Be Kind, Do Good Summer Tour 2017
Donation protected
BE KIND, DO GOOD SUMMER TOUR 2017
FRIENDS,
I am beyond excited to announce a new project that I will be undertaking this May. In a time when so many across our country feel under-represented, misunderstood and forgotten it is important to remember that we are all one and that democracy, as well as humanity, cannot work without love, care and understanding for one another. When fear, anger and the blame game so commonly dominate the news and airwaves that reach us, we have to remind ourselves that service to our fellow citizens and neighbors is the only way we can come together and unite as a strong nation.
It is for this reason that this May I will be leaving on a two week drive across the United States, stopping in major cities along the southern route to speak with community organizers, non-profit leaders while volunteering in each respective city in a service project that will best benefit that community. This will range from painting murals at public schools, to feeding large homeless populations, to donating books in New Orleans, where many public K-12 schools still struggle to restore their libraries post- Katrina.
I am calling this project the Be Kind, Do Good Summer Tour. But for it to be as impactful as possible, I need your help! I am hoping to raise $3,000 for the trip. Please note, I will be taking absolutely none of this for personal gain. All funds remaining after gas, food, hotel (when applicable) will be donated to the organizations that we work with along the way. Out of this journey, I will not only partake in service important to American communities and our fellow American;, but I will also chronicle the trip via photos shared on an Instagram page highlighting the parts of this country that fly under our radar. Upon the completion of the physical trip, I hope to begin writing about all I witness, learn and experience - with the plan of releasing my writing for free online once it is completed.
BACKGROUND:
The cross country drive was once a staple of the American young adult experience. Chronicled by those on horseback, in vans, carriage, hitch hikers and train hoppers, the passion for young citizens to see the vast beauty and complicated social diversity that this country offers those with the open minds and hearts of curious patriots. Once seen as a sort of “American Bar Mitzvah”, the coast to coast pilgrimage has largely disappeared with the advancement of air travel, study abroad programs and more globalized wanderlust. While this change has no doubt been a positive in allowing for citizens of the world to understand more intimately where we all come from, I believe that it has created a culture here in America where our knowledge of nation is purely based on visits to major cities and tourist destinations, resulting in the very polarized and “forgotten” parts of the US that so strongly spoke out in this last election process.
I will be documenting and making sure to highlight these less glamorous, but equally important areas throughout the drive, while also speaking with locals and leaders to understand the major political concerns and problems that do not reach us in our Mass- Media. Furthermore, upon reaching Bridgeport, CT, the final destination where we will be volunteering to help the city’s fractured public education system, I hope to sit down and write about my experience in a way that I can make accessible to all.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Donate Money - As may be obvious, the best way to help is through donation to cover the gas and occasional hotel stops along the way. As mentioned above, any and all funds remaining will be donated to the organizations that we partner with along the route.
- Donate Books - One of the initiatives that we have already planned is the donation of books to public schools in New Orleans who are still recovering from wiped out libraries post Hurricane Katrina. I will be working on finding locations to put up donation stations for lightly used books here in Los Angeles
- Introductions - Let me know of any organizations that you encourage we try to work with! If you know anybody in any of the cities along the way who is largely involved, runs a non-profit or is a community leader/organizer we would love to reach out to them!
-Connect us with friends who want to help! - If you have any friends who would be happy to lend a couch for a night in any of the destination cities, that would be a tremendous help as it not only saves money, but also means more money for donations! Just as amazing would be putting us in touch with influential people to have a conversation and better understand the issues facing that specific area. Furthermore, this is a project based in human experience - the more we can interact with local people, the more of an impact can be had!
-Hop on board! - Though I have driven across this country many times, there is no doubt that company is always amazing. As such, if you would like to join for a leg of the trip, or just help with a volunteering effort in one or several cities, that would be amazing!
-Share this page with your network! - The more clicks and views we can get, the more we can come closer to the goal, the more we can bring attention to the project, and most importantly, the more we can hopefully inspire others to get active as citizens and help/better understand others!
- Literally Anything Else - The emphasis of this project thus far has purely been on the organizing and working to help others across the United States. If you may have a creative idea as to how to further improve the Be Kind Do Good Summer Tour, please reach out! Be it marketing ideas, a great driving mixtape, or even a cool logo for the instagram. This project works best if we get as many people involved as possible!
Oh the Places You'll Go...
Below is the list of cities that we will be stopping in along the way:
-Los Angeles, CA
-Phoenix, AZ
-El Paso, TX
-Austin, TX
-Houston, TX
-New Orleans, LA
-Montgomery, AL
-Atlanta, GA
-Charlotte, NC
-Washington DC
-Baltimore, MD
-New York, NY
-Bridgeport, CT
Thank you so much for even considering to help meet the financial goal, and this project as a whole. If you have any questions, please reach out at [email redacted].
Please, be kind and do good!
Best,
Kyle Mendelson
[email redacted]
FRIENDS,
I am beyond excited to announce a new project that I will be undertaking this May. In a time when so many across our country feel under-represented, misunderstood and forgotten it is important to remember that we are all one and that democracy, as well as humanity, cannot work without love, care and understanding for one another. When fear, anger and the blame game so commonly dominate the news and airwaves that reach us, we have to remind ourselves that service to our fellow citizens and neighbors is the only way we can come together and unite as a strong nation.
It is for this reason that this May I will be leaving on a two week drive across the United States, stopping in major cities along the southern route to speak with community organizers, non-profit leaders while volunteering in each respective city in a service project that will best benefit that community. This will range from painting murals at public schools, to feeding large homeless populations, to donating books in New Orleans, where many public K-12 schools still struggle to restore their libraries post- Katrina.
I am calling this project the Be Kind, Do Good Summer Tour. But for it to be as impactful as possible, I need your help! I am hoping to raise $3,000 for the trip. Please note, I will be taking absolutely none of this for personal gain. All funds remaining after gas, food, hotel (when applicable) will be donated to the organizations that we work with along the way. Out of this journey, I will not only partake in service important to American communities and our fellow American;, but I will also chronicle the trip via photos shared on an Instagram page highlighting the parts of this country that fly under our radar. Upon the completion of the physical trip, I hope to begin writing about all I witness, learn and experience - with the plan of releasing my writing for free online once it is completed.
BACKGROUND:
The cross country drive was once a staple of the American young adult experience. Chronicled by those on horseback, in vans, carriage, hitch hikers and train hoppers, the passion for young citizens to see the vast beauty and complicated social diversity that this country offers those with the open minds and hearts of curious patriots. Once seen as a sort of “American Bar Mitzvah”, the coast to coast pilgrimage has largely disappeared with the advancement of air travel, study abroad programs and more globalized wanderlust. While this change has no doubt been a positive in allowing for citizens of the world to understand more intimately where we all come from, I believe that it has created a culture here in America where our knowledge of nation is purely based on visits to major cities and tourist destinations, resulting in the very polarized and “forgotten” parts of the US that so strongly spoke out in this last election process.
I will be documenting and making sure to highlight these less glamorous, but equally important areas throughout the drive, while also speaking with locals and leaders to understand the major political concerns and problems that do not reach us in our Mass- Media. Furthermore, upon reaching Bridgeport, CT, the final destination where we will be volunteering to help the city’s fractured public education system, I hope to sit down and write about my experience in a way that I can make accessible to all.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Donate Money - As may be obvious, the best way to help is through donation to cover the gas and occasional hotel stops along the way. As mentioned above, any and all funds remaining will be donated to the organizations that we partner with along the route.
- Donate Books - One of the initiatives that we have already planned is the donation of books to public schools in New Orleans who are still recovering from wiped out libraries post Hurricane Katrina. I will be working on finding locations to put up donation stations for lightly used books here in Los Angeles
- Introductions - Let me know of any organizations that you encourage we try to work with! If you know anybody in any of the cities along the way who is largely involved, runs a non-profit or is a community leader/organizer we would love to reach out to them!
-Connect us with friends who want to help! - If you have any friends who would be happy to lend a couch for a night in any of the destination cities, that would be a tremendous help as it not only saves money, but also means more money for donations! Just as amazing would be putting us in touch with influential people to have a conversation and better understand the issues facing that specific area. Furthermore, this is a project based in human experience - the more we can interact with local people, the more of an impact can be had!
-Hop on board! - Though I have driven across this country many times, there is no doubt that company is always amazing. As such, if you would like to join for a leg of the trip, or just help with a volunteering effort in one or several cities, that would be amazing!
-Share this page with your network! - The more clicks and views we can get, the more we can come closer to the goal, the more we can bring attention to the project, and most importantly, the more we can hopefully inspire others to get active as citizens and help/better understand others!
- Literally Anything Else - The emphasis of this project thus far has purely been on the organizing and working to help others across the United States. If you may have a creative idea as to how to further improve the Be Kind Do Good Summer Tour, please reach out! Be it marketing ideas, a great driving mixtape, or even a cool logo for the instagram. This project works best if we get as many people involved as possible!
Oh the Places You'll Go...
Below is the list of cities that we will be stopping in along the way:
-Los Angeles, CA
-Phoenix, AZ
-El Paso, TX
-Austin, TX
-Houston, TX
-New Orleans, LA
-Montgomery, AL
-Atlanta, GA
-Charlotte, NC
-Washington DC
-Baltimore, MD
-New York, NY
-Bridgeport, CT
Thank you so much for even considering to help meet the financial goal, and this project as a whole. If you have any questions, please reach out at [email redacted].
Please, be kind and do good!
Best,
Kyle Mendelson
[email redacted]
Organizer
Kyle Mendelson
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
