HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Julie Cook
2006.05
It's another birthday for the world's favorite lead singer, Bono. This year, he's also one of TIME magazine's People of the Year and a Nobel Prize nominee. He's an extraordinary (Bono's favorite word) man who means something different to everyone. Pick your favorite phrase:
Mover and shaker
Ubersexual
Renaissance man
Irish drinking buddy (what is his favorite whiskey, anyway?)
Grandiose policy wonk
Man who never sleeps
Human(itarian)
Higher than the sky We know Bono's in no danger of lacking an ego (he admits to it, "megalomania started at a very early age") but for those of us who've met him, he seems as normal and average as any one of us. Perhaps that's part of his appeal, 50 percent untouchable rock star, 50 percent guy next door. But where does the superman factor fit in?
Not your average rock star Bono has that rare ability to communicate effectively with so many people on a multitude of levels. It's an (here we go again) extraordinary gift. The only other famous person that immediately comes to mind who possesses that same gift is former President Bill Clinton. And when you have a gift like that, you have to use its full capacity. I often wonder if Bono recognized this early on and that's why he has used the currency of his celebrity carefully and only when needed.
A man melts the sand so he can see the world outside These days, Bono's May 10th birthday has become something of an event in the U2 fan world. In 2002, he was one of the subjects of an MTV "Diary" episode that followed him and former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill to four countries in Africa. Most of you reading this have probably seen it, it was great television. Somehow a few of us found each other in cyberspace, all profoundly affected by the stupidity of some of the things we saw on that show. After we met "Mabel" and TASO and then watched Bono doing his own African dance steps, we knew something had to be done. Could we make a difference?
The end is not as fun as the start We were all floundering around on the internet somewhere wanting to do something more. We thought, OK, let's see if we can raise enough money to build a well. The MTV "Diary" show had highlighted the story of a well being built in Uganda for around $1,000. That's a feasible goal, let's go for it. And so the The African Well Fund was born.
We set out to form a partnership with an established non-governmental organization (NGO). We needed to partner with an organization that had a credible history, its feet on the ground in Africa and a solid infrastructure, yet was intimate enough that we could personalize our efforts. After several weeks of research and communicating via a Yahoo group, an agreement was drawn up. Now we just had to get the fans on board to make this happen.
Someone had the idea that we should do something centered around Bono's birthday. The first fundraiser in 2003 was totally by the seat of our pants. In all honesty, the second one was, too. We had only a handful of people coordinating it and the bigger it got, the more there was to do. Still, the first year AWF raised $10,000. The second year we raised $15,700. Last year, with Vertigo in full swing, was a banner year with almost $30,000 raised. We're currently awaiting a fundraising total for this year's fundraiser that ran from March 22nd to May 6th.
Won't you tell me something true, I believe in you About a year ago, a few of us were in Boston for the Vertigo concert. Bono was appearing at a book signing nearby. A few of our board members lined up with a group of other lucky fans with T-shirts that plastered the lyric "Where You Live Should Not Decide" (AWF's limited-edition t-shirts to coincide with the Vertigo Tour). The meeting with him was short (bookstore employees trying to hurry them out) but Bono took time to talk with each of them (one got a kiss on the hand). He was both aware and appreciative of the birthday fundraiser and was sincerely humbled by the effort of U2 fans in general.
The big idea This year's Bono birthday fundraiser continued just as before. We racked our brains to come up with something new and different. We ran a design contest that resulted in an awesome T-shirt design that has been selling on CafePress.com to benefit the fundraiser. Then, divine intervention fell into our lap. A U2 fan named Phil came to us with a brilliant idea—an auction featuring pictures from one or two well-known fan photographers to benefit the Bono birthday fundraiser. That one or two turned into seven or eight photographers and over 90 prints. Before we knew it, there was a full-fledged online eBay fundraiser in our midst. "Photos 4: BBW4," which ran from April 17th to April 24th, raised $11,000.
Happy birthday, Bono.
What else is happening in 2006 for AWF? In years past, Zimbabwe had improved its access to clean water to almost 82 percent and sanitation to 57 percent. However, a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) report in 2003 advised that recent environmental disasters, such as cyclones and drought, coupled with internal migration caused by the country's fast-track land reform program, had eroded progress made in the extension of these basic services. As a result, thousands of people in rural areas were left without access to safe water and sanitation, leaving them open to epidemics of cholera and diarrhea, in addition to skin and eye infections.
Zimbabwe will be the fourth country that AWF has assisted in building water projects (previous projects have helped communities in Uganda, Ethiopia and Angola). U2 fans and other donors have raised enough funds for over 40 clean water projects, including hand-dug wells and protected springs. This year, we're focusing not only on clean drinking water but improving sanitation as well. Look forward to AWF's complete report on how this new project is going to improve many aspects of people's lives, not just clean drinking water.
Julie Cook is a member of The African Well Fund, a registered non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded by a group of U2 fans in 2002. AWF has held four campaigns to build a well for Bono's birthday and has raised over $150,000 since its inception. AWF believes that access to safe consumable water isn't merely a basic human need but a basic human right.
Donations to AWF are used by its partner Africare, a leading private, non-profit charitable U.S. organization assisting Africa, for their clean water projects in Africa.
2006.05
It's another birthday for the world's favorite lead singer, Bono. This year, he's also one of TIME magazine's People of the Year and a Nobel Prize nominee. He's an extraordinary (Bono's favorite word) man who means something different to everyone. Pick your favorite phrase:
Mover and shaker
Ubersexual
Renaissance man
Irish drinking buddy (what is his favorite whiskey, anyway?)
Grandiose policy wonk
Man who never sleeps
Human(itarian)
Higher than the sky We know Bono's in no danger of lacking an ego (he admits to it, "megalomania started at a very early age") but for those of us who've met him, he seems as normal and average as any one of us. Perhaps that's part of his appeal, 50 percent untouchable rock star, 50 percent guy next door. But where does the superman factor fit in?
Not your average rock star Bono has that rare ability to communicate effectively with so many people on a multitude of levels. It's an (here we go again) extraordinary gift. The only other famous person that immediately comes to mind who possesses that same gift is former President Bill Clinton. And when you have a gift like that, you have to use its full capacity. I often wonder if Bono recognized this early on and that's why he has used the currency of his celebrity carefully and only when needed.
A man melts the sand so he can see the world outside These days, Bono's May 10th birthday has become something of an event in the U2 fan world. In 2002, he was one of the subjects of an MTV "Diary" episode that followed him and former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill to four countries in Africa. Most of you reading this have probably seen it, it was great television. Somehow a few of us found each other in cyberspace, all profoundly affected by the stupidity of some of the things we saw on that show. After we met "Mabel" and TASO and then watched Bono doing his own African dance steps, we knew something had to be done. Could we make a difference?
The end is not as fun as the start We were all floundering around on the internet somewhere wanting to do something more. We thought, OK, let's see if we can raise enough money to build a well. The MTV "Diary" show had highlighted the story of a well being built in Uganda for around $1,000. That's a feasible goal, let's go for it. And so the The African Well Fund was born.
We set out to form a partnership with an established non-governmental organization (NGO). We needed to partner with an organization that had a credible history, its feet on the ground in Africa and a solid infrastructure, yet was intimate enough that we could personalize our efforts. After several weeks of research and communicating via a Yahoo group, an agreement was drawn up. Now we just had to get the fans on board to make this happen.
Someone had the idea that we should do something centered around Bono's birthday. The first fundraiser in 2003 was totally by the seat of our pants. In all honesty, the second one was, too. We had only a handful of people coordinating it and the bigger it got, the more there was to do. Still, the first year AWF raised $10,000. The second year we raised $15,700. Last year, with Vertigo in full swing, was a banner year with almost $30,000 raised. We're currently awaiting a fundraising total for this year's fundraiser that ran from March 22nd to May 6th.
Won't you tell me something true, I believe in you About a year ago, a few of us were in Boston for the Vertigo concert. Bono was appearing at a book signing nearby. A few of our board members lined up with a group of other lucky fans with T-shirts that plastered the lyric "Where You Live Should Not Decide" (AWF's limited-edition t-shirts to coincide with the Vertigo Tour). The meeting with him was short (bookstore employees trying to hurry them out) but Bono took time to talk with each of them (one got a kiss on the hand). He was both aware and appreciative of the birthday fundraiser and was sincerely humbled by the effort of U2 fans in general.
The big idea This year's Bono birthday fundraiser continued just as before. We racked our brains to come up with something new and different. We ran a design contest that resulted in an awesome T-shirt design that has been selling on CafePress.com to benefit the fundraiser. Then, divine intervention fell into our lap. A U2 fan named Phil came to us with a brilliant idea—an auction featuring pictures from one or two well-known fan photographers to benefit the Bono birthday fundraiser. That one or two turned into seven or eight photographers and over 90 prints. Before we knew it, there was a full-fledged online eBay fundraiser in our midst. "Photos 4: BBW4," which ran from April 17th to April 24th, raised $11,000.
Happy birthday, Bono.
What else is happening in 2006 for AWF? In years past, Zimbabwe had improved its access to clean water to almost 82 percent and sanitation to 57 percent. However, a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) report in 2003 advised that recent environmental disasters, such as cyclones and drought, coupled with internal migration caused by the country's fast-track land reform program, had eroded progress made in the extension of these basic services. As a result, thousands of people in rural areas were left without access to safe water and sanitation, leaving them open to epidemics of cholera and diarrhea, in addition to skin and eye infections.
Zimbabwe will be the fourth country that AWF has assisted in building water projects (previous projects have helped communities in Uganda, Ethiopia and Angola). U2 fans and other donors have raised enough funds for over 40 clean water projects, including hand-dug wells and protected springs. This year, we're focusing not only on clean drinking water but improving sanitation as well. Look forward to AWF's complete report on how this new project is going to improve many aspects of people's lives, not just clean drinking water.
Julie Cook is a member of The African Well Fund, a registered non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded by a group of U2 fans in 2002. AWF has held four campaigns to build a well for Bono's birthday and has raised over $150,000 since its inception. AWF believes that access to safe consumable water isn't merely a basic human need but a basic human right.
Donations to AWF are used by its partner Africare, a leading private, non-profit charitable U.S. organization assisting Africa, for their clean water projects in Africa.
