Show Your Hope!

And so it begins…..

For a long time now I have wanted to write a blog.  With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it has been hard to find the time to just sit and get things off the ground.  After being home bound for the past 24 hours hooked up to an IV for hydration, I was forced to ‘be still’ (I know, funny concept for me).  I used it as an opportunity to sit and do something that I wouldn’t have normally found the time for….and so, this blog was born!

*I do have to add….Chelsea was instrumental in getting the layout set.

What do you all think of the new “Show Your Hope” design we came up with?  If you really like it….you have 22 hours to get a limited edition “Show Your Hope” t-shirt through my Kickstarter Campaign (ends Monday morning at 11 a.m.).   Chelsea and I whipped this logo up the night that the ‘hurricane that wasn’t’ came through our backyard.

Okay…back to my post….

This is my ‘Birthday Month’ – and I have been doing a lot of thinking lately.  This year, I have decided to try and capture every moment – good or bad (but hopefully mostly GOOD!) as, once they are gone, we cannot get them back.  I’ve always felt that every moment matters, but after working on my latest music video and talking with the families that had been through so much (see the video), it really solidified that each moment is precious, not promised.

I am an avid photo hack – I usually carry my camera everywhere and often take pictures when you least expect them.  My nieces’ call me the photo ninja.  😉

I have a few really fun and neat things going on right now – 22 hours from the time this post is live, my Kickstarter Campaign will be complete! I started this campaign because I really wanted to finish my new album and have it ready for release by the end of September.  I set my goal low in hopes of achieving it – and, within 20 hours, I had surpassed it!   At this point, I have achieved 315% of my goal and can’t even begin to express what a humbling and uplifting experience it has been.  I never would have dreamed to raise as much for this project and will be utilizing every penny in hopes to release the album by September 23rd.

Speaking of September 23rd…..My best friend, Chelsea Hertzog and I have been working hard on a fundraiser that is so near and dear to not only us…but to so many others battling Mitochondrial Disease.  I have always wanted to do a music benefit concert (given my love for music and my belief that music is incredibly healing), but didn’t have the courage to step out on a limb until Chelsea said that she too wanted to do something different as a fundraiser for our cause.  With that, I set off on a mission (and for those of you who know me – when I put my mind to something, nothing stops me!).  I approached one of my favorite artists, Liz Longley and asked her if she’d join me on stage for this benefit.  Without hesitation, she agreed and we set the date.  I excitedly rushed home to tell Chelsea the great news – it was official – we WERE doing a music benefit for the UMDF!

What’s in a name???  Now that we knew we were doing this concert, we needed to come up with a name.  Chelsea and I were stumped!  We sat for days going back and forth about names…until we hit upon one that just seemed to fit perfectly:  Show of Hope.

The excitement was building – but we knew we had a lot of work cut out for us.  We began to look at venues….many were just too small for our event.  We wanted a place that would fit more than 100/150 people but less than 500 – and there just wasn’t something that fit perfectly.  One of our last venues we looked at was the Lowell Memorial Auditorium – within minutes we knew that this was the place!

About a month later, Ralph and I attended a concert at the Bull Run Inn to see Liz play.  When her set was done, we decided to stay…and boy were we glad we did!  The next band up was Air Traffic Controller (also known as ATC) – and they did not disappoint!  By the end of the concert, I just KNEW that they had to be on the bill for the fundraiser with Liz.

I sat for a week or two on it and then I took the leap and reached out to Dave (the man behind the band!) and asked him if they’d be interested in playing.  I knew he wouldn’t be able to answer right away as there are about 8 people who would need to weigh in – but his immediate response was that he thought that is was a great idea and that he’d have to check with the band…but he felt pretty confident that they’d all jump on board!  Within in days, he emailed me that they were ALL in!  He gave me his booking manager’s (Joe G) email and I shot him off an email.   What transpired next was nothing short of ‘meant to be.’

Joe G called me within an hour of my email and was completely pumped – but also quite curious about something.  His first question was,”Did you do a walk last year at MIT?” and my response was, “Yes, I did.  I ran it!”  and he replied, “I did an interview with 2 women on my radio station to help promote the walk” and then I said, ‘WOW, that was ME…such a small world!”

To me, it was no coincidence that I met the ATC folks because of Liz Longley…and there was no coincidence that ATC’s booking manager and I had crossed paths and that he already knew about Mitochondrial Disease – it was all meant to be!

From there, a wonderful relationship between UMDF (meaning Chelsea and I) blossomed with ATC, Joe G, and Liz Longley.   By far, Joe G has been instrumental in helping us organize and reach out beyond our Mito community and has been a wealth of ideas and source of information – he’s our ‘go to’ guy!

We’ve accumulated more than $2,500 in raffle items – and are busy getting all the final details in place.  Before we know it, the event will be upon us!

Our original goal was to reach at least 150 people for this event – but it would be AMAZING if we had more than that decide to come out and “Show Their Hope!”

Want to support the event but don’t live nearby or can’t attend that night?  NO PROBLEM!  We’ve set up a secure donation page just for you!

Want to purchase tickets in advance?  Well, you can head on over to our ticket page and purchase tickets.

If you want to help out, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and let us know!

This night is going to be one you won’t forget – Liz Longley, ATC and I will all be taking the stage and showing our hope…while everyone in the auditorium will be showing theirs!  We just are so excited and we hope that you’ll help us spread the word!

We have SO MUCH more going on…..and I will be keeping you up to date.  Just to perk your ears…..if you’re local, keep October 15th open – we’ll be hosting our 4th Annual Promise of Hope Wine Tasting Event at the Lowell Inn & Conference Center (and it will be a spooky murder mystery evening that will be fun for all!).

Okay…that’s it for me for now – just wanted to get my first post out there!

Love and Light,
Stefani