Over the Airwaves Straight to You

(Bicyle Times - A proud sponsor of Connor's Army)

Over the last year we've really been trying to push the presence of Connor's Army as much as we can.  Its hard because there is really only Amy and myself running this group.  Unlike a lot of other charities, we don't have a huge group of people behind us pounding the streets and soliciting donors or sponsors for us.  I really wish we did, it would certainly make all of this much easier and we would probably be close to our goal already.  I was having a "conversation" (I'm really not sure what you call it these days since so much of our communicating gets done cyberly) with Heidi Goodstadt Burian today and I was telling her how difficult it has been for us.  She and a few others (Danielle, Jason, Jamie, Melanie, My Beginning Acting Class, and quite of few of my ACTers current and past) have been helping get the word out and it certainly is reflecting in our numbers.  For instance, if you're reading this right now you have gotten us a step closer to 11,000 views!!!!!!  I'm sorry but that deserves a trumpet fanfare;

	Robert Paterson - Fanfare for Trumpet Sextet .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Okay, so maybe that's a bit of overkill.  And to be honest, I don't know if all of those views are people who actually read much of anything I write since I still only have 53 official followers and no one (except for Jason) ever comments.  But still, 11,000!!!!!!

Anyway, getting back to my conversation with Heidi, its been very discouraging becuase it has just been Amy and I pushing this project along.  We keep hoping and praying that someone will come along and say, "what you're doing is amazing, how can we help you!" and will help us get the sponsors and help us generate the donations that we're hoping to get.  As Heidi said, "just think of yourself as The Little Engine That Could" (WARNING:  THIS IS ONLY PART ONE SO YOU'LL HAVE TO CLICK ON THE LINKS TO WATCH THE WHOLE THING);



Don't get me wrong, we do have some incredible people who support us (Heidi being one of them) and we have some great sponsors.  But times are hard for lots of businesses still and although there are some companies out there that really have the money, we still have yet to find one or two that can help us raise the last $5,000 in sponsorship we think we'll need to make sure we'll be able to fully do this event right.  So we keep plugging along - "I think we can, I think we can, I think we can.......".

We've also not really pushed it too hard on the PR front yet though.  We've been using the social network (mainly facebook) to try to get the word out but as of December 23rd we'll be SIX MONTHS FROM THE START OF CONNOR'S ARMY'S RIDE ACROSS AMERICA or CARAAM as I like to sometimes call it.  So we're going to start sending out releases to papers, tv stations, magazines, everywhere we can get the word out.  For instance, the picture of the magazine cover that starts this blog entry is from the August issue of Bicycle Times.  And in that issue are two articles about Connor's Army.  Of course we were hoping that someone would read one of those articles and be moved to come forward to sponsor us but no dice yet.

That's not to say we haven't had some strong advocates pushing for us.  Jason Lederman has been one of the most "vocal" of our supporters.  Some of it has been in his vlog, "Late Night With Jason Lederman";

Here's one from our Victory ride 2010;




And here's a video that he did for Project for Awesome 2010;




And I try to take advantage of any chance I can to get the word out.  This past summer the family and I took a trip to Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT and while we were there they had an attraction called "Tall Ships and Tattoos".  It was great time had by the entire family and at the compound was an exhibit about the development of tattoos as a mode of personal expression for sailors.  At the exhibit they were filming people telling the story about their tattoos and since Sarah thinks my "tat" is so cool, she insisted I do the interview;



And of course I couldn't resist the chance to plug Connor's Army.

And two years ago I relied upon the combined talents of Phil Rosenberg, Dan Kahn, and Daniel Incalcaterra (and I think Saleem Gondal may have had a hand in this) to create a video for Bicycling Magazine's "I Need A New Bike" competition.  Basically our whole gist was, I don't need a fancy carbon racer, I just need something that will get me from San Diego to Long Island in one piece without breaking down;




Unfortunately, it didn't win.  Although I have put the offer out to my brother in law that if he can find a way through his connections to convince Giant Bicycles to donate a cyclocross bike (or even a frame and fork combo) for the cross country ride, I would wear a NEW YORK GIANTS logo on my jerseys the entire 3600 mile ride!  Now for a die-hard DALLAS COWBOYS fan, that is a sacrifice but I will do it for the kids!  (Okay, so are there any big wigs out there with some pull that want to see me humiliated for 3600 miles?)

And jus the other day we started our latest barrage of PR work when Jason (and Justin Tasolides for a small while who admitted he loves my blog but it keeps crashing his browser) dropped by for a visit.  At the end of the visit Jason had managed to shoot some new video footage and using the geniurs editing skills that he has been developing while he's been away at Northwestern.  He really worked hard on it and even though we didn't get it in with enough time to really have people vote for it, it gets us out there and it shows what Connor's Army is about and what we're trying to do and every little bit helps;



What I think it all boils down to is that this process of finding people to sponsor us and to donate is a hit or miss process.  We just have to keep putting it out there and hope that someone will feel called in their heart to help us in some financial manner.  Heidi and the Burian clan have been truly financially generous as have many of my other friends and family members.  Syosset High School is starting to help with various fundraisers and with any luck we'll be able to raise $6,000 through the combined efforts of different student groups. That would be enough for ONE CAMPER FOR EIGHT WEEKS!

And my darling, wonderfully giving Sarah has decided that for her 13th birthday (yes, can you believe it, THIRTEEN!) she wants to to do a Mitzvah project even though she's not having a Bat Mitzvah.  And yes, even though her entire life seems to have been one large Mitzvah, she has decided she wants to throw a fund raiser benefit for Sunrise Day Camp and with any luck we'll be able to raise another $3,000.  She continues to amaze and humble me every day.

Jamie Blanch and her friends at UNO Fights Cancer have been incredibly supportive and have done a few bake sales to benefit Connor's Army.  I'm continuing to sell refurbished bicycles through my RECycle for Sunrise project.  I have a student who wants to sell bracelets for Connor's Army - its all adding up slowly but surely and I'm starting to feel hope that this might happen.

But Amy and I can't do it alone, we need help.  And no, this is not for my own narcissistic needs.  Honestly, if there were a way to get publicity about htis without ever mentioning my name I would do it.  If someone would donate the $50,000 to me to do this if I would do it without ever putting my name to it, I would do it.  If you could see what Sunrise means to the kids that attend it you would understand.  Its not about me, its not about you - its about them. 

So, if you've read this far I thank you.  I thank you for being supportive enough to "listen" to what I have to say.  I thank you for being supportive enough to help us get closer to 11,000 views, and I thank you for possibly passing on the idea of Connor's Army to others - who knows your mentioning it to someone else may be the spark that ignites a flame in someone's soul - a burning desire to help us help the kids.

And now, your reward for making it to the end, Freddie Mercury and Queen performing "Bicycle Race";



And there you have it - we're coming over the airwaves and we're after sending eight kids to camp!  Help us if you can.

Stay well and I'll see you on the road!

Hmmmm, Should I Have Some Biscotti With that Venti(ng)?

One of my favorite teacher movies is The Dead Poet's Society.  Granted, its no Goodbye, Mr. Chips but it does have an incredible scene (there are so many) in which Robin Williams' character (John Keating) works to instill in one of his young charges (Neil) that he does indeed have a poet within him;



He is, of course (for the learned amongst you), referring to Walth Whitman's masterwork "Song of Myself" and the 52nd "stanza" which reads;

The spotted hawk swoops by and accuses me, he complains of my gab and my loitering.

I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.

The last scud of day holds back for me,
It flings my likeness after the rest and true as any on the shadow’d wilds,
It coaxes me to the vapor and the dusk.

I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun,
I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it in lacy jags.

I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,
If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.

You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.

To read this in its entirety, you only need to click here.
Or to use the Dr. Seuss version (you can fast forward to 9:09 for this one);


 
Although I do like the updated version of this classic (especially Carol Burnett's treatment of the Sour Kangaroo) and the Broadway version of Seussical: The Musical, there is just something so timeless and classic about the original animated version.

So I need to vent.  It may be just the frustration of wanting to be heard, or it may be born out of the need to let out a mighty Yawp in the manner of Walt Whitman and be counted but I need to vent about what's going on with Connor's Army.
You see, A New York Times writer is riding cross country to retrace a trip he took 18 years ago.  He has a blog which I have to admit is much better than mine - hey, he's a professional writer, it had better be.  But he is also making his trek on a custom-made titanium road bike with flat handlebars, he's only staying in hotels, and he's getting all the exposure that working for one of the most well-known newspapers in the world can bring. 

Its all well and good that a single person is making a cross country trek on a bicycle.  Thousands do it every year, many for charitable groups.  But what is so damn infuriating is that this person is getting so much coverage when he is doing it for purely selfish reasons.  It seems as if this is his way of expressing his mid-life crisis.  Now granted, he does admit that he has some physical ailments that will make this less than ideally comfortable and I truly feel for him.  However, as I ask my acting students all of the time, what is his motivation?

Now I don't want this to just be a pity party for one.  Yes, perhaps I am experiencing a little of the sour grapes syndrome:

As our cousins the Girls of the Golden Afternoon would say, "ewwwwwwww"

and I do know the old story of Aesop's fox and the grapes;

One hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my thirst," quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are sour."


Moral:  It is easy to despise what you cannot get.

And maybe to and extent that is what this is - I am belittling his physical efforts and discomfort because I cannot get the coverage.  But it is just so damn frustrating to wish to do something to help others and not be able to get anyone else interested.
 
You see, part of the problem seems to stem from the fact that I'm not doing this because (God forbid) something has happened to one of my children or one of my family members.  It just feels like because I am doing this for altruistic reasons, no one wants to help.  To date we have NO DONATIONS that have been made to the link at Sunrise, I can't seem to get to the 1,000 mark on facebook (however, you can like us by clicking the link to the right), I can't seem to get any more sponsors to commit to help underwrite the costs that this trip will entail, and I can't seem to get any press coverage except for the articles that Amy and I wrote for The Bicycle Times.
 
WHAT GIVES??????????
 
I am soooooo grateful to all of you who have actually viewed these blog entries.  Even though I only have 52 followers, I can see that I have had over 8100 views since I've started this blog.  I truly would like to thank each and every one of you who has read this far, not only the continuing blog but this particular entry, and I would like to ask you for your help. 
 
You see, my family is spread far and wide and some of them still continue to deal with health issues.  To ask them to go beyond what they've already been able to do to support me is just not feasible right now.  The only people working on this enterprise are my wife Amy and myself.  We don't have a staff, we don't have a huge network of friends who are making calls and soliciting donations for us - all we have is the two of us trying to make this happen and in doing so make an incredible summer possible for eight children that we may never even meet.
 
HOW CAN THOSE OF YOU READING THIS HELP?
 
I am throwing out a challenge to The New York Times, The Daily News, Newsday, USA Today and/or any other big newspaper companies out there.  They've covered the elite people who ride cross country and have huge budgets and support teams.  Phil Keoghan of the Amazing Race did a cross country ride for MS - and I don't want to denigrate from his noble deed.  But if you look at his equipment, his chase vehicle and all the other support he has its not all that arduous.
 
I would like to challenge The New York Times, The Daily News, Newsday, USA Today and/or any other big newspaper out there to cover me during my preparation time and during the cross country ride next summer!  I will give them an exclusive daily blog and I will cover step by step the entire logistics planning, training and the journey itself.  I am not doing this trip on a custom titanium frame or on a Trek bike donated to me by the company.  I am riding cross country on a Diamondback frame I dug out of the trash (I've contacted Diamondback and they won't even sponsor me) and with parts I have bought off of Craig's List, Ebay, Internet companies and/or pilfered from other bikes I have found.
 
I would like to challnege The New York Times, The Daily News, Newsday, USA Today and/or any other big newspaper to cover a REAL person riding cross country to help others. 
 
How can you help?  If you have any connections to any of these papers or if you know anyone who has connections to any of these companies, pass on my challenge to them.  See if they are willing to see what REAL people are willing to do to help others, isn't that the entire point of giving?  I don't want the publicity for me (and that seems to be the double edged sword here) - I want to publicize Sunrise and make people aware of the camp and one way they can give - by pledging to Connor's Army CX.
 
Is it sour grapes?  Yes and no.  I'm sour because it doesn't seem fair that the only people who can get coverage for their causes are the well connected or the famous.  When does the average guy get the chance?  Isn't helping children with cancer forget about their disease for a summer a worthy cause too?
 
Yet We Go On.....
 
Becuase that's what we'll do.  Although we can't seem to attract sponsors and no one is donating, the ride WILL be happening.  We hope that once people hear about it they'll be moved in their hearts to spare 5, 10, 15 or 20 dollars - with enough donors we can reach our goal.  If we can just get 2500 people from across the country to each give 20 dollars, eight children's lives will be changed forever - and isn't that worth the challenge.
 
So if you have any connections to papers or sponsors please let us know, the bike is ready, I'm getting ready, all we need is the funds for the kids.
 
Okay, enough Venti(ng) for now, I promise!
 
Stay well and I'll see you on the road!

Far Too Long - The Long and Winding Road

So all I can say is I'm sorry!  Looking at my blog I see that June 8th was the last time I wrote anything.  Tha'ts not to say that so much hasn't been swirling in my head, its just finding the time to sit down and put it down on paper, er, cyberspace.  I think part of my issue is that I feel like EVERYTHING I write has to be meaningful when in reality the purpose of this blog is not to provide enlightenment but rather information.  This blog was really conceived as a way to keep those of you who support Connor's Army updated on how things are going with our various fundraising efforts in fighting cancer.  Somewhere along the journey I got it into my head that if I wasn't scintillating or incredibly entertaining people would read my blog.  I think in the last few days I've realized that although we only have 52 OFFICIAL followers (and you incredibly special people know who you are), chances are there are many more people who do follow our blog (or at least did) and just didn't sign up.  Maybe some of you check periodically but have seen that nothing much has been going on.
Well, that is all going to change today.  First of all, A LOT has been going on in the last six weeks.  Too much to put all into one large blog entry so I'll break it up in installments as the days/weeks go on.  If you are new to our reading this blog, you can catch up on where we are by reading some of the older postings.  There are a lot (though not as many for 2011 as I really should have) and they can really tell you a lot about who we are and where we've come from.

Secondly, you can now sign up to be notified by e-mail whenever a new entry goes up so you don't have to keep wasting your time checking back to see if there is a new update - but of course, if that has been your personal cure for insomnia, I don't want to deprive you of that simply joy.  Speaking of which, here is a nice recording of it for those of you who missed it when I posted it before;

	Beautiful Small Machines - Simple Joys - MASTERED .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

A little electronica remix by the group Beautiful Small Machines - check them out if you've never heard of them at their website.  They describe themselves thusly on their myspace.com profile;

Beautiful Small Machines may be synthetic, but they’re not stupid. Caught somewhere between the 70’s, 80’s and deep space, this electro-pop duo (Bree Sharp, Don DiLego) learned about comedy from adult swim and heartache from Philip K. Dick and they’re spewing it all back out at you like a bunch of mandroids on whiskey and psycho-pharmaceuticals. Fun, Sad, Creepy and Clever – Beautiful Small Machines is the retro-future.

But I digress - which, if you've followed my blog is not that uncommon - my friend Danielle and I (actually she's a former student whose become a family friend now) usually go into these long rambling stream-of-consciousness correspondences so I think I've discovered that my brain just works that way - I make connections and my mind follows.  It might be a Gemini thing, I'm not sure.

Anyway, back to the point.  An incredible amount of exciting things have happened in the Connor household since my last blog entry.  The first is that (as it is for most everyone) it is summer vacation!!!!!!!  Now I love my job and I think I'm one of the luckiest people in the world to be able to do what I do with students who are so passionate about creating art and to be able to raise a family doing it.  But I do enjoy the (only slightly) more laid back pace of summer.  I don't have to worry about attendance or schedules or grades - I can just enjoy the days.

Now, my enjoying the days is different than someone elses.  Of course, given my own devices I would be either riding my bike all day or reading (right now I'm rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in preparation to see the last movie and in case you - like me - are wondering why Tobuscus hasn't done a parody of the trailer yet, here is a fairly good substitute).  Or watching movies like this one;




But I am fortunate in that I do have a great job for the summer as well - one that rejuvenates me and reminds me what life is all about - working at Sunrise Day Camp!  To see the difference this camp makes in the lives of these campers is truly a humbling experience.  This year is a little different in that I'm only teaching drama instead of dance and drama but in doing so, I work with EVERY single camper in the entire camp from ages 3 1/2 (the Acorns) to 16 (the CIT group) and to see these kids have fun with drama and see them create and play really reminds me of why I do what I do during the year!  It makes next summer even more important.

And the second reason for the title of this blog now becomes clear - it is going to be far too long before we get on the road!  It will be a long and winding road to get to where we need to go and I appreciate all of you that have supported us.

For those of you new to reading this blog, we have had a few "missions" over the years since Connor's Army was created.  We've raised $13,000 for The American Cancer Society, we've held a few Victory Rides (the most recent one to benefit Sunrise Day Camp) and we've even enlisted Sarah to help in our efforts.

Our latest mission is our most important one yet - we are going to raise $50,000 for Sunrise!  It won't be easy and we still have a lot of underwriting sponsorship we need to procure to make it completely happen but we're well on our way.  We have some supportive sponsors already, we have 780 followers on our facebook page (yes, you can click on the blue to add us to your likes or just click on the button in the upper right of the page), and today we just had our first article in a national bicycling magazine - Bicycle Times.  They are now one of our sponsors and we're hoping to reach even more sponsors now.

Why "far too long"?  Because as of right now we are not scheduled to leave San Diego until June 23rd, 2012.  Its a long way off and there is lots of work to be done but part of me can't wait to get started with the riding.  This past year we lost three of our Sunrise campers to this damnable disease.  I've lost another couple of friends to the disease and one of my colleagues, Jeff Rozran, is now fighting his own battle with lung cancer.  This journey cannot begin soon enough for with every pedal stroke I'll be fighting this disease for my family, my friends, my colleagues and my campers.

We have a little less than a year now and we still need sponsors.  We keep hoping that a few more "angels" will step forward and offer to help us.  Its become very frustrating becasue we keep reaching out to various businesses but we never receive an answer.  Not even a "no" just silence.  And although the sound of silence can sometimes be a wonderful thing and can help you reach that state of inner peace;



(Everybody say Ommmm)

or maybe yours looks more like this;

(Everybody say Kung Fu Panda)

However, the sound of silence has not brought any inner peace to us.  It has really perplexed us and left us wondering what we have to do to find the truth of the matter is that we need help to be able to make this happen.  If any of you reading this have any ideas, let us know as we are willing to try any angle to help us raise the funds we need to make this happen.  We know that now we are starting to make the PR connections the donations to the camp can start to flow into the camp.  Our hope is that people will see what we are trying to do and will open their hearts and their purses to these children.  I mean, if we could raise $12,000 with me just commuting 2,000 miles in an entire year, we should be able to generate $50,000 for me doing the same thing in just 70 days.  But we need to find an angel (or two).

	Thrice - Send Me An Angel .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

And that is part of why this is far too long.  The mileage doesn't bother me - I know we can do it.  I just want us to get started, to get started in fight and to get these campers the funds that will make an incredible summer possible for them.

And now one last song to get us all in the mood.  Every day as they cross the camp, a group of campers called the Timon Boys sing their own version of a classic Queen song, "We Will Rock You".  Instead of "We will" they sing "Timon Boys" will rock you!  So bear that in mind as you listen to an oldie but goodie;

	Queen - We Will Rock You .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Stay well and I'll see you on the road (and in this blog MUCH more often)!