Another 70 to the pile

I was awed to be able to add 70 new picks to the collection yesterday. The techs for Kid Rock were great and donated a total of 14 picks. A few fellow stagehands gave ten more and a friend of one of my family members who is known simply as "Tucci" sent me 46 picks that arrived in the mail yesterday. I will scan and post some of these as soon as I have a chance (Saturday is looking good...

Thanks for checking in and keep the donations flowing.

- Chris

A little ahead of myself

Well, I posted earlier updated totals taking into account last night's Velvet Revolver show donations. Lo and Behold! This afternoon, I went to my mailbox and no less than three separate envelopes arrived with a combined total of 64 additional picks. I have reached out to my pick-collecting network of friends and the response has been great. The unselfishness exhibited has been truly touching.

In fact, Ian Grushka - Bass player from the band New Found Glory - has been generous enough to donate 48 picks of his own and from his band mates. Each one I received is different and they are all pretty cool. Some are downright hilarious. Below are scans of just a sample of what Ian sent.

Also, I received donations from Carson and Sue from Michigan as well as Mike in Illinois. People who have opened their collections unselfishly and donated to the fundraiser. I want to express a special thank you to these three individual donors specifically because I have never met them face-to-face. They responded to the request of a virtual stranger and understood that the cause I am supporting is a worthy one deserving of their time and consideration. Thank you to Carson, Sue, Mike and Ian for setting precedent and hopefully raising the bar to motivate additional donations from other people across the country and around the world.

Overwhelming (in a good way)

I've got to say that the generosity exhibited so far for this fundraiser has exceeded my expectations. To date I have collected nearly 350 picks and have over $250 in pledges (not including incentives for reaching certain goals) - setting a pace for nearly 4,000 picks and $2,700 by the end of the drive. This is now my benchmark. I will be disappointed if I collect anything less.

Of course, it is depending on the word-of mouth I have started and that which anyone involved is keeping going. I am going to try in the next week or so reach out to some local media and get some broader exposure in order to amplify the pledges and donations. However, I am still counting on you - gentile reader - to spread the word. All the cool people are doing it. You want to be cool, too, don't you?

Speaking of cool, I worked the Velvet Revolver show last night and the guitar techs were tremendously generous with donating picks. I would like to thank them again for their help with the fundraiser. Below is a scan of some of the picks they gave...


Keep 'em coming and keep reading.

Thank you to everyone past, present and future who is getting involved in this cause.

- Chris

Some of what has been donated so far

Latest donation info (1/12/08)

Last night I was given 25 picks each from some stagehand friends of mone, Craig Crosby and Mike Bootzin. Mike had almost all different picks including a few I hope can bring in some bucks for the Hospital at auction. Craig gave multiple picks, with many more to come I am told. Either way, it is an additional 50 picks to add to the tally and every time that number goes higher, more money will be going to Children's Hospital.

The interest expressed by the people who have been made aware of this effort has been nothing short of incredible. Support, donations and pledges are all coming in at a good pace, and as word gets out, I expect more. My next move is to try and get some media exposure for the program and use it to grenerate even more donations.

If you know anyone who may be interested in helping, donating or pledging, please do not hesitate to link them to the webpage or this blog. All donations and support is greatly appreciated.

Here is a scan of some of the picks I have collected to date. As things roll on, I will highlight some of the more interesting ones in the collection. Keep checking in!

The pledges start to roll in.

This afternoon, I began my requests for pledges. What a response! Literally, within minutes I got my first pledge. Soon thereafter, I got more. I got responses from people I do not even know within hours of my initial e-mail. The power of e-mail networking is truly amazing!

Thank you to those of you who have either responded, pledged, checked out the webpage or blog. If we can keep this moving at this rate, I see nothing but a great outcome for this project.

On another note, I am also putting my collection where my mouth is. Aside from running the fundraiser, I have donated 137 picks from my personal collection. I challenge anyone else who is a collector to break this mark. Again, I am not necessarily looking for picks that are of great monetary value. I am going for sheer volume. Duplicates are happily accepted. If you have thirty of the exact same pick, they count as thirty, not one. Because people are starting to back up my big-talk with money, I want to give them a reason to be as excited about this drive as I am.

Anyone who donates more picks than I did will not only be recognized prominently on the webpage and Blog, but will be given a very special gift (I am still working on the details, but trust me, you will not be disappointed). As of now, let's keep it as a informal challenge to see who can / will donate the most. If I can work up a special prize for the top donor, I will make an announcement.

Keep the pledges and donations coming in. I will be posting scans soon of some of the more unique picks donated as well as photos of the entire collection as it grows.

Thank you all or all you have, are and will be doing.

Chris

Off to a great start

I officially kicked off the pick drive last night at a Goo Goo Dolls show. The guitar techs were great and very understanding. For four guys, they donated 21 picks! That is what I am looking for - volume! The more I collect, the more is donated to the Children's Hospital. Thank you very much for checking in. As soon as I have more to report, I will get it posted!

Chris