HELLO Project against loneliness

Dear friends,

Of all the problems in the world you would think that loneliness would be the easiest to fix. After all, the only thing it needs is for one person to get together with one other person, and that costs nothing.

But it is not only difficult to fix, it is a problem that has never been so bad and it is getting worse all the time. Loneliness is one of the worst kinds of pain there is.

The HELLO Project is trying its best to make a difference, but it is taking time because our plan is so unusual and has not been tried anywhere else as far as we can tell.

After 18 months of hard toil it is time to admit that we at HELLO can't do it without you, so we are appealing directly to everyone we know - and others in Metro Vancouver and even around the world - to pitch in their 5 cents and make this thing fly.

In short this is our big "crowdfunding" appeal, and it could be make or break for an initiative that promises so much.

We need your help - handing out HELLO buttons and, if you can, with a cash contribution of $5 to $100 to sponsor more buttons and flyers.

Instead of just asking you to give us money, we want you to sponsor buttons and flyers - AND hand them out to people you know. If you don't want to hand them out we will do it for you.

If you live in the Metro Vancouver area we'll bring you as many buttons as you want to hand out to your own circle.

Not long ago we learned that metro Vancouver is the least happy of the 37 census metropolitan areas in Canada. All the experts say this is because this city, very livable in so many other ways, is seriously afflicted by social isolation. And we are all learning how damaging social disconnection is. Here is a partial list of problems it creates or makes worse:

1. SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
"Substance abuse is a complex phenomenon. It almost certainly does not have a single cause. But the substance abuse of a great many individuals is fueled by their experiences of social rejection and social isolation.
- (http://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/reconnect-technology-society-lonely-american.aspx?PageId=3).

2. VIOLENCE.
"Additionally, even seemingly trivial experiences of social exclusion have been shown to lead to an increase in aggressive behavior.
- (http://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/reconnect-technology-society-lonely-american.aspx?PageId=3).

3. CLIMATE CHANGE
"Social isolation damages ecological health, as well. The rising tide of single-person households strains the earth’s resources.
- (http://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/reconnect-technology-society-lonely-american.aspx?PageId=3).

4. PERSONAL HEALTH - MENTAL AND PHYSICAL
Depending on the severity, as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and up to FOUR TIMES as damaging as obesity.
- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyAlnObWfrE).

Please remember that a major study found social isolation is the BIGGEST CONCERN of metro Vancouver residents - far ahead of housing issues, poverty, rich-poor divide, transportation woes or anything else. Those other matters get tons of media attention and money, but social isolation is almost ignored.

HELLO, as you might know, aims to combat social isolation by way of a simple intervention: if you see someone wearing our button (see above) they are inviting you to at least say hello, and where it feels right, to chat to them. Two, three or more people could chat together wherever it makes sense - coffee shops, on transit, libraries, restaurants, pubs or wherever.

We need to get out of our silos of language, culture, ethnicity, age and geography. Of course you are strongly encouraged to wear a HELLO button yourself, as often as possible. The whole thing can only work on the principle of critical mass - lots of folk need to wear them, and lots of people need to know what it means, and to change their behaviour accordingly.

So far we've handed out 6,000 buttons free - at the Fusion Festival, a major multicultural festival in the City of Surrey, British Columbia. Hundreds of people wore the buttons, including cops, security guards, musicians on stage, tiny kids and grandfathers, Sikhs with long beards and trendily bearded hipsters. It was a huge success and we got very positive feedback from politicians and many others.

Before we get money from government and other places we need to further demonstrate the button's effectiveness.

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN. We will be distributing up to 40,000 buttons - and the small flyers we give out with each button explaining how the program works - in downtown Surrey and on Granville Island, starting early September.

So, we get FOUR BUTTONS FOR A DOLLAR. We are raising money through crowdfunding, applying for grants, and corporate sponsorship.

Like we keep saying, the Catch-22 is proving it works. Please PLEEEZZ consider sponsoring buttons with a cash contribution as soon as you can. Even $5 will buy 20 buttons that could potentially help 20 people break out of their silos.

If you donate $40 or more you get juicy rewards. These include our fabulous t-shirts in full technicolour or black-and-white. You might also want your own customized, personalized HELLO button, with your name on it.

If you donate $100 or more you get your name in the hallowed HELLO Hall of Fame, on our website. Remember, we are a registered charity so you GET HALF THE MONEY BACK as a tax deduction.

You can pay by credit card on our crowdfunding page. If you want to pay cash we will come to you to get it (in Metro Vancouver) or you can put a cheque in the mail.

If you cannot help at all at this stage, no problemo and keep us in mind for future.

David, Allan, Richard, Karen, Harvey and the rest of the HELLO gang.