Hello, group! Many of you many remember our project www.homelessnation.org from our presentation at Vloggercon 2006. We've been very happy with the results of the project - over 3700 homeless people have learned to use the Internet, blogs, videoblogs and podcasts through the site. We even won the Canadian New Media Award and the Society For New Communications Research Award for Excellence in Social Media this year. But despite the successes, the project is nearing the end of its funding. So this holiday season we have decided to try and crowdsource enough funding to last until we hear back from our latest fundraising efforts. We really hoping it will keep our outreach workers on the street and our servers online. Please give what you can! We're offering gifts for donations over $50. Below is our appeal for donations...thank you! - Brett Gaylor
-------Homeless Nation 2008 Fundraising Drive------- We founded this website 5 years ago with funding from the Canadian government, but sadly our pilot program has run out and we are starting a drive to become self-sustainable. That means we need donations to survive! Donations can be made here: http://www.givemeaning.com/project/homelessnation You can see in detail what your donations will provide at the link above, but in general: What HomelessNation.org provides: -training and access to the Internet in shelters and drop-ins. Increasingly, Internet access has become necessary for access to jobs, healthcare, basic information... things you need getting off the street. Few places provide this service for free. We want to help provide access to help break the cycle of poverty. -a forum to share information, stories and advice about survival and growth. We have thousands of hours of user-generated video of stories from the street on the site. Unique testimonials and experiences. -training in web and computer literacy skills, as well as video and editing skills. We now have over 3700 members, and would like to continue growing and providing this service. We are trying to raise $5000 dollars this holiday season to keep alive. YOUR DONATION WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Any donation is helpful. All the money raised goes to this website and services. Most of HomelessNation.org's staff are people from the street community. Office space is donated. Administration is volunteered. We are a not-for-profit. We make do on a very small budget. Here's what you get for your donation: All donations: If you would like to give this as a gift donation, please specify and we will send you a gift card certificate in the person's name. Documentary film company EyeSteelFilm currently donates office space and time to HomelessNation.org. For this funding drive, we are also giving away T-SHIRTS and award-winning DVDs to donors: Donations over $50: A choice of any hand-made Silk-Screened T-Shirt (please specify Men's or Women's, S/M/L/XL) Available Shirts: -HomelessNation.org -EyeSteelFilm -Up the Yangtze -Mouse Liberation Front -Rip: A Remix Manifesto Donations over $100: Any available DVD by EyeSteelFilm (NTSC) - SIGNED by the director. Please specify: The Street: a film with the Homeless SPIT: Squeegee Punks in Traffic UP THE YANGTZE Chairman George BONE PUNK THE VOTE RoachTrip http://www.givemeaning.com/project/homelessnation PLEASE SHARE THIS EMAIL. Thank you very much for anything you can donate. And please check out the website homelessnation.org and browse the testimonials. ----@@@@@@@@----- Brett Gaylor Filmmaker, Head of New Media, EyeSteelFIlm [email protected] - www.eyesteelfilm.com office: 514-937-4893 mobile: 514-662-5711 RiP: A Remix Manifesto- winner of IDFA Audience Choice Award, Whistler Film Festival Audience Choice Award, Festival Nouveau Cinema, Special Jury Award Next stop - Les Rendez Vous du Cinéma Quebecois 18 Fevrier Homeless Nation.org, winner of Canadian New Media Award for Excellence in Social Medi
