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PROTECT Member News
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THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES, as we all participate in building America's next great grassroots lobby. PROTECT Member News is where to find information on what your fellow members are doing all around the nation and world to help our cause.
With members in all 50 states and nine countries, and growing every day, we've got dozens of stories on file that we'll be sharing with you over the coming weeks and months. Here are just a few:
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 PROTECT wasn't even three weeks old when Vanessa Burt joined our ranks, and she's been on the front lines working to build this national movement ever since. As publicist for the influential San Francisco punk rock label Fat Wreck Chords, Vanessa is in a position to really help. She has built a strong support network in the music world for PROTECT, produced fundraising concerts, and lent her professional expertise in promotions and advertising to spread the word. Now, in the fall of 2005, Vanessa is rolling out her greatest gift to our association yet: a long-awaited compilation CD from Fat Wreck Chords that will benefit PROTECT. This production features 26 bands and 15 previously-unreleased songs and will raise critical dollars to support our work. There's an old saying in fundraising: people don't give to causes, they give to people. It's amazing how many talented people believe in Vanessa Burt—who believes in PROTECT. [ more here] |
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Tony Fitzpatrick and more than thirty artists come together for a silent art auction to raise over $10,000 for PROTECT. [ more here] |
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NYC students, Rouke and Moctar Aboubacar, take on child trafficking project. They spent two weeks this summer interning with PROTECT, researching child trafficking worldwide and what U.S. legislation can do to help. They compiled information on the massive issue of trafficking, learned about how to track and read legislation, compiled lists of organizations fighting human trafficking and investigated needed laws. [more here] |
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Artists and musicians come through again! Punk band Against Me! headlined a PROTECT benefit concert that was a huge success. The event raised $1,500 in one night for PROTECT. [more here] |
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In conjunction with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, PROTECT Members Scott Morris and Tina Humphrey put together the "PROTECT THE CHILDREN" benefit concert in Columbus, Ohio. This successful event brought together musicians and community members who believe in putting children first. [more here] |
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Lloyd Freel wanted to help his membership association, PROTECT. So he has donated his considerable talents to Meaningful Investments, a real estate investment group that raises money for PROTECT and local charities helping abused and neglected kids. Freel, a housing repair and rehabilitation expert, is donating his time recruiting subcontractors to work for free or at reduced cost. He's also a veteran, a grandfather and a radio talk show host. When asked why he joined PROTECT last year, Freel said, "By protecting our children, we protect our future." Thanks Lloyd! |
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 "The Bar Feeders" |
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Some organizations are predictable. Some aren't! PROTECT's power is rooted in our diverse membership, including punk rockers and fans. PROTECT member Trey Bundy and his band The Bar Feeders organized and performed a music fundraiser for PROTECT out in San Francisco in late February. We thought you'd like to see their poster. The concert raised over $1,200 for PROTECT. They plan additional fundraisers later this year. PROTECT thanks band members Cecil, Jimmy, and Trey for their hard work and dedication! |
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PROTECT on patrol at the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. [more here] |
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Bellamy answers teachers' pleas to help kids. The story started with an extraordinary letter… |
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Decade in and decade out, Steve Wishengrad has been there for the nonprofits he cares about. From community theater to political causes, he just never does anything halfway. Wishengrad is the pro bono expertise behind PROTECT's growing database, keeping us operating and planning for the future. PROTECT is proud to count Wish among our members, friends and supporters. |
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PROTECT thanks Geofrey Darrow for his generous donation of a Sentinel prop from his own collection, one of only two existing prototypes used in filming The Matrix Revolutions. PROTECT's online Sentinel auction ended November 14th and brought $5,299 for our work! The money from this sale will allow us to establish a research and education charity arm for PROTECT. Thank you Geof! [more here] |
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Author, Texas storyteller and martial arts expert Joe Lansdale has teamed up with his friends at Shocklines.com to help PROTECT! [more here] |
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Students and faculty at the University of Kansas have formed the first chapter of Students PROTECT! President Nancy Baker and vice-president Kelcie Longaker report that already their membership includes those on both the conservative and liberal side of things. Meanwhile, the Leto High School Beta Club in Tampa, Florida has joined PROTECT as a group. So all you tired old warriors from the front lines of child protection or law enforcement ought to feel like a million bucks. The next wave is starting. Watch this space for a permanent Students PROTECT! web page. [more here] |
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Many of you have expressed frustration that not everyone is smart enough to join PROTECT the first time you ask. We've got the solution: all you have to do is join the Army, be one of the few to make it through the elite Ranger Indoctrination Program, break your back jumping out of a plane, get a masters degree in social work and then remain calm and cool as you relentlessly explain to friends, relatives and barflies why they should join. That's Scott Morris' strategy, anyway. And when he gets through with them, they rarely mail it in... he does! Scott, who is also a writer and real estate investor, has been a one-man membership drive for PROTECT in Ohio. We are honored to have a man like Scott on our side. |
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If you email PROTECT seeking information, you might end up talking to a truck-driving, card-carrying PROTECT Life Member named Kathy. Kathy's favorite line (well ours anyway) is, "All you have to do is ask me, you know." Among the things Kathy's done for PROTECT are online research, membership recruitment, and building and hosting an information booth. Now she's gone and bought a computer so that she can help us respond to emails from across the United States and world, which she does beautifully. We couldn't get along these days without Kathy. |
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PROTECT members Elizabeth Chevres Morgan and her husband Patrick Morgan took the message about PROTECT to a Spanish-speaking audience last month. They set up a booth at a Latin Festival in North Carolina, selling beautiful handmade jewelry by PROTECT member Carol Emilia and distributing information about our association in Spanish. At times crowds gathered and listened with great interest to the Morgans explain how children need political muscle and a powerful voice like PROTECT. Gracias Ellie y Patrick! |
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We mentioned artist Carol Emilia from Rhode Island, but you need to know more about this incredible woman. Carol not only makes beautiful crystal and glass earrings for PROTECT, but she is an accomplished artist in other media as well. Like many artists, Carol lives modestly, but she sends small online donations here and there, proving what they say about who the real philanthropists are in America. When Carol heard that some contractors had given three days of their lives to rehab a house to raise funds for PROTECT, she decided to help us thank them. She sent a fantastic original painting, entitled "Two Houses" to give them on PROTECT's behalf. We'll have more on that story soon. |
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