> A street level movement to stop that which is causing people to bleed from their soul.
What does that mean? Events and circumstances that make people feel less than human and consequently make it hard for them
to get unstuck and to have a decent life, something to which everyone is entitled, but a lot of people don't get. Circumstances
like homelessness, domestic abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, clinical depression, and incapacitating and/or fatal diseases,
etc.
>Stop The Bleeding intends to put on benefit shows - mostly band performances - to raise
money for under-funded shelters of all kinds - homeless shelters, battered women shelters, and any organizations providing
support for victims of abuse, low-income and free healthcare clinics, suicide hotlines, drug addiction rehab clinics, etc.
>Another function will be to collect donations of food, clothing (especially winter coats
and gloves) and hopefully, monetary donations from individuals and corporations, as well as other sorts of donations based
on the individual needs of each particular cause - i.e. computers, vehicles.
>What will make Stop The Bleeding unique, and hopefully gain your trust, is that 100% of
the price of admission will go directly to the cause. None of this "a portion of the proceeds" stuff - if the ticket price
is $7, then EVERY PENNY of that $7 goes to the cause. As a musician of 20+ years, I know that many musicians rely on merchandise
sales - CD's, t-shirts, things like that - for their income; therefore, merchandise sales will be at the discretion of the
bands, but 100% of the actual ticket price will go directly to the cause. I don't mean to tear down other organizations
- there are plenty of legitimate organizations out there that do great work that have legitimate overhead costs - but there
are also shady organizations that aren't eager to tell you what that "portion" is and where the rest goes. I myself have become
more suspicious and less willing to donate money because of it. That combined with my own feelings of frustration with the
amount of suffering I see around me on a regular basis has spurred me on to starting this organization.
>Making this happen will be difficult, but I believe it can be done. Our success will depend
heavily on the generosity of all involved; and while I'm often disturbed by the things the human race does, I still
believe that people have the capacity to have compassion and to donate their time, talent, and energy to a good cause.
>That said, ANYONE who knows ANYTHING about getting this sort of thing rolling - feel
free to contact me. I'm an extremely passionate, driven, and organized person, and I'm confident that I can handle what I
need to do. But this is my first endeavor of this kind, and any and all advice or info that anyone has is totally welcome.
