The Stone Soup Education Campaign was developed in
partnership with major corporations like NationsBank and national
organizations like Christmas in April. To demonstrate the Stone
Soup message: we can do more together than anyone could alone,
people collaborated to create meaningful service projects that are
having a lasting impact on their communities.
Partnerships were developed with other organizations
like Volunteer Centers across the country (including several state
and local coordinators for the Presidents’ Summit for America’s
Future) to connect people who want to build a better world -- and
to maximize the campaign’s impact.
In
honor of National Volunteer Week, the Stone Soup foundation is
launching an education campaign:
To
celebrate the legacy of service and dedication of people across the
nation:
On April 17, 1998 over 100 community heroes,
storytellers, celebrities and other dignitaries autographed books and
signed people up for service opportunities in 40 communities across the
country.
Some of those involved with the world’s largest
booksigining included: TDIndustries’ CEO, Jack Lowe and MEDISEND
founder, Dr. Martin Lazar will be at Borders in Dallas, Texas.
Frances Moore Lappe, at Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro,
Vermont. At the Little Professor in New Orleans, will be
12-year-old Isis Johnson, while 15-year-old David Levitt will be at Barnes
& Noble in Tampa, Florida. Larry Spears, Robert
Greenleaf Institute will join Eddie Staton and John Gatus, founders of
MADDADS at Barnes & Noble in Omaha, Nebraska. Jonathan
Alter, Newsweek, Allan Luks, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New
York City, Nina Klippel and Sharon Burde from American Friends of Neve
Shalom will be at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in New York
City.
They used the book launch to celebrate the good works in
their community; announce new initiatives; as well as recruit new
volunteers and increase support to strengthen their communities.
Volunteer Centers provided information about other volunteer
opportunities in many communities. Some examples include:
Orange County, California
Phil Stevens is creating a meaningful media event with
Barnes & Noble in Costa Mesa to honor his work with Native
Americans around the country. Walking Shield volunteers will
answer questions and recruit new supporters. A colorful photo exhibit
will give people powerful images for how their support will help people
living on reservations. Invited guests include: South Dakota Native
American Chiefs, local Native American organizations, Orange County
Volunteer Center and The Points of Light Foundation.
Newton, New Jersey
A small company from a rural community, Ames Rubber
Company wants to use their participation at The Bookshelf to
increase awareness about adult illiteracy, as well as their partnership
with Literacy Volunteers of America -- giving employees and
community members the gift of reading.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Joseph Rogers, director of the largest mental health
service agency in the country and founder of the National Mental
Health Consumers Self-Help Clearinghouse based in Philadelphia plans
to use the booksigning at Borders to increase awareness about
the gifts and resources of people with mental disabilities.
Christmas in April’s President Patty Johnson invited
leaders from their 206 chapters to develop their own creative
plans to participate in and benefit from the book launch. On April
25, National Rebuilding Day, they will give books to board members,
supporters and house captains saying, "This book is one of the
greatest thank you gifts to people who are volunteering.".
10 City Book Tour from April 17- May 3,
1998
in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C.
Dallas, Portland, San Francisco/Bay Area and San Diego
Our 10 city book tour is an unprecedented grassroots
campaign designed to engage millions of people in building healthier
communities. In each city, Stone Soup community heroes and their
organizations are creating one-day service projects that will have
long-lasting impact on their communities. A few examples include:
In Portland, Oregon the once first-grade (now 4th grade)
students who entered the winning recipe for Stone Soup in Newman’s
Own Recipe Contest-- along with 29,000 students from 42 schools -- will
organize a week of Stone Soup volunteer projects in their community. The
Oregon Cable Company is creating a working with Nickelodean to spotlight
the children on local and national news. A Stone Soup feast for
community leaders, students and teachers, sponsored by Godfather’s
Pizza and Bales Supermarket, will celebrate the spirit of volunteerism
in their community.
In Dallas, Texas, NationsBank is creating a
beautification project to celebrate the community spirit in Eban Gardens
and Queen City -- honoring those who helped rebuild this low-income
housing. The Dallas Community Development Center will report on its
socio-economic impact. NationsBank is launching their national employee
volunteer program with this celebration. Afro-centrist pop star, Eryka
Badu, who grew up in this neighborhhood will perform at a thank-you
luncheon event with the Brown Sugar Choir from John Henry Brown
Elementary School.
In Boston, City Year's spring camp for inner-city
children will be the anchor event. Young leaders and kids will join a
community arts project with Sidewalk Sam painting a mural of the Stone
Soup folktale on a prominent building. This colorful outside event will
be a wonderful backdrop for a variety of activities: Rock and Read
with people reading Stone Soup for the World stories and
musicians celebrating the spirit of service. Under discussion is a
week-long PSA campaign with a major television station, encouraging
people to sign up for volunteer opportunities in their communities.
In New York City, On April 17, Stone Soup community
heroes and storytellers will gather together in New York City's largest
bookstore for the world's largest booksigning. Actor Edward James
Olmos will read the Cesar Chavez story, Teach for America's KIPP students
will perform their hip-hop rendition of historic speeches and songs;
and the Mayor's Voluntary Action Council will sign people up for service
opportunities in the City. Discussions are underway to have Stone
Soup for the World posters in 20,000 subways and trains -- inviting
people to catch the Stone Soup spirit by doing one good deed a day.
Youth Engagement Strategy
• Stone Soup for the World is dedicated to
reaching the 10 million young people in America and engaging them in
building a better world. Our partners including Nickelodean’s Big
Help Week which will have their Big Help Van -- and the Nick News --
travel to a few cities where children are creating Stone Soup service
projects.
• The Stone Soup for the World theme song is
being created so that even young children can join in the campaign. By
singing along with other children’s voices, they will learn the
message and when they are older -- read the book and learn how to build
a better world.
• Our ongoing educational campaign and fulfillment
strategy includes a Stone Soup Website and effective on-line mechanism
to direct millions of young people and adults to service opportunities
in their community. A pilot program is being developed with young people
-- testing the website to make sure it is “user- friendly” for
other kids across the country.
•Proceeds from the book will go to the Stone Soup
Foundation to help support educational projects that encourage children
to help build a better world. In partnership with the Children’s
Village in Dobbs Ferry New York, the Foundation is creating a pilot
program for the Stone Soup for the World educational curriculum
for their severely troubled teenagers.
VIP/Celebrity participation
• In his introduction, General Colin Powell says
that Stone Soup for the World gives you 100 wonderful stories to
share with the children in your life. These heartwarming,
action-oriented stories will show them a different world -- real heroes
who had the courage to overcome obstacles in their lives and the
determination to work hard and build a better world. Young and old alike
will be inspired by the hundreds of ideas for how we can help our
children, our schools, our communities and our country to be the best we
can be.
• In the foreward Jack Canfield, co-author of the
bestsellling Chicken Soup for the Soul series wrote forStone
Soup for the World , he says that the book is the answer to the
often-asked question: “What’s next?” and “How can I
help?” He calls our book “ a handbook for
humanitarians, a beacon of light pointing the way on how to build a
better world.” We anticipate sales from many of those who’ve
bought one of Jack’s 20 million books.
• Marty Rogol, former executive director of USA for
Africa which produced national socially responsible media events like We
Are the World, has agreed to be the campaign manager for the book launch
for Stone Soup for the World. Marty will weave together the
wonderful grassroots activities and events that are being created in 40
communities and 10 major cities into a powerful message that effectively
engages the media and reaches out to millions of people across the
country.
• Celebrities and other dignitaries are being
invited to read their favorite Stone Soup for the World story at
the world’s largest booksigning. Edward James Olmos is the first of
many celebrities who will join in this exciting national event.
• Audiotapes of stories from Stone Soup for the
World will be simulataneously sold at bookstores across the country.
Dove Entertainment has a cross-promotional marketing strategy for the
book and audiotape -- with celebrities with market appeal reading the
stories.
• Stone Soup for the World will be
presented to recipients of the President’s Service Awards at the
White House. Winners of the USA WEEKEND Make a Difference Day Awards
will receive a book in appreciation for their efforts at their dinner
celebration with Paul Newman.
• Tom Chapin will perform his children’s song,
Stone Soup during our 10 city book tour.
• Wynton Marsalis is the first to contribute a sound
track for our Stone Soup CD collection.
• Endorsements for the book include: John Gray,
Eric Utne, Francis Moore Lappe, Robert Goodwin, Harlan Cleveland,
Joseph Jaworski and California State Senator John Vasconcellas.
Comprehensive Public Relations
Strategy
• Our nationally recognized publicity team has an
impressive track record for creating media campaigns for bestselling
books. With our 10 city tour and comprehensive national and local meida
plan, they expect to reach over 80 million people through the major
media markets of metropolitan districts of cities like Boston, New York,
Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco/Bay Area.
• Our publicity team launched the Stone Soup for
the World media campaign in January, 1998 --sending over 100
galleys of the book to top print, radio and TV representatives. To
encourage participation in the world’s largest booksigning, feature
articles will appear on Easter Sunday in USA Today
Weekender (reaching 20 million readers) and in national
magazines, major organizational newsletters and on websites. Media hooks
are now being created for national television shows and major talk show
hosts including Oprah.
Bestseller Book Strategy
• The book’s first printing (45,000 copies)
indicates the tremendous demand for the book. Pre-publication orders
from Barnes & Noble’s of 8,000, Price-Costco of 6,000 and
Target of 6,000 are the largest in Conari Press’ history. Target
Stores and others are positioning the book as a bestseller.
• Stone Soup for the World has been chosen
by three major Book of the Month Clubs: Book of the Month Club,
Quality Paperback and One Spirit Club.
• Thanks to support from NationsBank and Tom’s
of Maine, a sampler of stories from Stone Soup for the World
was created for all delegates to Presidents’ Summit for America’s
Future. These samplers have generated an outstanding response from
people across the country.
