if you like the song playing on our profile page, its called HOW DO I GET THERE by AARON PRITCHETT. Click on his picture to be able to listen to 4 more of his songs,
As a way of thanking the musicians and bands who have helped with this project, we plan on rotating songs every 3-4 weeks to highlight a new band and a new song. You'll have to come back to see who's up next :)
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ATTENTION ALL KNITTERS / CROCHETERS
- Do you know how to knit (or crochet)?
- Need a new project?
- Have tons of scrap yarn to use up?
Join us in knitting Comfort Dolls for ICross to use in their next shipment of HIV meds and medical supplies! Click the link below for knit and crochet patterns as well as mailing address for ICross.
It takes me about 2 hrs to knit and about 2 hrs to sew, stuff, and put a happy face on the doll, and I'm a beginner knitter!
If you'd like to contact me but don't have a Myspace, email me at comfortdollproject @ gmail.com
Music
i like a wide variety of genres and what i'm doing often dictates what i listen to - ambient for writing, rock for walking, experimental or pop for inspiration when doing hands on work etc... music i enjoy includes (but is not limited to):
U2, Why, Pete Levin, classical, Tom Cochrane, Seether, Anna Cheek, State of Shock, Jann Arden, Mobile, Daniel Lanois, Bob Lanois, U2, Sam Roberts, Collective Soul, 54-40, Jimmy Eppard, Staind, Matt Jones, Audioslave, Tom Griesgraber, Ultra Vox, U2, Airbourne, Marotta/Griesgraber, E.S.Posthumus, Pet Shop Boys, Kanye West, U2, Great Big Sea, Don Schiff, Chris Cornell, Alice in Chains, Jim Weider Band, Brent Bourgeois, St. Germain, Sigor Ros, U2, Depeche Mode, Cranberries, Tragically Hip, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, old old old David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Creed, Tears for Fears, Third Day, Newsboys, Caedmon's Call, Rankin Family, did i say U2?
Movies
The video clip below is a record of what fans accomplished from April to December 2005 when they got together and spread the word about ONE/MPH at the U2 concerts around the world.
Television
The video clip below is Bono in Africa, speaking about how far we've all come in one year in the One/MPH fight against poverty. (recorded in 2007)
Books
I'm a voracious reader - lately I've been reading non-fiction for the first time ever: Jeffrey Sachs' End of Poverty, Geldoff in Africa, Bono in Conversation by Michka Assayas, 'U2 by U2', Stephen Lewis' Race Against Time, Mountains beyond Mountains (the story of Dr. Paul Farmer. I'm finding these books not only fascinating and educational, but so very easy to read and understand. I also enjoy old stuff: Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Rex Stout, the Hornblower series, and quite enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series.
Books have been my best friend my entire life... they have helped shape who i am, how i think, how i write and speak. i love books - in fact I own too many books!
Heroes
I don't really have 'heroes' but people who have inspired me include:
Bono for using his celebrity as 'currency' as he pushes the G8 leaders to make Trade Fair and do something about HIV in Africa,
Tom Cochrane - Canada's 'bono' who works tirelessly behind the scenes with little recognition for it, and who, with his down to earth-ed-ness and no ego, just keeps plugging away regardless. Tom you inspire me to keep going.
Brian Cook for his friendship and wisdom and his un-ending fight against poverty even when it costs him on a personal level.Dont ever give up the fight my friend
The Edge for his committment to friends and family, and his work in New Orleans with Katrina victims.(Music Rising)
Tina in Belgium,
my husband,
Margaret in Wisconsin,
and my grandfather who only made it to grade 4 but who was the smartest man i've ever known.
We are in the process of building a website, which hopefully one day will be done ;) In meantime you can also find us at:
and
Comfort Doll Project's Details
Status:
In a Relationship
Here for:
Networking
Zodiac Sign:
Leo
Comfort Doll Project our new Collective soul charity auction is in Day 2 - and going great - but we need more! lol http://lnk.ms/2r7vVPosted at 5:26 AM Oct 30 view more
About me: The Comfort Doll Project came into being in May 2006 when two friends sat down over coffee to talk about how Bono and his work with the ONE/MPH Campaign and The Global Fund had inspired them to want to 'Do' something to help those living in extreme poverty in Africa and other developing countries.
But what to do? How to make a difference?
We came up with a WILD idea: we talk celebrities into posing for a photo holding a comfort doll. We get them to autograph an index card. We auction off both card and photo, and send the money to one of the three African charities we have chosen to support: World Vision, ICross, and Save the Children".
A Comfort Doll is a small knitted doll that ICross volunteers knit. The dolls are used instead of packing foam, to protect vials of HIV/Aids medicines and delicate medical equipment during shipping to African clinics. Once the items are unpacked, the dolls are given to the local children, many of whom are HIV Positive and/or AIDS orphans.
Comfort Doll Project has been on Myspace for just over 2 years and have many people wanting to friend us. I don't mind - I’m here to network and get to know people… but I’m not into 'collecting' as many friends as I can.
Ideally I’m hoping to meet people that support the same thing I do: Making Poverty History, the One Campaign, Debt Relief, Aid and Fair trade for Africa, HIV/Aids Relief. Honestly… if we don’t have at least something in common – or if you aren’t interested in this project – we're going to say no to your friend request.
I'm also hoping I can ask my 'friends' to help me out at auction time by re-posting my bulletins (it makes the difference between me reaching 100 people, or all of us reaching into the thousands!)
If you friend request me I always go look at your profile before saying yes. I’m going to say no if:
- you don’t have any blog entries or info about yourself on your profile
- your profile is set to private (send me a message tell me why you want to friend me)
- your profile takes forever to load due to tons of graphics or videos (I'm impatient at the best of tims)
- is full of spam comments you haven’t cleared away (I don't want to be phished)
- is hacked and you don't even know it (your friends list is full of near-porn user pics)
Basically if you aren’t on your space enough to take care of it, I don’t see how you'll be here enough for us to become ‘friends’.
When I do say yes, I’d love to have you subscribe to my blog (how can we be ‘friends’ if we don’t read what each other writes?) but if you don’t that’s okay… I know time is short as it is without having a hundred blogs to read!
If you are a Band, Musician or Manager and want to friend us – please realize we're here specifically to find Bands and Musicians willing to help by doing a photo op with a Comfort Doll. I realize this isn’t always possible, so if you can’t help but still want to friend request us, please SEND ME A MESSAGE when you hit the ‘Add Friend’ button, and tell us why you want to be added; I’ll go have a look at your profile.
I generally say yes (even if you're unable to help with our project) if:
-I like what I hear for tunes,
-I like what I read in your blogs
-I like how you treat your ‘fans’
What can I say... I love music!
I’m going to say no if:
-your space glorifies drink or drugs
-your space is littered with scantily clad babes
-you have no blog entries, all your comments are spam or phishing, or
-your space is simply advertising for your next CD, band merch, mailing lists and street teams
Sorry, but my energies here are specific to my own Charity Project, and I have no interest in helping you get a record deal or joining a street team ;-)
IF YOU DO WANT TO HELP it’s pretty easy. If you’re passing through Vancouver on tour, we can arrange for a photo in person; usually at the Venue the day of the Gig (most often before or after sound check).
If this works for you, we need:
-contact name and number –usually tour manager
-access to the Venue – a security pass of some sort
-10 minutes of the band’s time at most, for the photo - I’m done before you even know I’m there
and preferrably,
-for the band to know why I'm there, beforehand ;-)
And although bands often offer free tickets to the show, the answer is always thank you, but no. That's not why we're here.
If a photo in person isn't possible, we can also do it through the mail. I'll mail you a doll and index card, someone on your end will take a photo or two of your band holding the doll, and it gets emailed back to me. You autograph the index card and mail it back in the envelope provided, and we go from there.
The Auction:
We set up the auction, and YOU will (hopefully) help publicize the auction to your Myspace fan-base, Facebook, Fan Club and blogs etc. (Without the publicity to your fans by the band or management, there is not enough support for the auction to be successful).
When we set up the auction, I pass on the info to you or your management (start and end date, key word search for fans to find it, etc). If desired, we can coordinate the auction to coincide to a new CD release, video release, or tour etc. to help give the band more publicity.
Once the auction is ended and the eBay and PayPal fees paid, I blog about the results – about the amount of money raised, which charity benefited from it, and what it went towards. We also give the band more publicity; I add your name to the Thank You List on this profile page, add your Doll Photo to the Slideshow, and add your Myspace to this page’s Top Friends until the next Auction. I usually profile one of the band’s songs for a short period too, and usually include your band's name in subsequent letters or messages to the next round of people we want to have participate in the Comfort Doll Project.
You'd be amazed at how many fans will bid on a band photo, (or chewed up drum sticks, or set list, etc) and even $30 can buy 2 bed nets, enough to protect up to 4 kids each - $30 can protect up to 6 children from blindness due to lack of Vitamin A - a little goes a long way. And, it makes you feel good that you've done something to help - Your fans feel good because you've done something to help - We feel good because one more person has made a huge difference.
If you're a Band that we do friend, you might want to consider being friended at my personal Myspace as well.
This idea is in its infancy, but has the potential to be highly successful, and more importantly - a long term project. As a photographer, using my talents in this way seemed a natural progression.
******************************************************** NEW AUCTION!!!
FEATURING *COLLECTIVE SOUL* - ON NOW!!!!
AUCTION INCLUDES AUTOGR'D 8X10 GLOSSY OF EACH BAND MEMBER, drumsticks, lyrics sheet and FULL BAND GROUP SHOT AUTOGR'D
To date, we've raised just under $2240.00 for World Vision, ICross Canada and Save the Children Fund.
..Our last auction just ended and the results were mind numbing. Seether, a band from South Africa and LA, were featured and the auction raised just over $300.00. Seether's fans (urged on singlehandedly by fan Leigh), donated an additional $400+ dollars for a grand total of $715.00!
the money went for the following items (its mind boggling)
$100 - to fund a medical clinic with all supplies for a year
$100 - to buy a bike and repair kit (bike is how dr's get around to visit their patients)
$75 + $75 - hot lunches for 50 kids for a month (so 100 kids total)
$30 + $30 - 2 lots of Vitamin A to prevent blindness - 12 children treated in total
$30 + $30 - 2 lots of 2 beds nets each lot - will protect up to 16 children in total
$30 + $30 - 2 lots of antibiotics to treat up to 20 children in total
$30 - 3 soccer balls for kids to play
$35 - 3 school uniforms for 3 children to be able to attend school
$55 - for 2 hens and 1 rooster which can produce up to 120 eggs a year
$50 - furnishes a school room for a year with paper, pencils and other needed items
$15 - provides enough fortified flour for one year to a family
I was able to use every last penny donated. Thank you so much to Seether - Shaun Morgan, John Humphrey, Dale and Troy, and to all the Seether fans who made this the most successful, biggest auction to date! You helped push the Comfort Doll Project over the $2000.00 dollar mark for donations to African charities
Our 9th auction was held September 2008, and featured Kim Mitchell, Theory of a Deadman, and Weird Al Yankovic. We raised $105.00 for World Vision. Using their Gift Catalogue, we chose to provide lunches to 50 school children for a month ($75.00) and provide Antibiotics for 10 children ($35.00).
Thanks so much to the bands/musicians and their management, for participating and promoting our auction. Thanks too for those who bid, and those who spread the word for us about the auction.
Our 8th auction was June 2008. Frankie Whyte and the Dead Idols, Single Car Garage and 54*40 helped us raise $70.00 for World Vision which was used to purchase an Agricultural packet (local seeds, tools and training) for three families so that they can grow their own food, and School Uniforms for three children so that they might attend school.
Our seventh auction was in May 2008 and was the initiative of singer Matt Jones who felt compelled to help the victims of the Myanmar Cyclone. We raised $43.00 with his photo which was donated to World Vision - specific to the people in Myanmar
Our sixth auction was held March 2008. We raised $220.00 for World Vision.
We:
-outfitted a school classroom with all necessary supplies for one year
-bought 3 soccer balls for the kids so they dont have to use balled up plastic bags
-bought 2 rabbits for a family to start a home business and use as a protein source
-bought 4 mosquito nets to protect up to 16 children from malaria
-purchased enough Vitamin A to prevent blindness in 6 children
-and bought antibiotics to help 10 children .
We were able to help at least 32 children, plus two families and an entire school classroom. Many thanks to Collective Soul (Joel, Ryan, Ed, Dean and Will) and their management, as well as the Collective Souldiers Team of fans for helping us promo this auction! Without their help it wouldn't have been as successful.
Our fifth Auction was held in late January 2008, and we raised $75.00 for Icross. My many thanks to Jeremy Furstenfeld and CB Hudson from Blue October, as well as Donna from Blue October Canada for the promo.
Icross Canada is the charity that uses the knitted Comfort Dolls instead of packing foam when they send shipments of HIV meds to African clinics. They've also gratiously allowed us to use the dolls for our own project, and the money we sent will go a long way to help them send their next shipment of HIV drugs and medical equipment to their next target spot.
Our fourth Auction was held mid-December 2007. We raised a staggering $500.00 for World Vision.
Half of that was used to fund HIV kits to prevent Mother to Child transfer of HIV during childbirth. The other half was divided between bed nets to prevent malaria, and Vitamin A therapy to prevent blindness.
All told, we were able to positively affect over 54 children with this generous donation. My extreme thanks to Tom Cochrane, Daniel Lanois and Jimmy Eppard, the musicians who participated, and to my friends who helped promo the auction here at myspace! Please check out Tom, Danny, and Jimmy in my top friends.
Our Third Auction was held mid-May 07, and fans generously helped us raise $140.00 for U2's The Edge's Music Rising charity - helping New Orleans musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Our Second Auction was held mid-October 2006, and $80.00 was raised for World Vision.
Our First Auction was held mid-September 2006, and we raised $86.00 for Save the Children Fund.
A heart-felt THANK YOU to those musicians/actors who have helped so far:
Canada
USA
International
Tom Cochrane
Collective Soul
Seether
Jann Arden
Jerry Marotta
Paul Rodgers
Sam Roberts
Pete Levin
Roger Hodgson
State of Shock
Jimmy Eppard
Us4//U2
54*40
Don Schiff
Tragically Hip
Blue October
Daniel Lanois
Caedmon's Call
Kim Mitchell
Third Day
Aaron Pritchett
Tom Griesgraber
Theory of a Deadman
Bert Lams
Why
Matt Jones
Frankie Whyte
Weird Al Yankovic
Valdy
Steve Gorman
Gary Fjellgaard
Rocko and the Devils
Single Car Garage
Alexander Siddig
A Sheep at the Wheel
Massari
Click on an image in the slideshow below, to see their name
Who I'd like to meet: Brian Cook from Why, Pete Levin, Daniel Lanois, Jann Arden, Dallas (Edge's guitar tech), my sponsor children, Jeffrey Sachs, Clinton, Geldoff, Rick O'Shea, Tania, Tina (again and again and... )
My wish list for bands I'd like to have for our project include:
*U2 (of course)
*Eddie Vedder - Pearl Jam
*Greenday
*Great Big Sea
*Sam Roberts (done!!)
*Annie Lennox
*Jann Arden (done!)
*Chris Cornell
*Our Lady Peace
*State of Shock (done - whoo!)
*Seether (done - whoo again!)
*Staind
*Finger 11
*Mobile (done!!! :) )
*The Killers
*Def Leppard
*Dallas (Edge's guitar tech)
*TREVOR LINDON and LUOANGO!
and any band or musician who supports One, MPH, or just wants to help with our project! (that might be YOU) - if you're name isn't on the list, don't feel left out - message me!
I'd also like to meet anyone wanting to help with this project, people who's nature is such that they want to make a difference in this world whenever they can, people who are honest and true to themselves and others, anyone that might turn out to be a new friend.
Hey there! Just stopping by to let you know about our CD release party next Friday October 9th at Roosters Night Club in Pitt Meadows.
We'll be playing songs off of our debut album Big Sky. Doors open at 5:30 and we're going on at 7:30 sharp. It's gonna be a fun night, hope you can make it out :)
hey just wanted to drop in on this lovely Saturday and see how everything is going...I see that you have been doing well with your auctions! Great job! Keep up the good work! Cheers.
WE'RE BACK :) We've started our penny drive for the Vancouver Food Bank and hope you have an empty pickle jar earmarked for us/Jeff O'Neil/Vancouver food bank. 8 months can generate some serious copper-age!
Thank you for the add. May God bless these wonderful projects that brings a smile and hope to a child's heart and cushions the necessary medication for their survival. Have a blessed week.
Hey I was just dropping in to spread some love!! I hope that the project as doing great! Sam Roberts!!! awesome I was listening to him yesterday!!! Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I will try to take pictures and I always rock out hard for SEETHER...if I can walk, talk and move my head after a show, I haven't done my job ;)
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