Sock It To ME: a community public art project to raise awareness and funds.

[Dreambirdie]

Permission granted by Criona Wilson

"Many thanks for your letter.

It was kind of you to ask me for one of Sophia's socks, but unfortunately I do not have one. If you yourself would like, you can dedicated a sock to Sophia.

I wish you all the very best with your project.

Crona"

 

[creekfeet]

Sounds like she didn't quite understand that we were planning to dedicate the whole project and not just one sock to Sophia Mirza? That's okay, I will follow up with her and also with the families of Alison Hunter and Skye Kristine Dailor. I really like your idea of dedicating the project to all three, one in the US, one in the UK and one in Aus. I'll send the families the pre-release announcement as soon as it's ready.

 

[Dreambirdie]

FYI-- Here's my letter to Criona Wilson

Hello Ms. Wilson--

I have read the tragic story of your daughter's death and feel deeply saddened by it.
I too am long term survivor of ME/CFS (33 years), so I have a keen understanding of this illness and many of its often heart-breaking ramifications.

I am part of a large online ME/CFS forum, of over 600 active members. You can access the forum at this link to know more about us: http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/forum.php

Some of our forum members have currently been working on a big community art project, called Sock It To ME: a community public art project to raise awareness and funds for CFS. All participants will be requested to donate an artistically created sock of their own making or choosing, which will all be attached together in garlands for public display in various locations in the US, and hopefully abroad.

You can read about our plans on this thread: http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/sh...-raise-awareness-and-funds.&p=59639#post59639

We want it to be a BIG STATEMENT about ME/CFS--like the AIDS quilt did for AIDS patients.
Right now our project is in its infancy stage, but moving along at a steady pace. Launch date to announce it publicly is set at May 12th.

The reason I am writing to you is that we were hoping to have your daughter be one of the people we dedicate this project to, and we would like to request your permission to do so. There is another young woman, whose mother we are trying to reach as well.

If we could get a sock from each of you, Sophia's could hang on a UK garland and the other girl's could hang on a US garland.
Please let me know if this is okay with you.

Thank you, XXXXX

 

[Dreambirdie]

I also sent a similar letter to Brann Dailor, Skye Dailor's brother. No response yet.

I'll leave it up to someone else to contact the family of Alison Hunter:

The possible contact info for her mother is Christine Hunter is:
mecfs Australia http://www.mecfs.org.au/?q=contact/2 (Christine was, looks like a board, member in 2005)

or The Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation http://www.ahmf.org/aboutus.html

Contact details:
Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation
PO Box 6132
NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059
Australia
Ph02) 9922 4054
Fax02) 9922 4054

 

[starryeyes]

I can't get the how-to PDF to open! I think it's the fault of my internet and I will try downloading again later but meantime I just want to say, I think it's going to be okay even if there are some minor differences in assembly in different regions. As long as the basic idea is there, it could even be good to try out more than one way in two different places so we get twice the experience.

Now I need to cheer up the kidlet with some backgammon and then try to break through to someone with a heart and a brain (and not just the nerve) over in the Social Services offices where they're cutting back my beni's. So, wish me luck, and I'll be back as soon as i can.

Good luck Creek! They better not cut off your benis!

 

[Tammie]

Skye Dailor is a new name to me - I take it she is another who died from CFS/ME?

Also I am having a real hard time keeping up with this thread, so if this has been addressed I apologize, but once the plans are relatively set, it would really help if a new thread was started with the details (socks specs, who to send them to, etc).

 

[Jessrose21]

How about Luggage Tags for labeling the socks?

I have an idea for labeling the socks that I think might work. I've attached a couple photos of a plastic luggage tag with a clear rubbery-plastic type of loop that could be attached to whatever the socks are sewn to. The tags could have patient info (hand written) on one side and the sock logo printed on the other! The plastic would hold up well under any weather or rough handling. They could easily be mass produced and distributed, either for free or for a "donation". Not sure how that would work, but I thought I'd throw the idea into the mix!

What do you think?

 

[talkingfox]

Skye Dailor is a new name to me - I take it she is another who died from CFS/ME?

Also I am having a real hard time keeping up with this thread, so if this has been addressed I apologize, but once the plans are relatively set, it would really help if a new thread was started with the details (socks specs, who to send them to, etc).

Not to worry Tammie. Everything will be on the website when it launches The resident geek is working on it now and we're looking at a May 12th launch.

 

[talkingfox]

I have an idea for labeling the socks that I think might work. I've attached a couple photos of a plastic luggage tag with a clear rubbery-plastic type of loop that could be attached to whatever the socks are sewn to. The tags could have patient info (hand written) on one side and the sock logo printed on the other! The plastic would hold up well under any weather or rough handling. They could easily be mass produced and distributed, either for free or for a "donation". Not sure how that would work, but I thought I'd throw the idea into the mix!

What do you think?

Do have a link for the companies that produce the tags Jessie? I'd need to look into pricing as we're on beyond a shoestring budget. Good Idea though!

 

[creekfeet]

Dreambirdie your note to Sophia Mirza's mum was lovely. You write beautifully. Thanks for contacting her and Skye Dailor's brother, and for the leads on Alison Hunter. I've sent an email to mecfs.org.aus asking for contact information for Christine Hunter and explaining why, and if I don't get any more Christine-specific contact info I will go ahead and send the pre-release to both them and the Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation, with the note asking if we may include her in the dedication.

 

[Frank]

This is getting a long post: maybe somebody could recapture the essence off the different posts and start a Sock It To ME 2 thread.
Anyway everybody involved, you're doing great!

 

[Jessrose21]

Do have a link for the companies that produce the tags Jessie? I'd need to look into pricing as we're on beyond a shoestring budget. Good Idea though!

I don't know who made the tag (found it in my Grandma's junk drawer!) but I found a couple places online.

http://www.bagtagsonly.com/SearchResults.asp

You can see they have a variety of styles and prices.

http://www.4imprint.com/group/24/Luggage-Tags/product/107258/Just-in-Case-Luggage-Tag

These are just a couple of places, there are many more. I wonder if we could find one that would give us a discount for the cause.

 

[starryeyes]

I really like the bag tag idea! That is cute.

 

[Puppy_almighty]

I love the tag idea its a very good idea on a way to label and log and its cute too.

 

[creekfeet]

Okay, Frank, we'll start a new thread soon.

Tags look like a great idea to explore.

Happy Easter everyone! The chocolate can't come a moment too soon for me. The Equinox Bunny missed us so we have had to wait extra long for the Easter Bunny to come by instead.

 

[Stuart]

Umm... How to say this with some sense of humor? :worried:

Okay so maybe it will come acrossed as morbid, but attaching a tag to a sock lead me to:



They come in various shapes and sizes and collect various info, but essentially a 'toe tag' identifies the person and relevant facts.... okay so maybe it is a bit of dark humor!

And way too clinical! :mask:

Back to warm fuzzy Socks!

 

[creekfeet]

Oh, good lord. I hadn't thought of that, Stuart. Thanks for mentioning it. It would almost be funny to use actual toe tags. But not really, hm? Okay, no tags to be attached to the toes of socks, for sure. Something at the tops of socks, or still too reminiscent?

 

[gracenote]

This makes me think of luggage tags they have a place to write important information on them and come in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes. I think they would be too expensive, but I'm trying to give a different visual image than toe tags (although there is something about toe tags that is very funny to me).

 

[Cort]

The Missing Sock Campaign

I've been thinking about themes and public presentations/protests and socks

It revolves around those mysterious missing socks and the fact that we're missing our partner: the federal government. The missing socks represent our missing partner in solving this disease (the federal government).

The Missing Sock Campaign: finding that Missing Sock ( a true partner in solving this disease)

We can list all that the federal government is NOT doing for ME/CFS (missing adequate Research Funding/Physician Education, treatment possibilites..an all the horrid stats - last in the NIH in funding, 50% decline in funding over the past five years.....).....How the government has given 1 million people "The Cold Foot"

The Display

• Just one sock per person (missing partner = federal govt)
• one decorated sock and one plain sock or
• one decorated sock and one with a question mark or a missing symbol - each sock has the same symbol - that symbolizes our missing partner
• ??

Our missing partner": a federal government that spends $4 a person on CFS (or whatever it is)
I think the media would get into it.

"Stop giving us the Cold Foot!"

 

[frenchtulip]

Sock Ideas

These sock ideas are really clever! Whatever is decided, I think I would like to decorate my sock with the "Forget-ME-Not" flower.