|
|
There will be lots happening at NYE!! NYE Will Welcome Julia Butterfly Hill as a Keynote Speaker Julia Butterfly Hill brought international attention to the plight of the world's last remaining ancient forests when she climbed 180 feet into the branches of a threatened 1000 year-old redwood tree and refused to come down. Her historic protest to the environmental destruction caused by the clear-cutting of ancient redwoods culminated after 738 days with an agreement that provided permanent protection for the tree known as Luna and a 3 acre buffer-zone around it. Julia Butterfly Hill is an activist, a writer and a poet. She is the author of the national best seller The Legacy of Luna and the co-author of One Makes The Difference, both published by HarperSanFrancisco. The audio release, Spiritual Activation, captures Julia's vital message as it is given at standing-room-only appearances across the country. All of Julia's books (and the packaging for the CD) have been published with 100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks and chlorine-free processing, pushing the publishing industry to a standard of ecological sustainability. NYE Will Welcome Eboo Patel as a Keynote Speaker Eboo Patel is the founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit building the interfaith youth movement. He is the author of Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation. Eboo holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. He writes "The Faith Divide", a featured blog on religion for The Washington Post and has also written for The Chicago Tribune, The Clinton Journal, The Harvard Divinity School Bulletin and National Public Radio. Eboo serves on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee of the Aga Khan Foundation USA, the Advisory Board of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center, and the Board of the Chicago History Museum. He has spoken at the Clinton Global Initiative, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and at universities around the world. Eboo is an Ashoka Fellow, was named by Islamica Magazine as one of ten young Muslim visionaries shaping Islam in America, and has been profiled by PBS and several other media outlets. NYE Will Welcome Valerie Tutson as Bible Study Leader Valerie Tutson has developed an enthralling style of retelling the old Bible stories in a fresh new way. Valerie encourages others to try their hand at storytelling and has been called on to share her gifts at conferences, retreats and worship services across the United States. Valerie draws her stories from around the world with an emphasis on African traditions. Her repertoire includes stories and songs she learned in her travels to South Africa, her experiences in West Africa, stories from African American history. She not only delights listeners with her taletelling, she also teaches workshops and classes to students of all ages. Lost and Found Michael and George developed an interactive style as they introduced themselves to audiences throughout the United States and, in turn, made hundreds of friends on their first concert tour. On this first tour, LOST AND FOUND traveled from New York to St. Louis, to Miami, to San Diego, to Seattle and back to New York on BICYCLES. During those 340 days, they sang more than 260 times at schools, camps, churches, and colleges. With no support vehicle and no particular training regimen, the year truly proved to be a journey of faith. The concerts are a bit like having Michael and George over to your living room for conversation and music. The music is organic and fun, and the lyrics comment on life, faith, ravel, friends and relationships. |