Archive for the 'Homeless Youth' Category
Homeless Youth Book: Iowa Public Radio
Just before Christmas, Danny and I were interviewed by Jonathan Ahl on Iowa Public Radio’s national award-winning program, “The Exchange” along with others who help the Iowa homeless population. Those other guests included Ken Dohmen, Operations Manager of Central Iowa Shelter & Services; David Tucker, a client of Ken’s organization; Joe Stevens, the executive director of Joppa Outreach; and Ashley Jared, Assistant Communications Director at Iowa Finance Authority. It was really wonderful to be in the company of these people, and of course a thrill to get to talk about this important problem on a program with such a large audience. Have a listen below, or download the MP3 here.
Danny Heggen and Justin Norman interviewed on “The Exchange.”
No commentsHomeless Youth Book: Ames Tribune Article
The Ames Tribune reports on a recent Youth & Shelter Services event which featured Danny and a number of other people doing great work to help homeless youth. Dr. Tracy McIntire received special recognition for her work:
“Since coming to our community, she’s made a significant impact on the lives of many individuals,” Lester said. “Her professional commitment for testing and treating sexually transmitted diseases and preventing teen pregnancies deserves recognition,” Lester said. “It’s because of medical professionals such as Dr. McIntire that the Teen Clinic is making a positive difference in improving the health of Boone County teens.”
The full article can be found at the Ames Tribune site.
Photo courtesy of the Ames Tribune.
No commentsHomeless Youth Book: Times-Republican Article
“These are brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren who have stories…” The Times-Republican reported on Danny’s recent Youth & Shelter Services speaking event recently. Head over here to read the full article, or just stare at the photo below for the next hour. Either way, something incredible will happen, I assure you.
Photo courtesy of the Times-Republican.
No commentsHomeless Youth Book: The Question of a Second Print
Greetings, all!
We are now just a few books away from selling our first 1,000 copies of From a Growing Community, Iowa’s Homeless Youth in just the first five months of its release. Your response has been quite impressive, and this book certainly could not have done so well without your support of our efforts throughout. So first, thank you for that. We’re about to hit a milestone!
Now, however, we are wrestling with this question: shall we print another thousand books? While it might seem from the outset that the answer is “yes”, it is not quite so clear to us. Let us briefly explain why.
Selling the first 1,000 books has required us to treat the book as a full-time job, racking up nearly 2,800 volunteer hours. While this has been awesome for the shelters and homeless youth, it has become exhausting for the both of us, as neither of us have taken a penny of pay from the books.This, obviously, has been by choice, because we want to give more money to the shelters, to benefit the at-risk youth they loyally serve.
It was clear to us from the beginning that we would not be able to continuously live in this way because – unfortunately – we have to make some money to live. Thus, we are slowly working our way back into part time jobs to support ourselves, which means our attention for the book is being focused elsewhere.
As only a few copies of the first print sit in our possession, we are faced with a financial dilemma. We have a limited amount of money in our account, which leaves us with an “either or” decision: Either we spend the vast majority of it on a second print of books, or we give it all to the shelters now and close this project where it is. Sadly, we do not have enough money to both print more books and donate to the shelters, as our expenses were higher than we initially thought they would be.*
So we have started to ask ourselves: can we print a second round of this book? If so, how can we gain this energy from our community and how can it help this book become more sustainable than it currently is?
As we ask these questions, we are remembering that the success of this project has been greatly in part due to its grass roots foundation, and word about the book and about what is being done in our local shelters only spreads through all of our efforts.
So, we are calling for your input and help once again. Books are currently in books stores and coffee shops around Des Moines. Would you direct others who might be interested in this book to these stores? Books are also for sale on our website,www.SowSomethingMeaningful.com. But this is our most important proposition for you: if we can get 300 orders online by the new year, we will have $6,000, which is enough to print the next round of books!
If you want this project to continue, buy up some copies for Christmas presents! But, if we can’t get those 300 orders, don’t worry! We think this project has all been very worthwhile even if it stops at 1,000 books. Both awareness and funds have been raised thanks in great part to you, and we definitely appreciate it.
So we leave you with this: should we print a second round?
Sincere thanks,
Justin Norman and Danny Heggen
* Obviously, 1,000 books x $20 is $20,000. But when you factor in a couple hundred discounted pre-orders, promotional copies given away, poster printing costs, and checks from Borders that we have yet to receive, this is where our bank account lies. Though we have said in the past that we make 50 cents per copy, none of that has been withdrawn.
Homeless Youth Book: Iowa City Press-Citizen
Yet another article has been written about the book, this one by The Iowa City Press-Citizen. The article begins like this: “When Danny Heggen met Steph in a homeless shelter in Ames, she seemed like any other happy teenager — joking, playful and carefree. “Then you read a letter from her, and it’s, ‘How can this be, how can a 15-year-old girl go through this much and be where she is now?’” Heggen said.”
Click here to read the full article, and smack the “Recommended” button at the top of their site if you like it!
Homeless Youth Book: North Liberty Leader Article
Check out this article for a new book review, and have a happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here’s an excerpt from the beginning: “Nine lives, each unique. They are from isolated rural towns and thriving inner cities; some lived with two parents, some have only known foster parents, and some were single parents themselves, before they were of legal age. Some have suffered unthinkable abuse, while others only watched episodes of family violence as regular as the evening news. They have been straight-A students, drug addicts, thieves and scared little girls.
Nine stories – each unique. What brought them together are the commonalities they share: they are all Iowa’s children, and they have all been homeless, or nearly so, for much of their young lives. “
Article by Lori Linder.
No commentsHomeless Youth Book: WHO 1040 Interview
Last week, Danny and I were interviewed on WHO 1040 about homeless youth, and what other people can do to help as the holiday season draws near. Have a listen below, while also noting our cheese-tastic new press photo (it’s for the kids!).
Danny Heggen and Justin Norman interviewed by Steve Deace.
No commentsMake-Believe Machines & Homeless Youth: 106.3 Interview
Amidst all the book promotion, I got the opportunity to talk about Make-Believe Machines as well recently. I was interviewed on 106.3 FM in Des Moines, where I got to talk about various musical projects, and the homeless youth book, as well as play a few songs off Moral Calculus.
Justin Norman interviewed on 106.3 FM by Daniel Bosman.
1 commentHomeless Youth Book: Des Moines Register Article
The Des Moines Register published an article about homeless youth in the Sunday paper this week, titled “Who Cares That Teens Are Homeless in Iowa?” The article, written by longtime columnist Rekha Basu and illustrated by artist Mark Marturello, mentions that the motivation for asking this question were the stories in our book, From a Growing Community, Iowa’s Homeless Youth. The article takes a detailed look at some of the kids in our book, and can be found on the front page of the Opinion section or online at the Des Moines Register’s site. If you choose to read the online version, be sure to click the tiny “Recommended” link at the top of the article to help encourage others to read it too! There seems to be a bit of a feud going on in the comments section, so check that out as well if you’re into verbal bloodletting.
