song du jour: bruce springsteen.mrs. mcgrath
for your taste o’ ireland tonight, let’s go with bruce springsteen’s (why not, eh?) take on the traditional irish tune, ‘mrs. mcgrath’. it’s a not-so-upbeat number about a mother’s son returning home from war, but a fantastic song nonetheless and a classic example of irish storytelling through song.
from a song of war to an actual war (always one to make a good segue-way when possible). it’s a war in central africa that is reaching it’s twenty-fifth year, but in all likelihood, a war you may not be familiar with. it is also a war that my sister has been actively involved in attempting to help reach an end for the past five years.
she started her work with invisible children in high school after their documentary was shown in one of her classes (i highly recommend checking it out if you have an hour to spare). the following year, she spearheaded the fundraising efforts at her school and they ended up raising the third highest amount of money out of all the schools in the country. this, in turn, earned her a trip to uganda to help put those funds to work (the trip was documented in the invisible children film, go… look for the sis in there!). she continued in college, taking her sophomore year fall semester off to travel around to schools in the pacific northwest to help spread the word. after that experience, she ended up taking the spring semester off as well to help out at the invisible children headquarters.
so, why do i bring this up in the middle of irish week? (still did manage to get the irish tune in there, thank you very much.) invisible children is holding their next big event on april twenty-fifth and my sister is currently in fundraising mode again. if you have a minute, check out her page, watch the video to see what it’s all about and if the generosity bug has really bitten you, it would be awesome if you could make a donation. any amount, of course, helps. tanks much! (irish accent there.)
The man behind two of the best Bruce books around (the fabulous For You and The Light in Darkness) our pal Lawrence Kirsch contacted us with this message:
Bruce Springsteen represents a great deal to his fans, not only as a world-renowned artist, but as a giving and caring person, someone who stands out by helping and donating to many charitable organizations over the years.
Today I am asking for your help to raise money for a great cause: The Canadian Cancer Society, whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer.
As you may know, the limited edition book For You has been sold out since December 2008. This fall we are offering a unique chance to win a brand new signed copy of the book while contributing to The Canadian Cancer Society’s 2010 fundraising drive.
With these financial resources, The Canadian Cancer Society will be able to:
- Take a stand on important cancer issues
- Contribute to Canadians’ awareness and understanding about these issues
- Advocate on behalf of Canadians and people living with cancer
- Use their influence to encourage governments to pass public policies that will help prevent cancer and help people living with cancer
- Fund research
You can play an essential role in The Canadian Cancer Society’s efforts for 2010 by participating in the raffle for a copy of For You autographed by the publisher.
Each $10 ticket you purchase gives you one chance to win, a $15 ticket gives you three chances to win the book. The contest is open to everyone and tickets can be bought from October 4 to October 24, 2010. Tickets can be purchased at Foryoubruce.com and thelightindarkness.com, where the winner will be announced October 28, 2010. You can enter the contest as many times as you wish and it all goes to a great cause!
Please note: tickets $10 CAD = $9 US = €7 = £6 (Credit Card and PayPal available). Please give today and enter the For You giveaway!
More info on Canadian Cancer Society
