About me:

Since 1989, I have traveled over 3, 000 miles by wheelchair and, in the process, helped raise over a quarter of a million dollars for children's organizations worldwide usually one dollar at a time.

I am awesome at outreach, but I suck at fund-raising. I consciously try to surround myself whose gifts are greater than my own. My gift? Inspiring them to use their gifts to better humanity.

I really want violence against children to end...in all its forms. I want child abuse to end, domestic abuse to end, sexual violence to end and war/civil conflict to end.

On October 8, 2009 I will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Tenderness Tour with my final long-distance tour, one more time across the state of Indiana.

I am devastated by the notion of not touring anymore, but my body has simply reached the point where it no longer makes sense and I no longer am able to be as effective in this form of outreach. It has been a great 20 years.

I will need your help on this Tenderness Tour...from donations to sponsors, roadies, to personal assistants, community liaisons, media contacts, outreach opportunities and beyond. My goal is simple...to make this the biggest and best Tenderness Tour ever.

All proceeds from the 2009 Tenderness Tour will benefit Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, New Community Project and the Peacemakers Independent Film Festival (my new project).

As part of the Tenderness Tour, we have the following activities in 2009:

"Give a Girl a Chance, " a benefit CD featuring 20 artists from the U.S. and UK in a musical journey of hope across genres and stylings. Musicians already committed include: Jennie Devoe, Mutual Kumquat, Patchwork, Soulshine, Steve Hall, Dean Phelps, Justin McElhany, The Trust Project, Jeff DeHerdt, Brandon Cannon & Matt Heincker, Encore Vocal Arts, Luke Austin Daugherty and the list continues to grow. Watch for the CD in early June 2009.

This year also brings the birth of the Peacemakers Independent Film Festival. This year's debut will be quite unusual in that it will be a touring film festival with a different film in each city I visit along with two selected short films. Watch for details, the film festival will kick off in Terre Haute on October 7, 2009.

For a bit of fun, friends Rick Garrett and Holly Smith are helping to put together a little geocaching tour to go along with the Tenderness Tour.

The 2009 Tenderness Tour will include stops in:

October 7th (PM): Film in Terre Haute
October 8th: Tour leaves from Terre Haute to Brazil with a film in Brazil tonight.
October 9th: Tour leaves Brazil for Greencastle with a film in Greencastle tonight.
October 10th: Tour leaves Greencastle for Danville with a film in Danville.
October 11th: Tour leaves Danville for Avon with a film in Avon.
October 12th: Tour leaves Avon for Indy with a film (and more!) in Indy at the Earth House in downtown Indy.
October 13th: Tour leaves Indy for Greenfield with a film in Greenfield.
October 14th: Tour leaves Greenfield for Knightstown with a film in Knightstown.
October 15th: Tour leaves Knightstown for Cambridge City (stop in Centerville) with a film in Cambridge City.
October 16th: Tour leaves Cambridge City for Richmond, film and closing celebration in Richmond. I attend school at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond.
October 17th: FINAL closing celebration in Indy. Location TBA. Film Festival Awards TBA.
I hope to find "hosts" in each city along with community volunteers/liaisons, roadies, support team and, perhaps, medical support.

I am the founder and editor for The Independent Critic, a website devoted to movie reviews, interviews and filmmaking as a source of positive change in the community.

http://www.theindependentcritic.com
Please be sure to join the Independent Critic's Facebook Group!

I have also recently acquired a sister site to The Independent Critic for those of you who enjoy rating movies or writing your own reviews. It's called "Everyone's a Critic."

http://www.everyonesacritic.net

I am also the founder/director of the Tenderness Network, an Indianapolis organization devoted to ending violence in the lives of children. We run the internet's largest online memorial to children who've died as a result of violence. We are also listed as a cause here on Facebook!

http://www.tendernesstour.com http://www.tendernesstrail.com

Since 1989, I've traveled over 3000 miles by wheelchair on what I call the "Tenderness Tour, " an effort to end violence in the lives of children through awareness, education, fund-raising, political lobbying and building community. Through an extreme grassroots approach, the Tenderness Tour has donated nearly $250,000 to various children's organizations worldwide and is the only all-volunteer organization to have donated funds in every country of the world. We've also organized concerts, poetry readings, workshops, special events and other outreach efforts. I am available for speaking to civic groups, churches, youth groups, etc.

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