Sunday Synopsis: A $100+ Gift of Hope Goes to the American Red Cross

It’s been seven months since my Red Cross fundraiser launched with the first stop on my Dinner-and-a-Movie tour. As the dust settles on this campaign, I am blogging today to thank the small businesses, military families and citizens from the southern and northeastern regions of the country who helped make it possible.

The tour raised over $100 to provide emergency shelter for men, women, children and pets who escape home fires. Did you know fires are the biggest disaster people experience in the United States? Just within the last few weeks, this organization assisted dozens of families who became displaced when fires destroyed their homes and belongings in a matter of minutes, leaving them with nowhere to go.

Individual donations enable the Red Cross to cover a night in a hotel, food, and clothing as well as provide emotional and spiritual support to these survivors, among other services including finding new homes. After the Red Cross provided aid to the U.S. Air Force Veteran I worked with who lost his home in a New Year’s Day fire, I am glad that I decided to use my short film “Abyss: The Greatest Proposal Ever” as a vehicle for hope – putting more people on the path to recovery following our nation’s most common disasters.

How often do YOU practice fire safety drills with your family (including children)?

The Challenge of Trading Art to Save Lives

“It’s really interesting because people are judging my actions but they aren’t willing to help me achieve my goal. I really don’t get that. How can you place judgment on someone and not be willing to help them? I think it’s really selfish and super controlling. But I’m stepping in the light and focusing on myself.”  - Television actress Nydia Simone on her update at UCLA

Reality is a bitch. When I set out to use my film to raise funds for the Red Cross, the initiative seemed more promising and easier than it has come to be so far. This effort has introduced me to some of the best and most supportive parts of several communities while also bringing out the naysayers of society.

The latter part is an experience that I find rather unbelievable because you’d think it makes sense to help an organization that works to ensure your safety and survival, right?! In the last few months, however, I’m finding that a lot of people who would gladly receive financial assistance or other forms of humanitarian aid from disaster relief organizations (and even expect it) are less than willing to give it. This makes for a sad world we live in where people want to take and take and take from others but too few people want to put in anything for the chance at saving lives.

I thought my Red Cross fundraising campaign would be an ideal way to give back to a good cause while also gaining an audience for the movie. However, I’ve encountered folks who question these efforts without even taking the time to request further details or look it up for themselves and find out more information about what I’m doing.

Have you ever tried talking to someone who won’t even take a minute to consider supporting a good cause because they have so many more constructive things to do -- like scroll through iPhone apps, shop for superficial goods or complain about their own, unrelated, misfortunes? You know, those kinds of people who are on the defense and ready to shoot down any chances to make a difference before these opportunities get presented to them. From the door, they’ve already decided they’re not getting involved with whatever you have going on. However, they want to make sure you hear them out loud and clear on what they think about you’re objectives. 

Five year old, Sofia clings to a new stuffed animal given to her by Red Cross volunteers after she was displaced due to wildfires. Photo by Cesar Rodriguez/American Red CrossIt’s no secret that finding support for the arts (especially indie music, film, painting, sculpture, etc.) is like finding a needle in a haystack. I didn’t imagine, however, that it would be just as hard to find support for the Red Cross. So, I wonder if this experience is providing a glimpse into the difficulties that many non-profit organizations face every day of the year, when trying to obtain funding for the programs and services they provide to our country’s citizens and abroad.

Have we really come to a point where you have to dump a bucket of ice water on top of yourself in order to get other people to care about important matters that could affect them or their loved ones?

Between DVD sales and a movie gift basket raffle, the money raised so far through my movie tour is enough to impact survivors of disasters in the following ways:

• Buy a week’s worth of groceries for two families displaced from a disaster


• Provide more than one dozen blankets to warm men, women and children who experience power outages during a winter storm


• Supply nearly two dozen comfort kits filled with toiletries such as soap, toothbrushes and shaving cream


• Connect a family to a military spouse or relative serving overseas, so they can return home during an emergency


• Cover a few nights in a hotel for people who lost their home in a disaster

This is what’s happening with my fundraiser while the negative nancies in our communities sit on their asses, being rude, narrow-minded and downright hopeless. When was the last time any of these folks provided disaster relief to more than a handful of strangers affected by a tragedy? Probably not anytime recently, if ever. That is why I understand where actress Nydia Simone is coming from when she shares her observations on people who are quick to judge others but not be willing to lift a finger to help.

Oklahoma resident Ashley Sylvester awaits her husband’s return from military service in Afghanistan while she cleans the remains of their home. After seeing a familiar face when Red Cross volunteers visited her neighborhood, Sylvester hugs her friend Harriet Wingo. Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red CrossPay closer attention (but not too much, ‘cause any more is a waste of time) and you will likely find that those who talk crap about what someone else is doing live uneventful lives. Whatever the issue is at hand, they tend to be part of the problem, not the solution. It’s easy to shoot down the efforts of others when you don’t have anything worthwhile going on. It’s easy to judge how someone spends his or her time when you’re not actively contributing to the rest of the world.

It’s easy to remain in your own little bubble without a care for the tragedies occurring outside your door or in your backyard – that is, until you are the one who is in need of solace from a catastrophe or help from those outside your circle of friends, family and “trusted” sources.

As a human race, I know we can do better. Time will tell what comes of this Red Cross fundraiser but there have been a lot of lessons learned up to this point. It’s a whole new world when the ideas I have in my head about what can be accomplished with the projects I’m involved in turn out looking much different in action. Still, I’m going to do what I can because, as famed rocker Lenny Kravitz once said, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

Prep like the Red Cross: 21 Necessities in My Movie Lover’s Emergency Go Bag

This emergency themed backpack for my Red Cross fundraiser includes a Special SIRENS Edition DVD of "Abyss: The Greatest Proposal Ever," a military homecoming movie.Today marks our country's National PrepareAthon Day and on this day of action, FEMA encourages Americans to practice preparedness so we can be ready to respond to disasters or emergencies before they occur. After learning more about disaster preparedness in recent months, I’ve noticed that having well stocked Bug out Bags are among the most simple but important steps we can all take to ensure we know what to do and have what we need in the event of a crisis.

While the contents necessary for a Bug out Bag vary based on the disaster or situation in which you find yourself, having even the most basic supplies can mean the difference between being safe or sorry; with this in mind, I assembled an emergency preparedness bag inspired by the Special SIRENS Edition DVD of my short film about a U.S. Army Officer’s homecoming gone wild, and am raffling it off with other baskets on my Dinner-and-a-Movie Tour, to raise funds for the American Red Cross – an organization that is working 24/7 to prepare communities across the nation for dealing with disasters of all sizes including the following hazards:

• Earthquake
• Flood
• Hurricane
• Tornado
• Wildfire
• Winter Storm

According to the Red Cross, being prepared means equipping yourself with the proper supplies you may need in the event of an emergency or disaster and keeping these items in an easy-to-carry kit that can be used at home or taken with you in case of an evacuation. So, the emergency themed movie night bag for my Red Cross fundraiser is based on the list of basic supplies they recommend everyone have, at minimum, in a survival kit.

The Red Cross recommends that your survival kit includes one gallon of water per person, per day. In addition to the backpack filled with a special SIRENS edition DVD of “Abyss: The Greatest Proposal Ever” included with my disaster readiness bundle, there are 21 items rounding out a nice emergency starter package for one lucky movie lover who wants to win it.

I chose a backpack for this initiative because mobility is crucial in a survival situation; just imagine -- if you’re running around trying to stay alive like Leonardo DiCaprio in “Titanic,” Don Cheadle in “Hotel Rwanda” or Matt Damon in “Contagion,” chances are that handbags, rolling luggage, duffel bags and related items won’t be very helpful!

The Movie Lover's Emergency Go Bag, here we come....

(2) Bottles of spring water to provide hydration

(10) Packets of Quaker instant oatmeal in a variety of flavors for breakfast

(1) Mini CREE LED Tactical Flashlight

The pocket sized Mini CREE LED Tactical Flashlight takes up little room in your survival kit.(1) Bottle of Gatorade for calories and hydration

(1) Can of Progresso soup for lunch or dinner

(1) 6-pack of Duracell Quantum AA Batteries to provide power

(1) Deck of Aristocrat Playing Cards to provide comfort, per the Red Cross’ suggestion of adding games, activities and entertainment to your emergency kit

(1) Bag of Dried fruit for antioxidants and dessert

The Aristocrat Limited Edition Bank Note 727 cards with a linen finish provide a luxurious escape from your everyday hustle and bustle, while being light enough to carry while you're on the move.(1) French Green Clay bar soap by Bare Body Soaps Organics for sanitation and personal hygiene

(1) Pouch of Knorr Pasta Sides to provide calories and carbohydrates

(1) Pack of Uncle Ben’s Red Beans and Rice for carbohydrates, protein, fiber and antioxidants

Many basic items essential for survival are often forgotten until the last minute or not even considered during preparations for disasters.

As I add a few more items to this emergency themed movie night bag in the coming week or so, here’s hoping that this element of my fundraising initiative will get more people involved in planning and preparing for catastrophic events.

Disasters can happen at anytime, anywhere. There’s no better time like today to be ready for when they occur. 

If you (or someone you know in or near the PA/NJ/DE tri-state area) want to buy a ticket for this raffle supporting the Red Cross, follow me on Twitter @MadlabPost or subscribe to this blog to get the updates on where the latest stop on my Dinner-and-a-Movie tour is scheduled.