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Archive Number 4173

Date: Sat, 1 Jan 2005 11:59:08 -0600
From: Delanna Reed
Subject: Re: Story Tsunami


Thank you for passing this on, Jo. I think it's a wonderful idea! Let's show the world what storytelling can do!

Happy New Year, all. May this be a pivotal year for worldwide peace.

Delanna Reed

-----Original Message-----
From: Jo Radner
Sent: Dec 31, 2004 7:48 AM
To: HEALINGSTORY@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Story Tsunami



Here's a message from Lee-Ellen Marvin with a marvelous idea for
fundraising for relief and reconstruction in Southeast Asia:
Lee Ellen Marvin has responded to a posting by Laura Simms on the
Healing Story Listserve by offering to coordinate a national Story
Tsunami, a special Tellabration-like, coordinated series of performances
of stories from SE Asia to benefit some of the aid organizations. Below
is her current thinking. She is now working on a logo, a PR paragraph
about the national effort, etc. If you would like to respond to her,
please send your response to lmarvin@twcny.rr.com

Thanks --
Jo Radner
+++++++++++++++++++++
I find myself thinking and thinking, "What can I do about the
devastation of the Tsumani wave?" and also hearing that what the relief
agencies most need right now is cash. We storytellers have gotten so
many wonderful stories from those nations that have been hard hit by the
tsunami. What if we held a "tellabration" style event in about six to
eight weeks, all over the country, featuring stories from those nations
that are in need, to raise cash for relief? How many of you could put
together a program that quickly? How many of you tell stories from
India, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldive, Andaman, and Nicobar
Islands, and Somalia? Do any of you know storytellers from those
regions? Or people who came from those regions who could be coached to
tell publicly or could provide you with stories? Here's what I think
would have to happen: 1) Storytellers and organizations make a
commitment by the first or second week of January. They also contact
other regional storytellers and organizations to encourage more people
to join us. (Jackie -- could you set up a special list on your wonderful
site, of stories from the afflicted nations to assist storytellers in
doing selection of new stories?) 2) A central person or agency sets up a
web site and organizes lists of participating organizations, tellers,
sites. Could Tellabration be used as the web site or should this project
have its own site? I am willing to be the coordinator of this project.
3) Key relief agency or agencies are selected. We're looking for
agencies that have the greatest ability to serve as many of the
afflicted regions as possible, while also having the lowest possible
overhead for administrative costs. 4) The central agency distributes
press releases to national media; sample press releases are generated
for the local agencies to adapt and use for local publicity; also,
possibly generating a logo and poster design that can be adapted.
Hopefully, we have support and a little publicity boost from the
receiving agencies as well. 5) Events are held; funds are collected by
each local site and sent directly to the selected agency or agencies. 6)
Central organization reports on the funds raised to the national media.
At this point, I am thinking that the target date should be February
20th, that's a Sunday; and I'd love to see us aim for raising $1,000 at
each venue by charging $10 and working to bring in 100 people. I think
this can be done. I think it must be done, actually.
-- Lee-Ellen Marvin Folklorist & Storyteller
lmarvin@twcny.rr.com -
--

********************************

Jo Radner

www.JoRadner.com

jradner@american.edu

P.O. Box 145

Lovell, ME 04051

(617) 547-4443 (2004-2005)

(207) 925-6244