On April 17, 1998 people joined together in over 35 communities to create the world's largest book signing. Over 100 community heroes, storytellers and those featured in the book, Stone Soup for the World along with celebrities and other dignitaries read their heartwarming stories, autographed books and signed people up for service opportunities in their community. We used this historic event to recruit volunteers and celebrate what’s working in America. Walking Shield volunteers created a colorful event with Native American dancers performing outside the Barnes& Noble bookstore in Costa Mesa. In Philadelphia, Mayor Rendell read a story and new recruits signed a huge stone for the Volunteer Center's traveling exhibit. The Barnes & Noble in Georgetown honored leaders of national organizations like Christmas in April and Stand for Children. Barrios Unidos organized a culturally diverse event at the Capitola BookCafe with dignitaries readings stories about Gandhi, Cesar Chavez and Nelson Mandela. Over 5,000 people received an invitation from EDS executive, Hulas King to attend the Left Bank booksigning event in St. Louis, MO. At the Pickwick Bookstore in Nyack, NY, the Mayor read Adagio in Sarajevo, college students attending the FORs non-violent training program served Stone Soup and the Volunteer Center recruited volunteers. Other Volunteer Centers in New York City, Billings, Denver, San Diego, Madison, Montgomery County, MD and Cincinnati used the event to kick of National Volunteer Week. Bookstores in Philadelphia, Portland, OR and Bethesda, MD donated some proceeds to charity.

The Stone Soup Education Campaign (April 18-May 24) featured community events during the 12 city book tour. The most moving event was held in commemoration of the 3rd anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Marianne met with children who lost their parents and gave them an autographed copy of the book. They wrote thank you cards and letters to Chris Gross, the young man who created a college scholarship fund for them. Other events included Nell Newman joining in a Stone Soup feast honoring students for giving back to their Beaverton, Oregon community. In Bethesda, Maryland, Returned Peace Corps volunteers and Americorps Alumni listened as Art Buchwald encouraged seniors to volunteer. Massachusetts Governor Cellucci and Boston Mayor Menino reaffirmed their commitment to kids in front of the Stone Soup mural created by Sidewalk Sam and City Year’s young people. TreePeople and Food From the 'Hood planted trees at Crenshaw High School in LA. In San Diego, Home Depot served a delicious Stone Soup feast prepared by Share Our Strength/Taste of the Nation chefs for St. Vincent de Paul Village’s volunteers. In San Francisco, Eleanor Roosevelt’s grandson, Michael read her story from She Kept Her Promises and Barrios Unidos’ youth performed inspiring Latino music. In Chicago, Bethel New Life, Working in the Schools and Rachel's Bus Company worked together with students, teachers and community leaders to spruce up the Tilton Elementary School. Rotarians in Hawaii purchased books for their adopted schools. In Dallas, the Brown Sugar Choir from the John Brown Elementary School sang the Stone Soup themesong at a NationsBank community revitalization project celebration.

Our themesong, A Better World was sung by children, produced at Gloria Estevan's studio, performed at Stone Soup events and played on radio stations across the country during the book tour. The themesong is part of the Stone Soup for the World CD collection with Wynton Marsalis and Jesse Colin Young as our first contributers. The Stone Soup for the World audiotapes are now at bookstores. Produced by Dove Entertainment, some of our stories are read by three leading actors: Susan Anspach, Ernie Hudson and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Thanks to Barrios Unidos' silkscreening business, we have Stone Soup for the World teeshirts, buttons, book marks and bags. Press we've received includes: major TV and radio shows in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Washington DC, Dallas, San Francisco, Portland, OR, San Diego and Kentucky, Florida, St. Louis, MO. Print: USA WEEKEND (Sunday insert in 350 newspapers), Atlanta Constitution (national syndicated article), The Oregonian, Cape Cod Times, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Martha's Vineyard Times, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Rockland Journal News (NY), River North News (Chicago). Reviews from Body, Mind, Spirit and Mode magazines; Publishers Weekly, Bookselling This Week; Benton Foundation website story:Kids Campaigners see www.soup4world.com

CITY	BOOKSTORE	PARTICIPANTS
EAST	^ TOP OF PAGE ^
New York City	Union Square Barnes & Noble  5:30 pm	Edward James Olmos, Cesar Chavez Story
		Jonathan Alter/Newsweek, "Working in the Schools"
		Allan Luks/Big Brothers/Big Sisters, "Baby Magic"
		Sharon Burde and Nina Klippel American Friends of Neve Shalom
		Steve Mariotti/NFTE, "From Street Kids to Wall Street."
		Peter Mann/World Hunger Organization, "Hunger Can't Wait!"
		Dave Levin/Teach for America "Read, Baby, Read",     KIPP students performing Stone Soup theme song..
		Trude Lash, "She Kept Her Promises" Eleanor Roosevelt"
		Harriette Heller, Mayor's Voluntary Action Center of New York
Roanoke, VA	Ram's Head Bookshop   7:00 pm	Cabel Brand, "We Can Do It"
Providence, RI	Border's, Cranston   7:00 pm	Marilyn Concepcion, "We Are Moving Forward"
		Matt Brown/City Year, storyteller, "We Are Moving Forward"
		Frankie Williams, Volunteer Center of Providence RI
Charlotte, NC	The Bookmark   12:00 pm	Jan Boylston/NationsBank, "Footprints in the Sand of Time"
Nyack, NY	Pickwick Book Shop   7:00 pm	Richard Deats/FOR, "Adagio in Sarajevo"
		Janet Anderson Volunteer Center of Rockland Co..
Newton, NJ	The Bookshelf   3:00 pm	Sandy Rocheleau/Ames Rubber Corp., "Jim's Big Secret"
		Sheila Richardson, storyteller, "Jim's Big Secret"
		Karen McGregor, Literacy Volunteers of America
Philadelphia, PA	Borders   7:30 pm	Joseph Rogers/SHARE, "Changing People's Minds"
	preview @ 2:00 pm	Judy Wicks/White Dog Cafe, "Table for Six Billion, Please"
		Susan Dundon/storyteller, "Table for Six Billion, Please"
		Cecilia Cummings, United Way of Southeastern Pennselvania
Brattleboro, VT	Everyone's Books   5:00 pm	Francis Moore Lappe/Center for Living Democracy, "From An Acorn To An Oak"
Martha's Vineyard	Bunch of Grapes   April 18, 2:00 pm	Susan Spence, Andrew Woordruff "The Great Martha's Vineyard Barn Rising"
		Rick Glasberg, Rick Anderson "The Great Martha's Vineyard Barn Rising"
Newburyport, MA	Jabberwocky Bookshop & Cafe	Skye Trimble, storyteller, "Christmas in April"
	April 17 @ 6:00 pm	Rick Godsey, executive director, Christmas in April
Chestnut Hill, MA	Borders   7:00 pm	Diane Saunders, storyteller, "A Man with a Past, Gives Back"
	Atrium Mall	William Morales, "A Man with a Past, Gives Back"
		Dick Russell, storyteller, "Hope for Los Chavalitos"
		Holly Sklar, storyteller, "Streets of Hope"
		Greg Watson, "Streets of Hope"
		Mercedes Tompkins/Oxfam-America, "Small Acts for Big Change"
		Alan Khazei/City Year, "Something Greater than Ourselves."
		Chris Gross/Oklahoma City Scholarship, "A Little Extra"
		Erica Stern/ Facing History and Ourselves, "Oskar Schindler"
		Bob Marra, storyteller, "Giving Kids A Fighting Chance"
Washington, DC	Barnes & Noble-Georgetown   7:30 pm	Wayne Silby/TheCalvert Fund, "Robin Hood of Wall Street"
		Jonah Edelman/Stand for Children, storyteller, "Stand for Children"
		Patty Johnson/Christmas in April
		Darell Hammond/KaBOOM!, "Ashley's Big Plans"
		Charles Dambach/ President of the National Peace Corps Association "Kennedy and the Peace Corps"
		Connie Todd, Foster Grandparents "Opening Hearts"
		Laura Brown, storyteller, "Waking Up To Coffee"
		Angela Collins/ Co-op America
WEST	^ TOP OF PAGE ^
Berkeley, CA	GAIA	Ray Gatchalian/Oakland Firefighter
		Patricia West, storyteller, "Oakland's Firefighting Peacemaker"
Walnut Creek, CA	Barnes & Noble   7:30 pm	Nathan Gray/Earthtrain, "Small Acts for Big Change, The Oxfam Fast"
Larkspur, CA	New Leaf   7:30 pm	Masanko Bandko, "Pathways to Peace"
Corte Madera, CA	Book Passage   5:30 pm	Ram Dass, Seva Foundation
		Anna Halperin, "The Healing on the Mountain"
		Suki Munsell, storyteller "The Healing on the Mountain"
		Laura Gates, storyteller "A Lesson in Giving"
		Melba Pattillo Beals, Young Acts of Courage
Sacramento, Ca	Tower Books   1:00 pm	Marc Grossman, storyteller, " By Giving Our Lives...We Find Life"
Costa Mesa, CA	Barnes & Noble   7:00 pm	Phil Stevens/Walking Shield
Omaha, NE	Barnes & Noble   7:00 pm	John Gatus and Eddie Staton, "Mad Dads, Caring Fathers"
		Larry Spears/Servant Leadership, "Serve First"
		Gamesena Moore, United Way of the Midlands
Salt Lake City, UT	Sam Weller's Bookstore   7:00 pm	Donald Gale/Bonneville International Corporation, "If You Don't Who Will?"
Portland, OR	Barnes & Noble, Beaverton   7:00 pm	Karen Clement/Beaverton Students, "Stone Soup Magic"
Billings, MT	Thomas Books   12:00 pm	Tammie Schnitzer, "Shine On In Montana"
		Pam Sanderson United Way of Yellowsotne
San Diego, CA	Barnes & Noble	Father Joe/St. Vincent De Paul
	Hazard Center   7:30 pm	Dennis Morgigno, storyteller, "Father Joe"
		Elizabeth Shier/United Way of San Diego
Los Angeles, CA	Barnes & Noble, Santa Monica   7:30 pm	Tammy Bird/Crenshaw High Students, "Food from the 'Hood"
		Gil Espinoza, "A Messenger of Hope"
		Andy Lipkis, "Tree People"
		Kim Constantino/Shoah Foundation, "Oskar Schindler"
Englewood, CO	Borders   April 18 @ 1:00 pm	Fernando Cuvillas, Olmos Productions
		Jo Clare Hartsig, storytyeller, "The Forgiveness Party"
		Matt Malone, storyteller, "From Street Kids to Wall Street"
Santa Cruz, CA	Capitola Book Cafe	Joy Criminger, Denver Metro Volunteers
		Nane Alejandrez, "Viva Barrios Unidos"
		Peggy Townsend, storyteller, "Viva Barrios Unidos"
Santa Barbara, CA	Earthling   7:00 pm	Jack Canfield, Foreword for, Stone Soup for the World
SOUTH	^ TOP OF PAGE ^
Dallas, TX	Borders	Jack Lowe/CEO, TDIndustries, "
	Greenville Avenue    12:00 pm	Ronnie Fields/recipient of Oklahoma City scholarship
		Dr. Martin Lazar/Medisend, "Turning Leftovers into Lifesavers"
		Elenia Haggni, "From an Acorn to an Oak"
St. Louis, MO	Left Bank Books   7:00 pm	Hulas King/EDS Unagraphics, "Project Hope"
Tampa, FL	Barnes & Noble   7:00 pm	David Levitt, "The Power of an Idea"
		Terry Mollner/Trusteeship Institute, "The Robin Hood From Wall Street"
San Antonio, TX	Barnes & Noble   12:00 pm	Andrew Carroll/American Poetry & Literacy Project, "A Better Christmas"
Atlanta, GA	Chapter 11   7:00 pm	Rosalind Barnes, storyteller, "Fullfilling Martin's Dream"
		Atlanta Community Food Bank
Orlando, FL	Barnes & Noble   7:00 pm	Jennifer Pooley,storyteller, "Read Baby Read"
		Nicole & Leah Larned andSimon Burhoe, "Caring for Our Families"
		Tom Larned, dedication to Stone Soup for the World
Metaine, LA	Barnes & Noble   1:00 pm	Isis Johnson, "God Didn't Mean for Them to be Hungry"
MID WEST	^ TOP OF PAGE ^
Chicago, IL	Transitions   7:00 pm	Joanne Alter, "Working in the Schools"
		Ladell Johnson, Rachel's Bus Company, "Giving Them A Chance"
		Rachel Hubka, storyteller, "Giving Them a Chance"
		Mary Nelson/Bethel New Life, "It Will Take a Miracle"
		Pat Broughton, storyteller, "It Will Take A Miracle"
Montrose, OH	Borders   7:00 pm	Joe Rodriguez, Genrad Corporation, "Our Touchstone"
Cinncinatti, OH	Joseph Beth   7:00 pm	Lucy Crane, United Way Volunteer Resource Center
		Elisa Sonnenberg, Urban Appalachian League "Papa To His People"
Madison, WI	University of Wisconsin Bookstore   7:00 pm	Ada Deer, "Democracy in Action"
		Mel Morgan Besser, U. of Wisconsin, Madison
		Kathy Martinson United Way of Dane County