squeetus

Awash in authors

Writing for Charity was awesome! I was a little concerned that our turnout would be too small to make it worth the authors' time, but we had some great last minute publicity and our turn out was terrific for a first year. I was also nervous because I was organizing this shindig and am so not an organizer. It could have been a disaster. Somehow, it all came together. Huge thanks to Laura Middleton and our wonderful volunteers for running the show!

We earned over $4500 for the Wheelchair Project, enough to buy 54 wheelchairs. That feels really good. Fifty-four people whose lives are changed because of all the participants who came! Thank you! I was MC'ing, and unfortunately I mentioned how much we made up front and got emotional, and it took me awhile to get a hold of myself. Erk.

I was also a little emotional to be sharing the stage with so many awesome writers who all donated their time.

(back row) Scott Francine, Wendy Toliver, Mike Knudson, Tracy Hickman

(middle) A.E. Cannon, Kristyn Crow, Sydney Salter, Rebecca Hickox, Anne Bowen, Laura Hickman, Mette Ivie Harrison, Ann Dee Ellis, Ann Dee Ellis's belly

(front) Kimberley Heuston, Shannon Hale, Chris Schoebinger, Brandon Mull
Photo credit Enna Isilee

I really hope we do it again next year. I think I'd better not be in charge again, but the plan is another local author will pick the charity and organize the event. I'd love to participate.

Some more photos from last week. Several cool authors came to Utah for a literature conference, and I got to be Jennifer Holm's date and crash the party! A major perk for being an author.

X.J. Kennedy, Jennifer Holm, me, Candace Fleming, Kenneth Oppel, Eric Rohmann, and Vivian Vande Velde.

Here we are, the lovely ladies of literature. We were showing some leg, I believe. Very telling perhaps that Rachel (was it? I hope I'm remembering right) who took the photo cut off our legs. I have a feeling the choice was made in wisdom and out of pure benevolence.

Horrible? I hope not!

For Joss Whedon fans (meaning, all of you, I presume), the fantastic Dr. Horrible is up and free! Watch three episodes of this super villain musical and experience the future of media. This was a lark project and experiment Joss Whedon did during the writer's strike. With no budget and friends and family helping, they made a mini-movie for web release, free for the watching for a few days only. Rated PG, I'd guess. I can only think of one word that's questionable in the first two episodes. And you have to admire anyone who would make a creative project with the word "horrible" in the title--you just make things too easy for critics and reviewers. [EDIT: The free period is over, and now having seen episode 3 I'd say PG-13. Some felt disappointed in the final episode, but I have to admit, I loved it. Dean and I vote Bad Horse as one of the greatest characters of the past decade.]

And on another note, leaving the adjective horrible far, far, far behind (I hope), Bloomsbury is repackaging the Bayern books in the US. That means, the original Alison Jay covers will remain on the hardcovers, but the paperbacks get completely new looks.

Before I reveal, let me answer the probing question:

"WHY? Why, why, WHY?!"

Well, it's a good thing, really. I know we're all very attached to the original covers. Alison Jay's paintings are just beautiful. But repackaging paperbacks gives them new life. They figure everyone who would pick up the book based on its cover already has, so time to reach a new audience. Bookstores might order in the new books if they'd stopped stocking the old ones. It can revitalize a series. And know that Bloomsbury has taken this very seriously. We've gone through multiple iterations of the river secrets cover alone, and my editor has rejected over 100 cover models to be Ani on goose girl. The goose girl cover is not final yet, but I have a marvelous story to tell you about its genesis. I can't tell you yet...but soon. I'm so excited! As the enna burning and river secrets covers are already out there, I can show you those. Now, kvetch away.

Picture perfect

There are still spots available for Writing for Charity. If you haven't pre-registered at this point, it's probably a good idea to pay at the door.

For my third post in a row on the delights of picture books, here's a list to shop by. Some books adults like, some books kids like (and adults wished they didn't), and some are winners all around. Here are Max's (age 4) and Maggie's (age 18 months) favorite reads that their parents also enjoy.

MAX

Chicks and Salsa, by Aaron Reynolds and Paulette Bogan - Max loves these animals culinary adventures, and I love to read about food. Yummm...

Everywhere Babies, Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee - A babyhood favorite that Max still enjoys. This one has been around for a decade and won't be out of date anytime soon.

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, by Nathan Hale - Nate's colorful, bold paintings work so well with the simple text. There's so much exploring to do in each illustration, and the story is familiar and fun. A winner!

Baby Shoes, by Dashka Slater and Hiroe Nakata - Fun, rhyming text with great repeating lines both my kids love, and a story idea mom can so relate to.

Goodnight, Me, by Andrew Daddo and Emma Quay - If you like the idea of Goodnight, Moon but can't bear to read it one more time, this is a fantastic alternative. Sweet pencil sketches of a baby chimp saying goodnight to all his/her body parts. Lovely.

Bark, George, by Jules Feiffer - Some adults find this bizarre, but kids love it, and honestly, so do parents like us. Jules rocks.

The Spider and the Fly, by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi - Max tends to be a little macabre, and this is so up his alley. From the old poem, Tony's Newbery Honor-winning illustrations make this good creepy fun.

A Kitten Tale, by Eric Rohmann - Let's pretend we don't know that Eric is one of the hottest men of children's literature and look at this book on its own merits--yep, it still rocks. The illustrations are luscious. Max loves examining what the kittens do on each page and repeating the line, "I can't wait!"

Anything by Mo Willems.

A Very, Hairy, Scary Story, by Rick Walton, David Clark - I mentioned Max's enjoyment of the slightly scary. He totally digs this book.

But Not the Hippopotamus, by Sandra Boynton

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak - of course.

MAGGIE

Red Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton (one of the best kids books EVER written)
Hey, Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton
Good Dog, Carl and Carl's Afternoon in the Park, by Alexandra Day
Hug, by Jez Alborough
Busy Piggies, by Jon Schindel and Steven Holt
Anything by Matthew van Fleet
Good Night, Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann

Also, Freud. Seriously, she's always pulled the Freud books off our shelves, sitting down and flipping through them while reading aloud in her own sweet language. I wouldn't really recommend Freud for all 18-month-olds, of course. At least not until they come out with an illustrated edition.

What are your childhood favorites? Household favorites that both kids and parents enjoy?

Mama, tell a story

There are still spaces available for our Writing for Charity event.

So much of my life is reading to little ones, so forgive me if I keep ruminating about it. It's been fascinating to have two kids in two different stages of storytelling at the same time. Maggie (18 months) likes simple pictures, bright colors, photographs of animals and things familiar. She's learning about all the things that make up her world, and the known is still exciting to her, so this make sense. She likes to identify animals, see babies do things like eat and walk and sleep, and see everyday objects like spoons and balloons and chairs and hats. She needs no narrative structure.

Max on the other had at age 4 is all about stories. He wants stories about everything--what we're doing now, what we might be doing later. He is on the cusp of toddlerhood and kidhood, still interested in Maggie's baby books but also reaching forward to the more complex ideas and things outside his ken. He likes a story about what if a monster ate our entire house just as much as what if we called Grandma and she wasn't there and we had to leave a message. Both stories are thrilling to him and help him process the unexpected. I find it interesting that he needs stories so much. We read lots of books, but he also likes to hear made up stories and make up his own, especially if he's upset about something. If things don't go his way and he just can't get over it, the best cure is to tell a story where things do go his way, where he is the hero and he makes things right. A good story is better tonic than a lollipop or even a hug. Stories help him structure and understand the world, and feel in control. Just as much as Maggie is learning about the world by seeing and naming objects, Max is learning by hearing and creating stories.

I think Maggie is learning objects and people, the players, if you will, of the stories of her life. Max is on the threshold of a lifetime of good stories, something I don't think he or anyone will outgrow. Life is cataloged by story. Narrative is essential. Everything and everyone are characters. And every event has a beginning, middle, and end.

This all reminds me of this wonderful quote about the purpose of fantasy and fairy tales:

"We all like astonishing tales because they touch the nerve of the ancient instinct of astonishment. This is proved by the fact that when we are very young children we do not need fairy tales: we only need tales. Mere life is interesting enough. A child of seven is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door and saw a dragon. But a child of three is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door. Boys like romantic tales; but babies like realistic tales – because they find them romantic. In fact, a baby is about the only person, I should think, to whom a modern realistic novel could be read without boring him.

"This proves that even nursery tales only echo an almost pre-natal leap of interest and amazement. These tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water."
"The Ethics of Elfland," Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton

[I mourned my camera at ALA last week, but always lovely Linda Sue Park has some photos of our Readers Theater on her blog.]

Twenty creepy minutes a day

There are still spaces available for our Writing for Charity event.

I'm not sure what we're doing to our four-year-old's sense of humor and sense of reality. Maybe he'll grow up mistrusting all adults and questioning every word out of our mouths. Or maybe he'll grow up with a healthy skepticism and keen sense of humor. When we read books to him he knows well, we change the words. I'm sure many parents do this, especially when the book text is a little dry or silly. For example, there's a book that uses the word Love a lot, and we'll randomly change it to lettuce or lollipops or lamppost. But sometimes things get a little more morbid. Here's some overheard book reading with Max (age 4), a book that's supposed to be about having a new baby sister and becoming a big brother.

"Babies like to drink blood."
"No, not blood!"
"Oh, right, babies like to drink milk. Babies like to be cold and damp."
"No!"
"Oh, I mean, babies like to be warm and cozy."

"I'm a big kid. I can eat pizza and apples and flesh."
"Not flesh!"
"I mean, ice cream.

"Mommy and Daddy showed me pictures of when I was a snake."
"Not a snake!"
"Right, of when I was a baby."

"And now I have tentacles."
"Not tentacles!"
"I mean, and now I'm a big brother."

Writing for charity, redux

I'm getting lots of questions about the Writing for charity event, so I'll answer them here.

"Are there still spaces available?"

Yes! [EDIT: At this point, July 15, there are still many spots available. As it's too late to mail in registration, you can pay at the door. Please bring a check or $45 in cash]

"I don't have a first page of a book to workshop. Can I still come?"

Yes! During the workshop portion, it will still be instructive to listen to other people's pages being workshopped, and I promise no one will point at you and laugh. Except maybe Brandon Mull.

"I sent in my check and haven't received anything in return!"

And...you won't. Sorry. We are an orphan Annie operation (as my dad would say) and aren't set up to be all cool like that. But if you sent it in, we have it and there should be no problem.

"Can kids participate?"

Sure! We're going to have one break out group just for teen writers. Younger than that might be bored. My four-year-old, for example, will be staying home.

"Can I bring more than one page of my book?"

We'll only have time to look at the first page of a novel, or 300 words of a picture book text. Please bring 15 copies of that page on the day of the event. We're splitting the workshops into three categories: realistic fiction novel, fantasy novel, and picture book. But really, the rules of storytelling aren't limited to genre, so don't worry if what you have doesn't fit exactly.

"Could the list of participating authors be any cooler?"

Probably not, but we've got a few to add--best-selling fantasy authors Laura and Tracy Hickman will be there, as well as agent Amy Jameson and editor Chris Schoebinger.

Here's the skinny once again:

This summer have unfettered access to professional children’s authors, all in the name of charity! Saturday, July 19 several local authors will host a Writing for Charity event in Salt Lake City, with all profits going to The Wheelchair Project. Come hear writers talk about their process, how to write for a young audience, storytelling tips, and the ins and outs of the publishing business. In addition, have your picture book text or first page of your novel (the most important page!) workshopped by professionals.

When: Saturday, July 19, 9 am to 1 pm
Where: Salt Lake Main Library, 200 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah
Cost: $45 (should be tax deductible!)
Event breakdown: 9:00 am -- Registration
9:15 - 10:15 am -- Panel discussion in the auditorium
10:30 - 11:15 -- Break out discussions in topic groups
11:30 - 1:00 -- Small group workshops

Authors and publishing professionals include Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale, Mette Ivie Harrison, Ann Cannon, Kristyn Crow, Becky Hickox, Kimberley Heuston, Anne Bowen, Aprilynne Pike, Laura and Tracy Hickman, Ann Dee Ellis, Mike Knudson, Sydney Husseman, Chris Schoebinger (editor), Amy Jameson (agent), and Wendy Toliver.

Space is limited, first come first serve. To reserve your spot, mail in the $45 registration fee.
Mailing address: 1176 E 2620 N, Provo, UT 84604-4132
Make checks to: “LDS Philanthropies” (the organization that runs The Wheelchair Project) and write “Wheelchair” in the memo line.
Also include: Your name, age, phone number, and area of interest--picture book writing, fantasy novel, or realistic fiction novel.

On the day of the event, bring 15 copies of the first page of your novel or picture book text (maximum word count: 300 words) for some hands on workshopping. If you don’t have a first page to workshop, don’t let that stop you!

100% of the proceeds go to The Wheelchair Project, a wonderful charity that donates new wheelchairs to people in third world countries, many of whom have never had one. A wheelchair can completely change the life of a disabled person, offering mobility, increased independence, and a chance to go to school or find employment. Because this charity is administered by volunteers with LDS Philanthropy, there is no overhead and every penny donated goes directly to purchasing wheelchairs. This is not a religious charity--the wheelchairs go to the needy regardless of their faith. Thank you for supporting this extraordinary cause!

In love at ALA

There are still spots available for Writing for Charity on July 19.

I love people. Old and young and fat and thin and male and female and animal and simple and complicated and extremely complicated. I love 'em all. Some I would prefer not to be locked in a room with, but still... I wonder if this is a prerequisite for being a writer.

Things You Must Love In Order to Be a Writer:

People
Words
Ideas
Sounds
Smells
Stories
Complications
Connections
Serendipity
Silence
History
Flaws
Details

This is all to say that I've returned from the ALA annual conference in Anaheim and fell in love with so many people, it doesn't seem fair that I don't get to take them all home with me and keep them in my sock drawer to pull out at will. At the top of my list, my fantastic team from our readers' theater experience: Linda Sue Park, Eric Rohmann, M.T. Anderson, and our organizer Elizabeth Poe. We had two days of rehearsals that we spent mostly just laughing. It is so invigorating to be around people who are so smart, clever, witty, interesting, gracious, and fun, people who create for a living, people who care about kids and words and books and people. Amazing.

Reader's Theater is a great tool to get kids involved in the books. We basically modeled the concept for a group of librarians. We each took selections from one of our books (I did Rapunzel's Revenge) and wrote them into a script that can be read by four performers. It was a fascinating exercise, so luscious to get inside the words and experience them in a new way.

We did A Kitten Tale by Eric, Keeping Score, by Linda Sue, and Octavian Nothing by Tobin (I got to be Octavian's mother! That was a highlight). I highly recommend this exercise to teachers and librarians.

I wish I could repeat some of the things said that had us in hysterics during our rehearsals. This is one of the problems about writing humor--conversations that are funny in real life are often not funny when repeated. So much of the humor is contained in the moment, inflection, drawing on recent happenings and past experience. But I'll try to illustrate a couple:

I was talking about the Reader's Theater experience with Linda Sue and some of her zillions of librarian friends.
I said, "I tried to play it cool, but I felt like such a fraud, acting as if I was a peer to all those fabulous writers. So I just tried to stay quiet so they wouldn't notice that I didn't belong."
Linda Sue looked confused and said, "I don't recall you being quiet."

After the performance during the Q&A, a lovely librarian I'd never met said, "Shannon Hale, I just want to say, you rock."
I was so unbelievably honored and said, "Will you be my best friend?"
Eric Rohmann said, "The sad thing is, she probably is."

Also, it's not fair that Tobin Anderson is a genius. But he's so nice, that I'll let it slide. And Linda Sue Park is as gracious as she is talented. And I'd like to personally nominate Eric Rohmann for the list of the Hot Men of Children's Literature.

I also got to walk the exhibit floor and kept running into awesome people, and cursed myself again and again for forgetting my camera. I was in a booth where a few women were trying to take a photo of themselves and I offered to do it for them, then realized I was talking to Laurie Halse Andersen.
I saw an ARC of Kelly Link's new collection for young adults, Pretty Monsters, and began to drool.
"I wonder if I can have one," I said.
Sharyn November the editor was there, and she said, "Uh, you know Kelly's right there signing."
Yes, the fabulous Kelly Link was two feet away from me at the time.

Later I ran into Kelly again while I was chatting with the Utah contingent (Mette Ivie Harrison, Rick Walton, Will Terry, Nate Hale, Kristyn Crow) and Kelly was with a friend whom she introduced as Karen Fowler. I said hello and shook her hand, and we were all conversing while I was revolving that name in my head...where did I know that from?
It took me a few minutes, then I suddenly turned to her and said, "Wait, are you Karen Joy Fowler?"
"Yes," she said.
And I about fell over and stifled a screech and turned red and did my very best not to gush. I am such a fan girl, it's really hard for me to carry off the aloof professional. Karen probably thinks I'm an idiot, but what can I do? The Jane Austen Book Club was fantastic. (Did you notice how I just casually referred to her as "Karen"?)

Tonight is the Newbery/Caldecott banquet, two years since mine, and I've been remembering how sick I was that weekend. Ugh. First trimester nausea. I ran into the lovely Natalie from my committee. Hi Natalie!

Nate and I had a great signing for Rapunzel. I know I probably say this all the time, but it is so surreal to be somewhere where people line up to have me sign something. I can't get my head around it. Or that people will recognize my name from my name tag or have read my books. It's weird. I feel like a mom and a scribbler who gets mistaken for someone famous. But I don't correct them. I try to be gracious and just accept the compliment on behalf of this Shannon Hale person, whoever she is. When she finds out what I've been doing, she's gonna be PO'd.

Squeetus exclusive: A.E. Cannon

This week we get to pull up a chair and chat with the always lovely A.E. Cannon. Ann first charmed me with Charlotte's Rose, a perfect book about a pioneer girl crossing the Great Plains on her way to Utah. When a woman dies in childbirth and the grieving father can't take responsibility for the baby, young Charlotte volunteers, carrying and caring for Rose for the long journey. It's a beautiful, insightful, hopeful historical novel. Her newest book, The Loser's Guide to Love and Life, is a fast and funny romp based loosely on A Midsummer Night's Dream. I love all the characters in this book, I love how unique they are and yet real. I love how Ann can do comedy and yet never sacrifice depth of character and experience. And even more, I love Ann. Here is wisdom, young writers--you can be a fabulous writer (like Ann), you can start your career with a bang winning a major first-novel award (like Ann), but if you're not a genuinely kind, good-hearted person (like Ann), what does it all matter? To me, Ann Cannon represents what's best in this business--a skilled storyteller and a wise and loving person. Now to the interview. (And by the way, in the photo, Ann is the one on the left.)

Me: I loved the way you played with A Midsummer Night's Dream in this story. What is it about Shakespeare that inspired you? What was helpful as a writer in using his play as an inspiration?

AC: You know what I love about Shakespeare? I love his energy--all that verbal magic! And I love how he stirs things up with witches in the woods, ghosts in the castle, jealous husbands, love struck teenagers, cold-blooded queens. He embraces all of experience. I've always liked A Midsummer Night's Dream because it's funny and light-hearted. I adore how everyone in that play is in love with the wrong person (or donkey) and yet by the end, everything is sorted out. I aimed for that kind of happy confusion in my book.

Scout (cool name) has an obsession with reading Regency romances that she keeps secret. Do you have any similar secret obsessions? Obsessions?

Well, yes. Reading Regency romances, for instance. I went through a long, long period where I was really addicted to them (just like Scout). I have to say I still love the novels of Georgette Heyer. Listening to them on tape while I'm in the car running errands is a real pleasure. I also like trashy tabloid magazines and finding websites about plastic surgery gone wrong. And my pajama drawer is still filled with leftover bags of malted milk Easter eggs. I'm pretty much obsessed with those.

Why do you write?

Sometimes I wonder that myself--especially when the writing part isn't going well. Like today, for instance! But generally speaking I write because writing makes me feel more alive, more connected to the world. When I'm writing I pay more attention to what's happening around me--and when that happens I am struck over and over again I am by the awful beauty of life.

A Loser's Guide is told from the points-of-view of four different characters. Did you have a favorite one to write for?

I loved doing all the voices. I had the most fun with Ed, though How has being a mother of five boys affected your writing? I find male voices easier to write than female voices. That's probably a result of having lived with so many guys (I also don't have sisters--just brothers). Teenage boys, when they're not getting arrested, are loads of fun to be around.

Thank you, Ann! My local bookshop, The King's English in Salt Lake City, is hosting a midsummer's night party for the book, July 2 at 7pm. I'll be there as Ann has promised to reveal the secret of cold fusion and/or talk about The Loser's Guide. This really is such a perfect summer book. Note that if your local library doesn't have it, you can always request the library purchase it. Most libraries' online catalogs allow you to do this right over the web. This is a great way to get to read a book you want if you don't have the money to buy it and also support those hard working authors out there.

Driving with Dashti

For information about our July 19 Writing for Charity event, click here.

Full Cast Audio has done it again. They produce the audio books for all my young adult books, and I've never been anything but button-bursting pleased. This time they tackled book of a thousand days. This one was unique because it's my only book in first person, and since Full Cast does age appropriate casting, that meant that the entire book would be narrated by a young voice. Who could be up to that challenge?

Chelsea Mixon, of course. She took my breath away with her wonderful performance as Enna in enna burning, now her Dashti is equally brilliant. And yes, she is a teenager. What a talent. In addition, she had to sing Dashti's healing songs, which she did beautifully and lovingly.

It's always an extraordinary gift to get to listen to the audio book of one of my own. It's like seeing it for the first time as a reader instead of the writer, really getting to experience the story for the first time. I loved it. What a relief to hear those words and not cringe with regrets. I worked very hard on this book and I'm still inordinately pleased with how it turned out.

Listening to the audio book, I was reminded again about what a huge risk it was to do this story in the first place. I mean, start a book by locking up the main character in a windowless/doorless tower? Are you insane? And leaving her there for nearly half the book? That's a Creative Writing 101 no-no. I remember during those years when I was thinking about this story, outlining and taking notes, really questioning myself if I could do this. I knew it was a stupid idea. But the story haunted me so much I had to try. One of the trickiest parts of the rewrites was finding a balance, how much time to spend in the tower, how much of their daily lives to tell. I could have written hundreds of pages. I knew so much about Dashti and Saren, I was so interested in their lives. Finding how little to tell can be more challenging than writing volumes.

It was a challenge, but ultimately this story was a joy to write and experience. And re-experience thanks to Full Cast Audio.

Writing for charity

At the beginning of this year, I made a goal to try and use my writing to help earn money for causes I'm passionate about. I'm very excited to announce the first phase in this goal (with more to come, hopefully). Here's the 411:

When: Saturday, July 19, 9 am to 1 pm
Where: Salt Lake Main Library, 200 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah
Cost: $45 (should be tax deductible!)
Event breakdown: 9:00 am -- Registration
9:15 - 10:15 am -- Panel discussion in the auditorium
10:30 - 11:15 -- Break out discussions in topic groups
11:30 - 1:00 -- Small group workshops

Authors include Brandon Mull, Shannon Hale, Mette Ivie Harrison, Ann Cannon, Kristyn Crow, Becky Hickox, Kimberley Heuston, Anne Bowen, Aprilynne Pike, Ann Dee Ellis, Mike Knudson, and Wendy Toliver.

Space is limited, first come first serve. To reserve your spot, mail in the $45 registration fee.

Mailing address: 1176 E 2620 N, Provo, UT 84604-4132
Make checks to: “LDS Philanthropies” (the organization that runs The Wheelchair Project) and write “Wheelchair” in the memo line.
Also include: Your name, age, phone number, and area of interest--picture book writing, fantasy novel, or realistic fiction novel.

[EDIT: At this point, July 15, there are still many spots available. As it's too late to mail in registration, you can pay at the door. Please bring a check or $45 in cash]

On the day of the event, bring 15 copies of the first page of your novel or picture book text (maximum word count: 300 words) for some hands on workshopping.

100% of the proceeds (after the nominal location fee) go to The Wheelchair Project, a wonderful charity that donates new wheelchairs to people in third world countries, many of whom have never had one. A wheelchair can completely change the life of a disabled person, offering mobility, increased independence, and a chance to go to school or find employment. Because this charity is administered by volunteers with LDS Philanthropy, there is no overhead and every penny donated goes directly to purchasing wheelchairs. This is not a religious charity--the wheelchairs go to the needy regardless of their faith. Thank you for supporting this extraordinary cause!