Thank you for everyone who voted for Sam’s Disco Party for Peace in the Parties with a Purpose Competition. We came in 2nd place and raised $500.00 for the Bryant Peace Committee. We had people voting for our video in Africa, Germany, throughout the US, including 30 advertising executives voting during a meeting in New York city. What an awesome example for our children of the power of community. Thank You!
Category Archives: Peace Projects
Vote for Sam and help raise $1000.00 for the Bryant Peace Committee
Sam’s Disco Party for Peace has made the top 5 in a Party with a Purpose competition. The video that gets the most votes will receive $1000.00 for their purpose. Will you help us win by clicking on the link below and then giving Sam’s video a thumbs up. The money he raises will benefit the Bryant Peace Program.
http://vivanista.com/2011/01/the-results-are-in/
Thanks for your help!
A Boy’s Dream of a Disco Party for Peace
When Sam was only 8 years old, he had a Disco Party for Peace to help children affected by war and violence. Sam was inspired at Sunday School where he drew a picture. AS I admired his work, his teacher asked him to tell us about his picture. He looked at the 2 of us and exclaimed, “It’s a Disco Party for Peace!” I giggled. I told him I would go to a Disco Party for Peace and I would have fun! As we drove him, I probed Sam about his idea. ” What we do at a Disco Party for Peace, Sam?” “We would raise money to stop ALL war.” he replied. We discussed what a BIG goal this was and decided it may be too big a job for just us, but we could do our piece in creating a more peaceful world. Sam initially decided he wanted to raise $10,000.00 to help the children in Iraq and Sudan and to buy peace education materials for his HIlltop public school, Bryant Montessori. However, a month before the event, he watched a clip on Oprah about Liberian children orphaned by the Civil War. He turned to me and asked, “Can we raise our goal to $15,000.00 so that we can send money to those children, too?” I took a deep breath and said, “Sure, but we are going to need help.”
Sam’s friends helped him by making artwork that was sold at a Kids Helping Kids art sale at the Disco Part for Peace. The Sunday School classes created artwork for the event. 10 year old, Elise held a beading party. She and her friends made necklaces, earrings, and bracelets to do their part for Peace. Families made a Peace Gnome, peace necklaces, kids from Bryant Montessori made peace bowls, handmade cards, and a peace table and a neighboring school made a peace pole. Students from the local Universities offered their assistance in putting on the event.
Sam wrote letters inviting almost 40 politicians and celebrities to the event. His list included: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Governor Gregoire, Dennis Kucinich, Mayor Baarsma, Norm Dicks, Superintendent Milligan, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Senator Debbie Regala, the Prime Minister of Australia, Ty Pennington, Ellen, Rosie, Oprah, Kelly Rippa, Regis Philban, The KOMO 4 News Team, Northwest Afternoon, Diane Sawyer, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Tima Allen, John Travolta, Jim Paige, Raffi, and the Wiggles. Senator Debbie Regala attended the event, Barack Obama had his staff call Sam and sent him a personal letter and Steve Martin sent Sam $100.00 towards his efforts.
As we prepared for the event, money started flowing in. When we sent our first check to JRS to help Sudanese Refugee children with school fees Sam was vibrating with excitement. “Those kids are going to be so excited, Mom. Let me show you how excited they will be…” He then drew a picture that had an outline of the United States and an outline of Africa. Up in the NW corner of the US was a stick figure of a boy holding his hand out giving the money. Then there was a picture of a plane flying from the US to Africa and then 3 stick children in Africa jumping up and down yelling “Yipee!!!”
Over 400 people attended the Disco Party for Peace on April 27, 2007. Over $15,300.00 was raised. This event was important because it educated others on the plight of children in our world, it brought families together to dance, create art and have fun together for a common purpose, and it allowed children to have an impact on their world. In his letter to politicians and celebrities Sam wrote, “I want to help these children because I think it is right. I want the children to know that I care about them.” Amen, Sam, Amen.
In December of 2004, my son, Sam made glycerin soap for family and friends for Christmas. Sam was 6 years old and he was able to do about 85% of the project by himself. This gave him an incredible sense of accomplishment. After he had made over 60 soaps, he turned to me one day and asked if he could make a soap for each of his classmates. I looked at him and said, “Sam, you have 22 classmates.” He simply replied, “I know.” I reluctantly agreed and we set to work making more soap.
I brought the soap to Sam’s school the Thursday afternoon before winter break. I put a soap in each child’s cubby and then set out to help his teacher with the kid’s folders. As I was working, a little girl noticed the soap in her cubby. She looked at me and asked, “What is this?” I told her it was a bar of soap that Sam had made for her. She looked at me with the most vulnerable expression and asked, “Sam made this for me?” “Yes, and he chose that animal in the soap just for you.” I watched her tenderly take her soap and show it to her classmates. To each person she said, “Look what Sam made for me.” Not in a boastful way, but with a sense of awe and wonder.
I teared up many times that afternoon as I witnessed Sam’s classmates respond to their soap. When we got home I said to Sam, “Sam, could you believe how much your classmates liked your soap?” “Yea, Mom, Donovan said Sam Rocks!” “Wasn’t that something, Sam?” “Mom, that was AWESOME!” It was the first time Sam really got what it means to give of yourself and to have it received. It was tremendously powerful.
Ten days later we learned that a tsunami had devastated Southeast Asia. We talked about what we, as a family, felt we could do and decided to send money right away. I researched relief agencies and sent our small pittance via the internet. After I sent it, I felt impotent. That’s all we were going to do? Millions of people’s lives had been devastated and we were going to send a little money? I sat with this for 2 days and on the third day I posed a question to Sam. “Sam what if we made soap and sold it to raise money for the tsunami clean up efforts?” “OK, Mom, that’d be good” ”Sam, how much money do you think we could raise?” He put his hand on his chin and thought. Then he looked at me out of the side of his eyes and using his pointer finger for emphasis said, “I bet we could raise $200.00.” “What about $1000.00. Do you think we could make $1000.00, Sam?” “Oh, Mom, That would be impossible!” “Maybe not, Sam. If we got your friends to help us, and got other kids involved we could easily make 350 bars. If we sold them for $3.00 a bar we would raise $1,050.00. He thought for a while and then he looked at me and said, “Mom, I’m not even going to guess.”
That afternoon we started the Tsunami Soap Project. Over 400 young people participated in the Tsunami Soap Project. These children came from 4 schools, 1 Cub Scout Group and 2 Neighborhoods. Through their collective efforts they made over 1800 bars of soap and raised over $6000.00 to help with Tsunami Relief. Each group that made and sold soap chose the relief agency where they sent their funds. Monies went to Mercy Corps, Catholic Relief Services, Unicef, Oxfam, and World Vision.
This project gave our children the opportunity to reach out and do something at a time when they, like us, felt so powerless. It taught them that they can have an impact when they put their energies together. And it showed them that they really can make a difference.
