We did it!
After 80 days, several interviews, too many tumblr posts, an ambitious blog carnival, hundreds of shared facebook updates and tweets, thousands of emails to families, friends, coworkers, and arch-nemeses, and a constant, concerted effort by the Autistic community to keep the momentum rolling and the energy building, fundraising for the Loud Hands Project’s first anthology and website ended at 11:59 pm PST with $15,610 from 224 separate donations.
We did it.
It feels unreal, but we did it.
We did it.
The original fundraising goal for the project was set at $10,000. We didn’t think we’d make it, but we figured that 80 days might give us enough time to come close enough, and perhaps a few people would hear about us and we could start laying down roots.
19 days later, we met our goal. Then we exceeded it. Then we started to realize that maybe, just maybe, there was a more pressing need and a *hunger* for this project than we’d realized.
Maybe we weren’t alone.
61 days later, the timeline for our campaign on indiegogo ended. We spent those 61 days formalizing plans for the anthology, as well as future projects that would help center autistic voices and people, speaking. Since we made that $15,000 benchmark, one of those projects will be a documentary looking at conversations around eugenics. Others are planned, of course. We’ve got a list of film projects, we’re still taking submissions for the anthology–and will be up through April–and we’re talking website features, just as a start. This Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, we’ll be gathering footage for four separate projects at the Allies In Self Advocacy summit in Baltimore. Our campaign on indiegogo has given us an unbelievable head start, and we’re able to move forward now, secure in our roots and ready to do our donors and our community proud.
Thank you so much for giving us that start. The journey is just beginning. The anthology and website will debut this summer; we hope you’ll come along with us for the rest of the ride.
Humbly,
Julia Bascom, Loud Hands Project Organizer