Hi everyone,

We just wanted to send you a last update before our final funding deadline tomorrow, and thank you again for your amazing support.

First, some good news -- Charlie was approved for parole last week! He will be released on April 1, 2011 and will be looking for employment in the Akron area, if anyone has any leads for him. He is considering entering a program for barber school.

Richard traveled to California this week, looking into college programs to further his education and career options. He continues to look forward.

Donovan is still working to support his family in the Akron area. We are hoping to find a lawyer to review Frankie's case, and offer an opinion.

Meanwhile, John is about to embark on a series of interviews to provide some context for the film, and Bruno is interviewing editors.

For those of you who selected rewards for your support, We will be contacting you shortly to arrange for delivery.

We urge everyone to continue to follow our progress:

Visit our Facebook page and click the LIKE button:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooler-Bandits/116257248387117

Bookmark our website, and check back for updates:
http://coolerbandits.com

You'll be hearing from us soon!

Best wishes for a happy new year for all,

John Lucas
Bruno Navasky

Hello friends:

We're excited to report that that we have reached our funding goal of $15,000, with 18 days to spare!

We want to thank everyone who wrote a check, posted a link, passed a note or spread the word in any way. We are overwhelmed with gratitude.

When John started this film, he worked alone most of the time. Now he feels like he's a part of something much larger, a collective experience. Your tremendous support and words of encouragement have solidified our determination to make this film an important part of the dialog on justice in America.

What next? John is flying back to Akron for Charlie's parole hearing, then off around the country talking to witnesses and others to try to give this story some context. Meanwhile, Bruno will be looking to hire an editor. And Charlie, Donovan, Frankie, and Richard will be living their lives, trying to make the best of things, as are we all.

Bruno wants to remind everyone that although we've achieved something really remarkable, you can still share the link with friends and colleagues -- it's unbelievably expensive to make a film, especially a good one. The current funds will allow us to hire an editor, but John still has travel expenses, film to buy, and lots more. Every little bit helps:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bnavasky/the-cooler-bandits

We'll be in touch once or twice more over the next two weeks until the completion of the project, and then those of you who have selected rewards will hear from us to arrange for you to receive them, and we will let all of you know how to keep in touch, if you wish to do so.

Thanks again for your support!

Best wishes,

John Lucas, Director
Bruno Navasky, Producer

PS. We are going to leave you with a couple of images from John's last trip to Ohio, from Richard's welcome home party. Here's to looking forward.

Greetings Everyone,

I’m just back from filming in Ohio. It was a busy two weeks -- I talked with one of the victims of the robberies, and then spoke with Frankie about that interview. I also saw Charlie at Richland Correctional, and visited Richard at the halfway house -- and at his new workplace, repairing truck tires. I attended a surprise party for him that had been in the works for months and I have some great footage of that. Sadly, the joy of the event was tempered by the murder of his first cousin, Tony.

I’m flying to Tempe, Arizona tomorrow to film another robbery victim, who is performing at The Battle of the Bands. In the meantime, here are some stills from the Akron trip.

We are now just past 75% of our goal with fewer than four weeks remaining. Pass the word on, please!

Thanks again for your support,
John

Hi Everyone --

I wanted to let you know that we passed the two-thirds mark today on Kickstarter! We are only $5,000 from our goal, and it's entirely thanks to you.

John is back in Ohio, filming. He visited Frankie in prison today -- we're adding a new clip on Kickstarter, with some extra footage. He has also tracked down a couple of the victims of the crimes (one is now in a heavy metal band. After viewing our clips he volunteered a couple of songs for our soundtrack). Finally, John is looking forward to filming Richard's transition out of the halfway house this week.

I can't begin to tell you how much respect I have for John, for his committment to this work, and his sense of how essential it is that stories like these get told. I'm so happy that you share that with me.

Now, a reminder:

If you haven't shared the Kickstarter link with your list, please do that now, before you forget:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bnavasky/the-cooler-bandits

We're in the home stretch. We've talked to all our friends, now we're counting on you to tell all of your friends. Email, Tweet, or talk -- just do whatever you can pass the word along!

Thanks again,
Bruno