so) bottle of water onto a hard surface, and getting it to successfully remain standing upright once it lands. The bottle can be filled with as much water as needed to improve your chances of completing the challenge successfully. What will make this challenge difficult is getting both people to make a successful flip on the same attempt. If one of you fails, encourage them and both try again. To watch a video of two people successfully completing this challenge together click HERE.

#10: Anywhere around the area find an active military person or a veteran. Then take a video of them watching your entire team doing 10 push-ups or sit-ups at their feet to honor their strength and courage. After you’ve finished recording, spend a few minutes learning more about their time in the service before you depart, as a small gesture of appreciation.

#11: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. To honor kids everywhere that are fighting cancer, take a team picture showing off your hands once every member of your team has gotten their fingernails painted gold (the international color for childhood cancer awareness) using real nail polish. An alternative to having YOUR nails painted is taking a team picture with a stranger that has their nails already painted gold OR convincing someone who is walking into a local salon to get their nails painted gold and taking a fun picture with them afterwards. This challenge is in honor of the ACCO's "Pedi-Cure" program. You can learn more about it by clicking HERE.

#12: This week celebrated National Redhead Appreciation Day (it’s true, look it up). Since they make up only 4 percent of the world’s population, find someone around the area with red hair and take a fun team picture where the red head is standing confidently with their hands on their hips and everyone on your team is bowed down at their feet as if you are “not worthy” (like you might see Wayne and Garth proclaiming). After the picture, be sure to show some sincere appreciation, compliment their awesome hair color, and generally make them feel like the special human being they are.

#13: Being a CPA, especially during tax season, requires incredible focus. Click HERE to complete the Concentration Challenge. If you can’t access it via the link simply type “Telegraph Brain Age Test” into any browser and it should be at the top of the results. Once there, select the option for “Concentration” and get ready to begin the test. You will see a series of shapes. The goal is to decide whether the word inside the shape matches the color of the shape. If it does, click the check mark. If it doesn’t click on the X. Your score will be based on speed and accuracy. To complete this challenge successfully, any member of your team needs to score 27 or more points total on one test. Once someone has achieved an acceptable score, take a picture of the highly focused team member proudly displaying their score on their screen.

#14: You have likely used Scotch Tape for just about everything. Well, except this. To honor this incredibly versatile American-made product take a fun team picture after everyone uses Scotch tape to stretch and distort their faces. For some inspiration click HERE.

#15: Get your team to any accessible beach area and using drift wood, seaweed, or other debris spell out the name "PE CPA" as large as possible and take a fun team picture with your creation. If you would rather not display your business name in a public setting you can instead choose to spell out an inspirational word or phrase.

#16: Somewhere outdoors, take a video of any one team member balancing a large (16 ounces or so) open-top paper, plastic, or foam cup on their head filled with water. Then have them walk 10 paces ahead without touching the cup or having it fall off at any point during their walk. If you touch the cup or it drops, fill the cup back up with water, re-balance, and start again. All team members can attempt this challenge at the same time but only one needs to be successful. After completing the 10 steps remove the cup and dump the water to prove it was full.

#17: Take a video of your team completing the "Paper Airplane Challenge". Basically send some team members to the 2nd level of any building or parking garage and have them toss paper airplanes out into the air in front of them (not just dropping it straight downward). The rest of your team should be on the sidewalk or grass below. Any of your team members at ground level needs to catch just one plane before it hits the ground. All team members at ground level can be attempting to catch planes, but only one plane needs to be caught. To watch a team complete this mission successfully click HERE.

#18: Find a postcard that features this area in some way or a greeting card designed by a local artist and purchase it. Then click HERE to go to the Postcard Happiness Project website and scroll down to the profile for John Craig, an adult with Downs Syndrome from Oregon that loves to receive mail. On your postcard include a fun or uplifting message and sign it with your names or your group name. The mailing address for John can be found in his profile description. Stamp your card and take a picture with it to show you've completed your Act Of Kindness.