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I need your help!
Posted by Shuttercraft • 8/22/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: Help
As I work to gain more sponsorship so I can walk across America the frustration of being stuck here is driving me crazy. If I truly want to finish this walk I will need more money! Getting proper sponsorship at the age of 17 is a challenge. Most people that do not know me will look at me as a liability without knowing my capability's and experience. I just hate being judged by my age! In America you can join the Army and wield a weapon at this age and at the same time you cannot have a credit-card, own a home, get a business license, or pretty mush anything related to these things. I have worked hard on my own for over two years now. I have paid rent, taken care of my girlfriend, dog, horse, and a photography business.
My family and friends are starting to realize the dangers of a walk of this proportion. They worry for me, I feel honored that I have so many people that care for me. I know some do not want me to go back on the road and complete this hike. My mother has 1000 reasons why I should stay home. When thoughts of this walk flow into her head they are quickly accompanied by thoughts of bears, wolves, crazed truck drivers, thieves, murderers and just about anything else that could go wrong. If you spend your life worrying about everything that could go wrong you will never find yourself at ease and happy. You could get in a car tomorrow and crash and burn, if you worry about it every day you would be scared to death of cars. I am not saying I do not fear the dangers of this walk, once you lose fear you become fullish. I just will not let fear control my life and stop me from completing my goal to walk across America.
I have spent the last few days trying to get more sponsorship and also working on a new website "www.mikewalksamerica.com". I just hope some of the possible sponsors come through and I can get back on the road by the first of next month. I just do not see why I have been put down by so many possible sponsors. They all seem so interested and excited about my hike, and they all love the sponsorship system I have set up! But They all just lose interest and drop out in the end. All donations and sponsorships are completely tax deductible through a 501 (c) (3) license, this means come tax-time you get all the money back. If you want to see me walk across America, make a film, and share a message of hope to the younger generations of america, I need your help! Every little donation is a one more step to reaching D.C. and meeting with president Obama! If you want to help there is a Paypal button on the upper corner on this blog. Paypal is a safe and secure way to make a donation. If you want a receipt for your taxes I can fax or email you one.
If you want to become one of my all important sponsors there is a downloadable PDF sponsorship packet on www.mikewalksamerica.com. In this packet you will find information on my hike, types of sponsorship, how it will benefit you, and much more! I plan to take the documentary I am making and this message into the schools in rural areas in the hope that it will inspire those younger than I am to ignore what they hear and create their own bright future.
So please, help me do this!
Please visit my blog discoverusa.wordpress.com!
Or my website at www.mikewalksamerica.com/
Thank you to my all current Sponsors and supporters!
User Comments
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Any suggestions on getting more sponsorship is welcome. I have no problems getting local support because these people know who I am and what I am about. It is just hard to get external support because of my age.
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Do you have a list of all the local 'breakfast news' show hotlines on your route? Maybe you can generate some local news and donations and sponsors on the way? -
Just read your sponsorship PDF ... do you have any idea how much money you will really need? The materials isn't too clear what happens to the excess money - does the Guild keep it? Can you designate it to other Young artists? Can you donate any excess to other charities like Cancer (e.g. Terry Fox Foundation, etc) ?
Maybe - in addition to a tax deductible receipt - some donors like to know what their money is being used .. especially if its meant to support a specific cause, and it turns out the cause collected 10 times more than it originally needed etc -
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The spammers love me...
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The spammers love me more! This is a unwanted love...
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This is a message from the Southern Oregon Guild. I think this will answer your questions
"We realized that if his journey became a Guild project, donations to the Guild for his trip would be tax deductible to the donor and supporting him in his project would well fit within our mission and purpose. The Board then approved the following project:
The Young Artist Career Jump-Start Project
Professional photographer and member Mike Wilbourn is planning to walk across America to document via still and video photography the heart and soul of small town America. He plans to use the stills and videos to create a documentary, which will show prospective major customers his unique skills and talent for capturing a face of America rarely seen. He feels this will be an important means by which he can teach himself how to become commercially more successful.
The purpose of this project is to help him learn how to solicit and manage sponsorships for such an undertaking. At the conclusion of this journey and based on what he has learned in terms of sponsorship management he will help develop a training program the Guild can use in the future to similarly help other aspiring and professional artists and artisans hone their sponsorship management skills to partially fund projects which they feel will be helpful in jump starting their respective careers.
The project will start on or before June 15, 2009, and is expected to be completed on or before June 15, 2010. The budget for this project is:
Purchase of required equipment $2500
Living expenses while in route $4,000
Development of new class materials $2,000
Production & distribution of video and still photos $1,500
In kind labor $8,500
Project total budget $18,500
Guild support will depend on receipt of sponsorship funding for this purpose. All amounts in excess of sponsorship funds received by the Guild will be born by Mr. Wilbourn. The Guild’s sole responsibility for this project is to receive and distribute sponsorship funding. The Guild assumes no liability of any kind for any other part of this project or for Mr. Wilbourn’s safety or well being during or after the journey.
Already, several of our members have generously donated a total of $2850 to the Guild to help fund Michael’s photo and video hike across America. He now has most of the essential equipment he needs for the journey.
Most critical to his purpose was a light-weight, high quality video camera. This and other equipment he has been able to purchase with the money donated by Guild members.
If you or someone you know would like to help Michael on his mission, personal donations of any amount can be made to S.O.G. (P.O. Box 3195, Kerby, OR 97531( and will be tax deductible. Business sponsors, in amounts of $200 and up, are also tax deductible and will be listed on Mike’s blog discoverusa.wordpress.com where he will make postings throughout his journey.
This is a unique and exciting Guild project. We invite you to participate in your own way.”
Your Board of Directors
Jerry, Joyce, Janice, Nancy & Mallory" -
Why Would I Walk Across America?
First, I am an aspiring professional photographer and videographer. I am also only 17 so I plan to become the youngest person in modern times to walk across America on my own. I intend to produce a documentary of my journey with which to call attention to my work and hopefully further my career.
Second, I am from a rural part of the State of Oregon where young people are constantly bombarded with media messages leading them to believe there are no jobs out there for us and how little we have in the way of opportunity. I don't think either is true at all and think we have a great opportunity to create our own future just like I am doing. I plan to take the documentary and this message into the schools in rural areas in the hope that it will inspire those younger than I am to ignore what they hear and create their own bright future.
Finally, my route takes me through the cities and towns of the heartland of America. I don't plan on spending much time in the large city centers. It is my hope at the end of this journey to meet with President Obama. He is so surrounded by staff, politicians, handlers, pollsters, schedulers and the media these days that he doesn't get much of a chance to see the same slice of America that I will see on this trip. I hope to share with him what I learn from people and places along the way.
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