The Lone Ranger

January 7, 2012

I was talking to a friend last night who has been following Save a Baby. I asked him if he would help me financially. He told me he had to be conservative because, "You know, these are tough times." 

Then I mentioned the IndieGoGo campaign (A Day in the Life of a FASD Child -- IndieGoGo). Where he could donate as little as $5. Even a small contribution would help. If for no other reason, I'll quit feeling like the Lone Ranger. I see that 250 people have visited the IndieGoGo campaign and one chose to help. 

He also asked me what the money would be used for. I explained how expensive making a movie is. Lots of travel expenses and the crew has to be paid. Often we have to pay for licenses for stock footage and sometimes we have to pay to use locations. (When I filmed at Southern Oregon University, I believe we had to pay $500 to use the board room for a day.) Then there are materials like the video tape. If we want it to be really compelling, we need to buy music. If we don't do this right, no television station will run it because they could be sued.  Back in the day when I had my own production company, I had people on staff and a steady cash flow and I was able to pay as I went along.  Now I can't do it alone. 

It's important to note: whether you help or not won't change the outcome of me doing this program. It'll just change the timeline. I'm committed to do this project. The difference you can help determine is when it will be finished. If I have to fund it entirely by myself, it will take a lot longer. Knowing between 40,000 and 100,000 babies are born with FASD each year, waiting just means more unfulfilled dreams. 

I've been a witness to the damage drugs and alcohol do to the human condition. I've lost good friends to overdoses, I've lost a son to a drunk driver and believe it or not, and I've even lost more than that to drugs and alcohol. Nothing I do will ever get any of that back but I will always know in my heart I did something about it. You can too.

If you log onto IndieGoGo and donate even $5, IndieGoGo may feature our project and help promote it. If they do that then we could get this done even sooner. If you donate anything, you can call it "our" project. You can own it. Until you do, it belongs to the people who contribute and me. Please join me. Thanks for your support and kind wishes.  Tom