Update: 10/25, 9:30 AM
Last time I checked, 101K.That means that we’ve beat last year’s figure.
Another figure for you: best as I can guess, around the time I crossed the state line into Jersey yesterday, the Tomato Nation readership passed a quarter of a million dollars in all-time funds raised.
A quarter of a million dollars.
With all the billions and trillions we hear thrown around on the news these days, it might not seem like much, and compared to the huge wads of cash it’s going to take to stabilize Wall Street, it isn’t much.
To kids who can read Little House now, or dissect frogs, or go to a museum, or ride trikes, to kids who can do or have or think about something they couldn’t before, it’s massive.It’s massive in the sense of size and in the “rad” sense, the way my brother used to use it.
Think about it: you did something.You did…something.Even if you only had five bucks, you put it to good use; it counted, and more importantly, you believed that it counted.You tried to make a difference in the face of depressing amounts of evidence that one person, or a small group of dedicated but non-rich people, can’t.We can.You did.You did.
I’ve gotten a lot of emails thanking me for inspiring you to donate, but don’t get it twisted: you inspire me to put this together each year, because you get it done.A great cause, a smart way of positioning it for donors, and you.I just sit here with a spreadsheet watching y’all take apart projects like piranhas on a cow.
When the candidates talk about hope and change, this is what they mean.It’s existed all along.
It is once again my honor.[doffs hat]
To answer a few questions:
1) Yes, by all means keep donating — I will add more projects shortly.
2) I don’t have a target date for Sadie The Fire-Safety Tomato Goes To Washington yet.I will give y’all plenty of notice, and it’s probably not going to happen for at least afew weeks — it takes some time to coordinate, I gotta rent the costume, unfortunately this isn’t my only job, blah blah.Watch this space.One thing you can do in the meantime is think of outdoor sites/memorials for me to visit — not that I want to freeze my leaves off or anything, but the costume itself could cause a security issue at various places (i.e. I don’t think it’s going to fly at the FBI).
Any other questions, bunting at tomatonation dot com or post them here.
Tags: contests
I’d like to add another vote for the Einstein monument. I think it would be a perfect symbolic image, considering the reason you’ll be traipsing around DC dressed as a fruit!
The statue is in front of the National Academy of Sciences, which is basically across the street (north) from the Vietnam War Memorial on the Mall.
Also, a shot of the dancing tomato in front of the Supreme Court? That would be awesome!
I finally donated today. It wasn’t much, and the goal has already been reached (just like when I donated last year). But there were tears in my eyes so I just had to do it. As an employee of the state of SC I know how hard it is for teachers to feel motivated sometimes. There is no appreciation for what you do by the higher ups, there is always criticism for the way things are happening, and there is never enough money for things to be done the way they should be done. And the pay is terrible. I have a 4 year engineering degree, and yet I get paid horribly compared to most other engineers. But I make a difference when it comes to drinking water and the public’s safety. Times are tough (we were given a 1% cost of living pay increase this year, my husband had been out of work last year and the only job he could find pays even worse than mine does) but I still gave because kids should be able to read F. Scott Fitxgerald’s books and see just how crazy some people can be when they are in love. If I can give (and I was only able to give because my husband’s aunts pooled together and bought us a boat load of groceries so I didn’t have to to buy food for this week) then anyone can give. States all across the country are facing bigger budget cuts and those are invariably going to hit education hard once more. Keep giving. Oh, and all of you are AWESOME!!!
The Newseum, mentioned above, has a gigantic TV screen–it’s like four stories tall. If you’d like to be a TRULY GIANT tomato, you can email me. My dad’s one of the muckety-mucks there and I bet I can talk him into a) letting you in and b) getting you on the giant screen. They also have a big section of the Berlin Wall suitable for freedom-loving dancing.
Also, how about the new stadium, where the Nats play? It’s closed now, duh, but there’s outside? How about the National Cathedral? The deck of the Kennedy Center? Ford’s theater! The PR people at the Madame Tussauds wax museum are super-nice; maybe you can dance with some Washington figures! The Washington Post building! Ben’s Chili Bowl (a DC food institution)! Also, are you willing to go into the ‘burbs?
I may be getting too into this. But I love my city!
I second (third?) the Einstein statue! What could be more appropriate for a project that is helping kids learn?
In the complete opposite direction, how about the Exorcist Stairs in Georgetown? Nothing devilish about this project, but it sure would be fun!
The Tomato should visit the Exorcist steps in Georgetown.
The statue of Einstein is located outside of the National Academy of Sciences, I think. Which is educational, right?
And shouldn’t you pop over for a photo op in front of the Department of Education?! – it’s just off the mall, about a block over from the Air & Space Museum.
NASA HQ is a few blocks further…..
I won’t be going to any war memorials, or anywhere I’d need to get clearance ahead of time, for reasons that are probably obvious. The trip is supposed to be fun, not to create hassles for anyone, so.
Mary Says:
I’m looking at the Disc Golf and Stop the Press/Ink projects and I could have sworn they had more funding last time I checked. Am I remembering wrong?
Once funding reached $75,000 the “Double Your Impact” funding came into effect (courtesy of a New York group; I forget the exact name). So all of the projects in the Tomato Nation blogger challenge that at that point had less than 50% funding became “Double Your Impact” projects; in other words the New York group would donate $1 for every $1 donated by the public.
Once funding reached the $100,000 goal the “Double Your Impact” offer expired.
So, for the “Disc Golf” and “Stop the Presses/Ink” projects, which did not get full funding before the $100,000 goal, the “Double Your Impact” funding stopped. All money donated by the public to these projects are still there, but the theoretical matching funds were removed. That’s why the “money needed to complete project” jumped up.
The skating rink doesn’t open until mid-November, but a giant tomato in the “plantings” section of the sculpture garden makes perfect sense.
I wouldn’t recommend going near the Nats’ stadium; it’s in a bad neighborhood.
I second Heather C. on the carousel.
The Kennedy Center would be awesome. There shouldn’t be any issues with security and if there’s a kids show going on in the Family Theater, it will be crawling with kids in the middle of the day.
A heads up about the Supreme Court building… I have a friend-couple who got engaged on the steps there. They had just enough time to get the ring on her finger and receive congrats from a tourist who had witnessed the event before security asked them to leave. I’m not saying you shouldn’t give it a shot – maybe you’ll catch a more understanding guard – but it is possible you’ll be turned away. In case that happens, I second the suggestion of the National Archives – also a very cool building with a grand set of stairs!
I was going to suggest the Dept of Education as well, but I see someone beat me to it. I’d love to see a photo of the giant, mutated tomato giving the finger to the FDA building, but it looks like that’s in Rockville, so probably not worth it.
I like the idea of some wide angle shots of the tomato at various monuments. So it just looks like a scenic picture of the Washington Monument, until you notice the unusual red blob in front of it.
Part of the fun of the Rockefeller Center pics were the expressions on the faces of the tourists and locals–which ranged from bemused, to fascinated, to ignoring. My sense is in DC, more people will actively pay attention to you, and will assume that you are either selling something or protesting something.
I’ve been selected to work election day by an election watchdog group. And there just might be a parade here I won’t want to miss, which takes a couple of unexpected vacation days. But if you know before 11/10 when you’re trip to DC will be, I’ll be able to move that time off to another day. (Not that it’s all about me, of course!)
I love all the suggestions. I wish I knew where the giant sculpture of the old fashioned rotating eraser with a brush attached is, because you and an eraser? Seems really appropriate, tomato costume or not.
This post made me misty. It feels great to have been a very very small small part of something so great.
While the carousel would be awesome if she could fit on it, I believe it is closed for the season. I fifth (or whatever number it’s up to) the Einstein statue and, depending on when you’re going to make it down here, I think the childrens museum would be an excellent stop as well.
Maybe if the Wizards are in town that night?
The eraser is in the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Art.
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/sculptureinfo.htm
I vote for the eraser! :)
I couldn’t help it — I finished off the Gatsby proposal. I think I need a 12-step program.
In line with what a couple other posters have said, I’d encourage you to make arrangements ahead of time for any locations you’ll visit that have security. You may even need to go so far as to arrange an escort at some or all of the places. I’m a federal employee in DC and security is funny in this city. It wouldn’t be too strange to see someone in a costume just walking the streets, but we have a lot of guards at federal buildings who are both incompetent and immediately suspicious. They most likely will not understand or believe the website/charity explanation. I think it’s wise to assume the worst in each case and plan accordingly.
Eh, never mind. Just saw your earlier comment about not wanting the hassle of prearranging, and I don’t blame you.
Just talked to the BF, who lived in DC for a while, and he suggested the Modern Art Museum, as there are several sculptures outside that should be tomato-friendly photo zones.
Someone upthread mentioned contacting Congresspersons in advance — this is actually kind of a genius idea. They could turn it to a photo-op for their advantage too, and TN could be great fodder for some kind of “Simple Americans can do great things when they put their minds to it” soundbite, so you’d be doing them a favor in return for their making sure you can get through the Capitol building okay. (I know that Chuck Schumer is also a Brooklynite by birth, so he may be especially interested in the idea.)
The Awesome Tomato could share a cigar with Sir Winston Churchill outside the British Embassy at 3100 Massachusetts Ave NW on embassy row. The statue stands astride the boundary between the property of the British Embassy and the District of Columbia to symbolize Sir Winston’s Anglo-American parentage and his Honorary Citizenship of the United States. Unfortunately the embassy gates aren’t guarded by a bear-hatted redcoat who could be blown out of his stoic demeanor by the dancing tomato.