You be You and I be Me

Many of you know that MarbleRoad has been planning it’s launch event and fundraiser for a while now. The event is being held this Saturday, October 23, 2010 – the 20th Anniversary of Make a Difference Day – and you can still purchase tickets (even if you cannot make it to the event) at http://marbleroadlaunch.eventbrite.com.

As Make a Difference Day approaches, and you think about how you will make a difference in your own community, have you reflected upon who has made a difference in your life? Along the way it’s often been a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a husband/wife. A few things to think about; even though this blog is about rare disorders, your responses do not need to focus on the health care experience, doctors, caregivers, etc. Think about “consequential strangers“; or perhaps reflect on the fact that yesterday, Wednesday, October 20th, is “Spirit Day” – and organizers & participants wore “purple in honor of the LGBT youth who have committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes and schools” [RIP Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase, Asher Brown, Cody J. Barker, Harrison Chase Brown, Caleb Nolt, Billy Lucas, Jeanine Blanchette, and Chantal Dube]. Who has made a difference in your life? Who taught you to be healthy, well, or even simply comfortable in your own shoes with who you are?

The above comment on Spirit Day may sound like a digression… However in the wake of recent suicides, news about bullying, the upcoming congressional elections, etc I feel the need to share a statement from a dear friend of mine…

“Let’s make sure to describe people by what they ARE and not what they AREN’T. Children with special needs deserve acceptance and rights. They are people like anyone else… And parents, please love your children no matter who or what they are or become. They could be Republican, Democrat, super religious, not religious at all, gay, transgender, disabled, athletic, in jail, unemployed, musically talented, etc. etc. but you’re only job is to love them and let them know you support them. They will get enough disapproval and negativity from the rest of society.”

It’s about

• Social Justice
• Equity
• Love
• Acceptance
• Compassion

Now I can step off of this morning’s soap box and share with you all of the exciting press we’ve been getting in anticipation of this weekend’s event:

Facebook – STARS

Stars is an indie pop band from Canada, featuring Amy Millan, Evan Cranley, Torquil Campbell, Patty McGee and Chris Seligman (Amy and Evan have previously worked with Broken Social Scene, along with Metric and Feist).They released their fifth full-length album, The Five Ghosts, on June 22, 2010. Five Ghosts marks the first release on the band’s new label imprint Soft Revolution Records licensed everywhere around the world except Canada through Vagrant Records. The album features a special guest appearance by Toronto singer-songwriter and Broken Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman.

Throughout their fall tour, Stars has been offering fans an opportunity to connect through special “Passenger Meet & Greet” opportunities. After going backstage at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC on September 28, 2010, MarbleRoad Founder and CEO Howard Liebers talked with the band about MarbleRoad. The band graciously followed up that encounter by sharing a link to the MarbleRoad website with their 105,000+ fans on Facebook:

Twitter – ROSARIO DAWSON

Throughout September, fans had the opportunity to bid on their favorite celebrities through TwitChange. All proceeds from the TwitChange celebrity auction will provide aHomeInHaiti.org the means to complete its rebuilding of The Miriam Center. The Miriam Center houses, educates and loves Haitian children with cerebral palsy, severe autism, and other major life challenges and is one of the only facilities of its kind in Haiti. The current facility houses children in the earthquake’s aftermath and is extremely overcrowded. These kids need and deserve a permanent home.

Howard Liebers, Founder and CEO of MarbleRoad bid on the opportunity to have a @mention on Twitter from @RosarioDawson, hoping to increase awareness about MarbleRoad’s efforts to support people with complex illness. Ms. Dawson is a tremendous advocate and philanthropist. She has served on the board of, been the spokesperson of, and volunteered with more than 10 organizations trying to change the world. This was a great opportunity to support children in need and to use social media to leverage additional awareness for MarbleRoad. On Thursday, October 14, 2010, Rosario Dawson did just that:

To follow MarbleRoad on Twitter visit http://www.twitter.com/marbleroad.

Blog – VIVANISTA

Vivanista is the go-to community for philanthropic living and giving. The Vivanista woman enjoys the philanthropic lifestyle and our editorial staff, along with our members, contribute pithy, unique articles in topics ranging from fashion to entertaining to dating.

Vivanista has developed the first-ever repository of best practices in fundraising as well as a robust library of essential tools and templates to elevate the success of charitable events.  As a result, more money is generated for nonprofit organizations and greater good is contributed to society.

• Vivanista is a community of philanthropically-minded individuals
• Vivanista incites members to share fundraising best practices
• Vivanista provides the easy-to-use tools for event promotion
• Vivanista provides allows organizations and individuals to leverage their volunteer experience into future endeavors

Vivanista recently caught up with enthusiastic volunteer, passionate non profit owner and event-chair, Howard Liebers to learn more about his organization, MarbleRoad, and their upcoming launch party.

This is MarbleRoad. This is BIG. And YOU can be a part of this.

Special thank you to Alison Whyte for today’s post.

~ by marbleroad on October 21, 2010.