December 22, 2009

Dear Storycorps Alumni,

Though 2009 has been a tough year financially for everyone, StoryCorps Alums like you continue to support us in ever increasing numbers. Thank you for always inspiring us to record, share, and preserve your stories!

Gifts from Alumni have really made a difference this past year. With your support, StoryCorps launched StoryCorps Historias , opened an additional StoryBooth in Atlanta , and celebrated another successful National Day of Listening .

If you haven't already sent in your gift, please join me by giving a 100% tax-deductible donation . With your help, we'll be able to create a nation of listeners in 2010!

Warmly,

Christa Orth
Alumni Coordinator
646-723-7020 x77
alumni@storycorps.org

Thank You, Maxell
Alumni Give Back
National Day of Listening Success
Listen to Stories

Thank you, Maxell

StoryCorps is grateful to team up with Maxell to help families record precious life stories. To date, StoryCorps has used Maxell media to collect more than 10,000 interviews, and send Alumni home with broadcast-quality audio memories.

"As an industry leader, Maxell is honored that our CD-R and DVD-R media are capturing memories that will be preserved and celebrated by families for generations," said Patricia Byrne, Senior Marketing Manager for Maxell. "As the official media of the StoryCorps project, Maxell provides high-quality products that ensure that these treasured interviews are recorded and archived for many years."

Maxell, the Official CD of StoryCorps

"Maxell's contributions are extremely important to the work StoryCorps conducts on a daily basis," said Viviana Bianchi, Foundation and Corporate Relations Manager for StoryCorps. "We truly believe that we should each have the opportunity to tell and archive our stories, as each of us has something important to say. Maxell media is critical to StoryCorps recording and saving these vital details."

Thank you, Maxell, for allowing thousands of StoryCorps Alumni to take home copies of their interviews, and to have their voices archived for generations!

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Alumni Give Back!

Alumni make a huge difference through their contributions to StoryCorps. Here are some of the heartfelt comments we have received recently from Alumni donors:

I love you guys. I think what you do is unparalleled. I am on my 4th interview coming up, and they all blow me away. Thank you for doing what you do.

-Sharon Delevie, with her friend Elliott Malki, Hastings on Hudson, NY

I enjoyed my Door-to-Door interview experience facilitated by Matt Herman. Yay, StoryCorps!

-StoryCorps staff member Alissa Pelc (L) with her boss and friend, Sharyanne McSwain, Brooklyn, NY

Every week I consistently laugh, I cry, and I feel. Keep up the extraordinary stories from extraordinary people!

-Michael Bruns, with his friend Daniel Sucato, Cromwell, CT

We are grateful to all our Alumni and donors! If you haven't donated already, we hope you will join them in donating to help StoryCorps create a nation of listeners. All donations to StoryCorps are 100% tax deductible. Make a secure online donation or mail in a contribution today.

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National Day of Listening Success
by Laura Perry, Development Intern

The second annual National Day of Listening was a wonderful success thanks to the support and participation of StoryCorps Alums and families across the nation!

Thousands of people pledged to participate, downloaded our free Do-It-Yourself Guide and Toolkits , and interviewed loved ones, friends, and community members and shared those recordings with others. BBC, Good Morning America, and NPR aired stories about the day’s events.

In New York City, StoryCorps partnered with the New York Public Library to host a listening event on the National Day of Listening. The New York Public Library invited six artists from their Art & Picture Collection to the StoryBooth in Lower Manhattan to tell their stories of how art changed their lives. During the listening event, these artists talked about their StoryCorps experiences, and StoryCorps staff gave tips about how to record and document your own story. Thanks to all our New York area Alums who joined us!

Artists at the New York Public Library

Five scouts from Brownie Troop 565 from Newnan, Georgia, visited StoryCorps Atlanta to learn about the National Day of Listening. Angelina, Annalie, Ava, Carly, and Chloe, ages seven and eight, listened to StoryCorps stories and decided who they'd like to interview for the National Day of Listening. One scout, Angelina, said, "We really learned to listen to each other." By interviewing a family member for the National Day of Listening, the scouts earned a "Her Story" patch.

Girl Scouts visit StoryCorps Atlanta

Thank you to all our Alums who participated in the National Day of Listening! To continue the conversation, post your experience to the Wall of Listening and explore how others took part.

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Listen to Stories

"People will make fun of her in school..."

Debbie Watterson talks with her 10-year-old son, Mitchel, about being an older brother to his sister, Bridget, who is deaf.

Listen...

"I just know this is what I was destined to do."

Sam Reed, a mortician and the caretaker of Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery, talks about how his interest in the funeral business started at a young age.

Listen...

"I knew the top ten on the radio and I could do my nails, but I didn't even know how to cook."

Lucille Mascareñas tells her son, Victor, about what happened when she moved from the city to work on her husband's family farm.

Listen...

"They had one or two cans of this cranberry stuff..."

Adolph Carranza remembers an unusual holiday donation from the Salvation Army.

Listen...

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Sponsors and Partners

Major funding for StoryCorps is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

CPB

StoryCorps is also made possible by generous support from The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation, The Kaplen Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Joe & Carol Reich.

StoryCorps gratefully acknowledges Maxell, the Official CD of StoryCorps.

StoryCorps is proud to partner with NPR and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

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Make a secure online donation or mail your check to: StoryCorps
80 Hanson Pl. 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217

For more information about donating to StoryCorps, please feel free to contact me.

Give your loved ones the promise of an interview this holiday season! Download a free StoryCorps certificate and include it with your gift of Listening Is an Act of Love.

Question of the Month

We have a feature on our website that helps you start a new conversation with your friends, family, and loved ones by simply asking a question. Each month we suggest a question for you to email to your friends and family.

This month's question is:
What are you most
proud of?

It's simple: Send an email. Ask a question. Listen to what comes back. We'd love to hear what happens!

MobileBooth Dates

Upcoming stops

Jan. 7 – Jan. 30, 2010
Yuma, AZ

Jan. 7 – Jan. 30, 2010
Miami, FL
(Historias Stop)

Feb. 11 – Mar. 13, 2010
Pensacola, FL

Feb. 11 – Mar. 20, 2010
Los Angeles, CA
(Historias Stop)

Mar. 18 – Apr. 17, 2010
New Orleans, LA

Mar. 25 – Apr. 17, 2010
Fresno, CA
(Historias Stop)

Apr. 22 – May 15, 2010
Reno, NV

Apr. 22 – May 15, 2010
Dayton, OH

Make a reservation for another interview at one of our MobileBooths above. Or consider a visit to our New York City, San Francisco, or Atlanta StoryBooths.

Join Us Online

Friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated on the latest StoryCorps news and events, and to post your own comments.

Get Our Free Podcast!

Don't miss a single story! Download our free weekly podcast. It's a simple click of a button. Click here to find out how!

Talk Back!

As we all know, a conversation takes two—or more! So, let us know what you're thinking and what you'd like to hear about. Or, if you have an experience to share, please send your story our way!

Visit the StoryCorps Alumni Community online at storycorps.org/alumni

StoryCorps Alumni Coordinator
646-723-7020 x77

StoryCorps
80 Hanson Place, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217

storycorps.org

Founded in 2003, StoryCorps is a non-profit oral history project
which has recorded conversations between 50,000 everyday Americans
and archived them at the Library of Congress.
Our mission is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening.
storycorps.org