In The Dash - a SpeakEasy Method Book Project
Donation protected
Dear Friend,
I am reaching out to you today with a heavy, yet optimistic heart. Heavy, because of the recent and grim milestone that we have reached of more than 500,000 US lives lost due to Covid-19, and yet optimistic, because I have developed a meaningful and impactful way to honor all of the lives lost while leaving a lasting legacy for their families and loved-ones and for our own human history. But I need your support to make it happen.
Since the Summer of 2020, I have been working on a book project called In The Dash - A Celebration of Lives Well-Lived, an anthology consisting of 12-15 chapters featuring family members, loved-ones and friends who wish to share their personal experiences and stories about someone they love whom they have lost due to the pandemic. (Below, you will find a poem, The Dash by Linda Ellis, that inspired the title and mission of this book project.)
Each book will be produced safely and virtually through an “interview” format that I have developed using my own SpeakEasy Method (www.joy-ful-living.com/speakeasy). Each chapter heading in the book will be the name of a person lost, their years of existence (including their DASH), and the interviews that follow will highlight the impact this person made during their short but meaningful life on earth. Proceeds from all sales of the In The Dash book project will be divided between a charity organization that is close to my heart - NAMI: The National Alliance on Mental Health because of their tireless work in fighting mental illness as a result of Covid-19 - as well as funds for scholarships and production costs for future SpeakEasy Method book projects.
Each book requires a $10,000 investment to produce and publish, however, I would like to extend an opportunity for these authors to share their stories at no cost. These people have been through so much already. Many didn’t get a chance to hold their loved-one’s hand and say goodbye and most did not have the opportunity to properly honor them with a traditional memorial service. In response to this, I would like the In The Dash book series to serve as a lasting eulogy to those we have lost as well as provide a platform for these amazing authors to speak about their family member or loved-one in a way that honors them in a powerful way - with their own spoken voice. My wish is to produce as many of these books as possible - for as long as it takes - until there is no more loss of life from this horrific disease.
To help bring this ambitious vision to life, I am humbly and actively seeking sponsorship donations for the In The Dash book project at varying sponsorship levels. Your support will enable those whose voices aren’t always heard to find a platform to share their powerful stories in order to heal and remember. All donations, in any amount, are welcome.
INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE LEVELS:
Angel = $10,000 and up
Grand Patron = $1,000 to $9,999
Patron = $1 to $999
It is my wish that you can share in this vision with me and lend your support to this meaningful project. I am confident that after publishing the first book this has the capacity to go global very quickly. I would be incredibly grateful to you for your consideration in being a sponsor of this program yourself as well as sharing this letter with others within your personal, social and business circles who you feel would also like to be a part of this endeavor. As always, I would be more than happy to schedule a call with you or anyone who might have additional questions about the book project. If you are interested in making a donation, please let me know and I will forward the necessary details your way.
This is a project that is very close to my heart and has touched my soul like nothing else I have taken on before. This is an ambitious project, but with the help of people like you, I know this work can be done.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support,
Strength and love,
Gregg
THE DASH
a poem by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning, to the end.
He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth
and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own - the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard: Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.
To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?
I am reaching out to you today with a heavy, yet optimistic heart. Heavy, because of the recent and grim milestone that we have reached of more than 500,000 US lives lost due to Covid-19, and yet optimistic, because I have developed a meaningful and impactful way to honor all of the lives lost while leaving a lasting legacy for their families and loved-ones and for our own human history. But I need your support to make it happen.
Since the Summer of 2020, I have been working on a book project called In The Dash - A Celebration of Lives Well-Lived, an anthology consisting of 12-15 chapters featuring family members, loved-ones and friends who wish to share their personal experiences and stories about someone they love whom they have lost due to the pandemic. (Below, you will find a poem, The Dash by Linda Ellis, that inspired the title and mission of this book project.)
Each book will be produced safely and virtually through an “interview” format that I have developed using my own SpeakEasy Method (www.joy-ful-living.com/speakeasy). Each chapter heading in the book will be the name of a person lost, their years of existence (including their DASH), and the interviews that follow will highlight the impact this person made during their short but meaningful life on earth. Proceeds from all sales of the In The Dash book project will be divided between a charity organization that is close to my heart - NAMI: The National Alliance on Mental Health because of their tireless work in fighting mental illness as a result of Covid-19 - as well as funds for scholarships and production costs for future SpeakEasy Method book projects.
Each book requires a $10,000 investment to produce and publish, however, I would like to extend an opportunity for these authors to share their stories at no cost. These people have been through so much already. Many didn’t get a chance to hold their loved-one’s hand and say goodbye and most did not have the opportunity to properly honor them with a traditional memorial service. In response to this, I would like the In The Dash book series to serve as a lasting eulogy to those we have lost as well as provide a platform for these amazing authors to speak about their family member or loved-one in a way that honors them in a powerful way - with their own spoken voice. My wish is to produce as many of these books as possible - for as long as it takes - until there is no more loss of life from this horrific disease.
To help bring this ambitious vision to life, I am humbly and actively seeking sponsorship donations for the In The Dash book project at varying sponsorship levels. Your support will enable those whose voices aren’t always heard to find a platform to share their powerful stories in order to heal and remember. All donations, in any amount, are welcome.
INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE LEVELS:
Angel = $10,000 and up
Grand Patron = $1,000 to $9,999
Patron = $1 to $999
It is my wish that you can share in this vision with me and lend your support to this meaningful project. I am confident that after publishing the first book this has the capacity to go global very quickly. I would be incredibly grateful to you for your consideration in being a sponsor of this program yourself as well as sharing this letter with others within your personal, social and business circles who you feel would also like to be a part of this endeavor. As always, I would be more than happy to schedule a call with you or anyone who might have additional questions about the book project. If you are interested in making a donation, please let me know and I will forward the necessary details your way.
This is a project that is very close to my heart and has touched my soul like nothing else I have taken on before. This is an ambitious project, but with the help of people like you, I know this work can be done.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and support,
Strength and love,
Gregg
THE DASH
a poem by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning, to the end.
He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth
and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own - the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard: Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.
To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.
So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?
Organizer
Gregg Gonzales
Organizer
Colorado, CO
