Maybe There Will Be Cupcakes

My 30th Birthday Challenge!

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I have super exciting news!  With the help of the fine Facebook community, I have decided to ring in my 30th birthday (on October 27th) with 30 days of personal stories and 30 days of fundraising for a very special organization.  Here’s the rundown:

30 Stories for 30 Days

When I was little, I had a trusty set of stories that I told over and over and over again.  Between this and never brushing my hair, you can imagine I was pretty cool.  Luckily, I was in a good position to frequently repeat my go-to tales, since working in theatre introduced me to new groups of people that hadn’t yet heard my stories about cats doing funny things or about that time I almost passed out on stage during The Miracle Worker. As a shy girl who hated (and still hates) small talk, these stories were a guarantee that I would at least have something to add to the conversation when I really wanted to run from the room.

Storytelling has always been a part of my artistic life and now extends to both writing and theatre.  Recently though, I’ve hit a wall.  I can write motivational blog posts that work in little tidbits from the day, but when it comes to reporting the past, I tend to freeze up.  I get robotic, I lose my writing voice. Even now, I’m going into 7th grade essay writing mode.  Eeee. So! I need this exercise to break this habit–because a few of my stories definitely deserve to see the light of day.  But until I can do them justice, I will start with the easier ones.

Each day, beginning tomorrow, I will tell one–either lengthy or short–story from my past.  We’ll see what happens!

Blogging Challenge for all!

This is where you come in. As most of us here onWordpress have probably learned, finding a home to connect and express our own personal narratives–however we like–is a rare opportunity online, at least without getting lost in the shuffle of a news feed.  These stories make up who we are.  And sometimes, we just need a platform to tell them.  So each day, I will connect a theme to each of my own stories and welcome you to either comment here, or link your own post of a similar story you’d like to share.  I will happily read all.

$900 for Zara Aina!

https://www.crowdrise.com/support-zara-aina-ginnys-30-for-30/fundraiser/virginiabartolone

Most importantly, I wanted to find an organization that gives a voice to children throughout the world who are often otherwise quieted.  Zara Aina (which means to “Share Life”) is a NYC-based group of professional theatre artists that bring arts education to at-risk youth in Madagascar and throughout the US.  Since 2012, it is breathtaking what they have accomplished.  Please take the time to visit my fundraising page or their website (or both!) to watch their incredibly moving video that breaks down all they do for these children.

Why $900?  Because I’m working with this who $30 for 30 days, or from 30 people, or because I’m 30.  You get it.  But do not feel pressured to stick to this 30 thing.  We are a community, if you are more comfortable donating $5, then I am certain 5 people people will also donate $5, thus balancing everything out.  Or, if giving money is not you jam right now, please consider either sharing my goal or simply visiting their site to find out what they’re up to.  I promise it will change your day.

I will write an afternoon post each day thanking donors and including any personal websites/blogs you would like to link here.

In advance, thank you for your continued support of my writing projects.  And thank you for already making this a wonderful birthday:)

ginnybartolone

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