About this project
From January 8th to January 20th, 2011, a motivated group of eight runners will run 240 miles across the Yirgacheffe region of southern Ethiopia with an aim of raising $100,000 to build three schools in a particularly poor, rural region. The birthplace of coffee.
We have been invited to come along on the trip as part of a cultural/musical exchange initiative where we will be actively interacting with communities along the journey, sharing music and writing an album on the expedition. When we come back to Michigan, we will produce and distribute the album, which will raise additional awareness and funds. Half of the profits from the album will go to On the Ground for as long as the album is sold. But first we need to raise the money to go to Ethiopia and create the album!
Run Across Ethiopia is a project of On the Ground, the non-profit arm of Michigan-based fair trade company Higher Grounds. Higher Grounds imports fair trade goods (mostly organic coffee) from partners globally and locally. On The Ground works directly with those partner communities around the globe helping them gain sustainable access to fresh water, education, and quality healthcare.
There is a serious infrastructure behind the Run Across Ethiopia. Good people. Hard work. Quite a strategic game plan. A dedicated, bold, action-oriented group of folks. We are honored and excited to be a part of it! And for you to be a part of it too, if you can! Thanks!
FAQ
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173
Backers
$10,500
pledged of $10,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on December 14, 2010.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
You get a copy of the album sent to you when it's finished!
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
You get a signed copy of the album sent to you when it's finished!
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
You get a signed copy of the album sent to you in advance. (before official release date!)
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
You a signed copy of the album sent to you in advance and 10 extremely rare unreleased tracks from Seth and May's home recordings archive.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
You get limited edition field recordings and unreleased tracks, a piece of original artwork by Seth or May and a signed copy of the album sent to you in advance!
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
You get credited as a sponsor of a song on the album, limited edition field recordings and unreleased tracks, a piece of original artwork by Seth or May and a signed copy of the album sent to you in advance!
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
You get credited as an underwriter of the album, a concert by Seth and May in your home (limited to people living within 300 miles of Lake City, MI), credited as a sponsor of a song on the album, limited edition field recordings and unreleased tracks, a piece of original artwork by Seth or May and a signed copy of the album sent to you in advance!
Project By
Connected as Samuel Seth Bernard (4750 friends)
Seth and May Bernard are not your average married couple. Together they form the immensely talented and popular songwriting duo known as Seth & May. Seth and May utilize their musical abilities to write and perform songs that are not only enjoyable to listen to, but convey positive and inspiring messages. They are a Michigan musical sensation, and have amassed a loyal following around the state. But their influence is not contained simply in the mitten; they have spread their joyous folk/pop music all over the country and the world.
The pair met in 2003 while attending the Ann Arbor Music Festival, at which Seth was opening for Patty Griffin. The two continued to meet around the Michigan festival circuit before finally forming a relationship a year later. The pair have been together for over seven years, and were married in the summer of 2011.
The couple shares more than romantic love. They both possess a deep passion for activism and making the world a better place. Seth and May's common belief in music to strengthen communities and to be a part of positive change has led to collaborations with numerous schools, farms and non-profit organizations. They partnered with best selling author and famed environmentalist Bill McKibben and contributed songs to the www.350.org movement for Climate Change action. They have also fostered the creation of the Water Festival, a series of events in the Great Lakes region dedicated to music and education about preserving water quality and universal access. Seth and May also traveled to Ethiopia last winter with the organization, On the Ground. They assisted with the organization's campaign to raise money to build schools and provide better living conditions for the area. This trip to Ethiopia would largely influence their songwriting and inspire many songs on their latest CD.
The best way to find out what Seth and May are about is listen to their music, either at www.earthworkmusic.com, the official headquarters of the collective they have helped to create, or better yet in person.
