Mahiga Hope High School: “It’s getting real!”

I just received a great update from Kenya about progress on Mahiga Hope High School. Greg Elsner, our AfH Design Fellow says ground-breaking for the RainWater Court and the Classroom/Library block will be in early February. Hailing from Minnesota, when Greg says "It's getting real!", he means months of hard work are turning into something truly amazing – a modern high school that will change this community forever, and will be a model for schools across Africa.

Check out Greg's amazing design for the Rainwater Court that will house organized sports, an outdoor classroom, community meeting space and provide clean drinking water for the school! Photo below by Greg shows our first class of 9th graders using the age-old 3-4-5 method of laying out a square to site the RainWater Court on the campus. (And note the trees in the background that I helped plant as seedlings 4 years ago.)

After months of hard work in Mahiga, Greg came home for Christmas and I joined him in Fargo, ND for a sold-out screening of One Peace at a Time at the historic Fargo Theatre. It was 11-below zero outside, but warm and welcome inside where we had a great screening response and raised $2,000 for the school, funds that have been designated for the toilet block at the RainWater Court. (Sanitation facilities are crucial – particularly for teenage girls – and it’s not easy to raise money for toilets.) Thanks to everyone in Fargo and to everyone else who's been inspired by the movie to help with this rewarding task.

Two weeks of screenings at Regal's Arbor Cinema in Austin also generated lots of support for the school, and thanks to Bank of America and the Dell Foundation, we were able to buy movie tickets for hundreds of public school teachers, many of whom brought or sent their students to see the movie and get connected to the "real" world.

After 8 months of hard work – with One Peace screenings from Nairobi to Maui and a hundred places between – we’ve funded two of the three main facilities at the school.

– The Nike GameChangers Award is funding construction of the RainWater Court (and providing Greg’s important services on the ground). Big thanks to Nike and Architecture for Humanity!

– Donations from individual classroom sponsors, screenings and a lot of other supporters who care have funded construction of the classroom and library block.

The biggest challenge remaining is construction of 3 Science Labs – Chemistry, Physics and Biology. We are searching hard for underwriting sponsors of these labs.

For a tax-deductible donation of $10,000, a company (or a family) can name one of the science labs and provide a science education for hundreds of students in Kenya. Contact us or make a donation at The Nobelity Project's site, Nobelity.org.

There are no middle-men, no bribes, no government skimming – we work directly with the community of Mahiga and the local education board, and have reliable oversight from Greg and our community partner Joseph Mutongu and hundreds of parents who know this is THE BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR THEIR KIDS!

Two Addition Ways to Support This Work:

• 1000 Voices for Hope – Our fundraising partnership with GlobalGiving.com has raised $17,000 for the school. Watch the Video and you'll be inspired to donate $100 and Join the Choir with Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Emily and Martie of The Dixie Chicks.

1000 Voices for Hope on YouTube

• The 12-year-old Kunik Triplets in Austin have launched the Kunik B'ai Mitzvah Project with a goal of raising $5,000 for the kitchen at the high school. We all know you can’t learn on an empty stomach! Check out their FB project page at the link above

Thanks to everyone for your support, and for all the messages about the inspiring things that are happening in your lives because of One Peace at a Time and Mahiga Hope High School. Turns out that we all need the same thing - each other.

One Peace, One Theatre, One City, One School at a Time!

What a wild and wonderful Fall it’s been for the Nobelity Project. Here’s a quick sampling of all our great news:

The national theatrical release of One Peace at a Time begins Friday, Dec 4 with two parties in Austin at Manuel’s Arboretum Restaurant before the evening screenings at the Arbor Theatre. $50 Tickets are online at http://www.nobelity.org, with proceeds helping to build Mahiga Hope High School in Kenya.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett, one of the stars of the film, joins us Friday evening as our guest of honor at the 5:30 p.m. reception!

The film continues - 5 screenings per day - from Dec 4 - 10! Tickets for all other screenings available at the Arbor Box Office. Click here for Arbor online sales.

Here are the great partner groups that are helping us turn out a crowd each evening:

• Sat, 12/5 - ONE.org
• Sun, 12/6 - Austin interfaith night with AAIM and Tom Spencer (7 pm)
• Mon, 12/7 - Meals on Wheels
• Tues, 12/8 - RESULTS.org and The Austin Kiva Group
• Wed, 12/9 - Charity Bash, including a party at Manuel's following the 7:00 p.m. screening (another fundraiser for Mahiga Hope High School
• Thurs, 12/10 - Christy hosts Austin's yoga community.

Tickets for Teachers - Thanks to The Dell Foundation and Bank of America, we have free tickets for teachers to all matinee screenings - 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. To reserve your spot, email Melissa@nobelity.org, and please bring your teacher id to the theater.

1000 Voices for Hope – Our fundraising partnership with GlobalGiving.com has raised $13,000 for Mahiga Hope High School. Join Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Emily and Martie of The Dixie Chicks as members of this glorious choir.

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/mahigahopehigh/

Thanks to Nike and Architecture for Humanity for awarding Mahiga Hope High and our RainWater Court as winners of the International GameChangers Award. In addition to over $50,000 in construction money, the award includes the services of Architecture for Humanity Design Fellow Greg Elsner who is living in Mahiga, Kenya as we build this amazing school. Check out photos and designs at:

http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/rainwatercourt

If you’ve seen One Peace at a Time, help us spread the word. There is a better way! If you haven’t seen it, it’s time.

To watch the Ben Harper Trailer, go to: http://nobelity.org/one-peace-at-a-time/

And here are a few choice pics from our Red Carpet L.A. Premiere.

Thanks to Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves, Cameron Sinclair, Bono, One.org, Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Peter Fonda and many others who are support the film and our work for a better way.

Help Build Mahiga Hope High School!

Our work at St. Joseph Mahiga Primary School in rural Kenya has already resulted in clean drinking water and electricity, a computer lab and new classrooms. Enrollment is up and water-borne illnesses are down. Mahiga Primary is now the highest rated school in the district!

A solid primary school is good, but education shouldn't end at the 8th grade.

With no secondary school, a complete education for 700 kids depends upon The Nobelity Project's commitment to build Mahiga Hope High School. The Education District for the area has committed to operate this school but has no money to build it. That’s where we come in. These kids are ready and eager to learn. Let's open the door on a better future for them and their community!

Nike and Architecture for Humanity join the team!

Nike has announced our Rainwater Court as winner of the international GameChangers design competition. Architecture for Humanity will oversee construction of the world's first "net-positive" basketball court that will also collect and purify drinking water for the school, serve as an outdoor classroom, a community meeting space and more. This is a great beginning, but to build the rest of the high school we need your help.

The Willie Challenge!  To build twelve classrooms, a library, and computer and science labs

Willie Nelson is  lending his hand to our efforts. Take the Willie Challenge and make a tax-deductible contribution to make this wonderful school a reality!

• Every $100 donation receives a copy of Turk and Willie's NY Times bestseller, The Tao of Willie, signed by Turk

• Every $500 donation receives a copy of The Tao of Willie signed by Willie too!

• Every $5,000 donation receives signed book AND your name on the door of a classroom!

Click here to make a donation today! http://nobelity.org/new_pages/donate.html

Or mail your donation to:

The Nobelity Project    P.O. Box 161925     Austin, TX  78716

And the Screening News:

One Peace At A Time wins the Audience Award at the Maui Film Festival!

It was a magical evening in Maui with Willie receiving the Maverick Award and singing to the crowd before the movie.

We also had a great premiere in Nairobi, and memorable screening at the World Economic Forum in Geneva!

One Peace is screening in September at the North South International Film Forum at the United Nations in Geneva!

Stay tuned at nobelity.org for more news on many more screenings to come.

One Peace Premiere Report/New Trailer

Thanks to everyone who turned out for the World Premiere of One Peace at a Time. If you thought it was crowded at the museum (300 people) and at the theatre (1,100/Sold Out!), you were right! The response to the movie was wonderful, overwhelming, off-the-charts.. I don't know what to say (and almost couldn't say anything). 

More great news - we have a theatrical trailer and it is fantastic. Thanks Matt Naylor and everyone at 501 Post. Check it out!

Screening news:

Sunday, 4/26 Mexico Premiere at Casa Dorada, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Friday & Saturday, 5/1 & 5/2  Screening at Wild Basin in Austin, tickets at www.wildthingsgroup.org

Tuesday, May 5, Washington D.C. Premiere, honoring Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Caroline Boudreaux and more. Screening at Jack Morton Theater, George Washington Univ; co-hosted by CNN's Paul Begala

Sneak Preview of ONe Peace at a Time

A Sneak Preview of One Peace at a Time, the title sequence with music courtesy of Bob Dylan. More info at Nobelity.org

Willie Nelson says, "Don't miss the World Premiere of One Peace at a Time!"

Info and ticket links for the April 14 premiere at Austin's Paramount Theatre are below, but first here's Willie and Turk's new psa for the Nobelity Project's biggest night ever!

The April 14 Paramount Theatre World Premiere (7:00 p.m. with music and food; 8:00 p.m. Premiere; 10 p.m. after-party at Ruth's Chris) just 25 bucks for 

General Admission Tickets

Support the Nobelity Project and enjoy the entire evening!

6:00 - 7:30 Pre-screening Reception at Austin Museum of Art

8:00 Reserved Seats at World Premiere

10:00 after-party at Ruth's Chris:

$250/person - Click Here!

Feed the Peace!

(Scroll down to the previous blog for more info on the evening and the film!)

World Premiere of One Peace at a Time

Monday, March 2, 2009

One Peace at a Time, World Premiere Screening on April 14 at the Paramount Theatre

After 2 years, 20 countries and 1 broken leg, we're delighted to announce the World Premiere of The Nobelity Project’s new film, One Peace at a Time. Tickets are now on sale at the links below (Nobelity filled the Paramount for multiple screenings, so these tickets may go fast).

There are three great events on April 14th, and two tickets to choose from.

World Premiere Screening Party - $25/person (Click Here for Tickets)
7:00 p.m. Paramount doors open
Live music onstage
Great food from El Chilito, Mama Fu’s & Amy’s Ice Cream
8:00 p.m. One Peace at a Time screening, followed by filmmaker Q & A
10:00 p.m. After-party at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

One Peace Museum Party - $250/person (Click Here for Tickets)
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Private Reception at Austin Museum of Art Downtown
An unforgettable evening celebrating the new film and our museum exhibit
Our biggest party since Lance, Willie and Owen at the Four Seasons
Catering by Word of Mouth and Becker Wines
Thanks to our host committee: Willie & Annie Nelson, Rick Linklater, Elizabeth Avellan, Nav Sooch, Donna and Philip Berber & Eddie Safady.
7:30 p.m. Walk to the Paramount for the Premiere Screening
Prime reserved screening seats & Ruth’s Chris after-party included in ticket price

Christy and I are tremendously excited about the release of One Peace at a Time. While Nobelity focused on global problems, the new film looks at solutions that are already working, and that could be amplified all over the world. The film asks one very big question - can we provide basic rights – water, nutrition, education, healthcare, opportunity and a sustainable and peaceful environment – to every child on earth?

The solutions I found on five continents had some inspiring Austin connections, including the model Indian orphanages of The Miracle Foundation and water projects in Ethiopia with A Glimmer of Hope. For a sneak preview of the water story in the film, check out our latest edition of Short Film/Big Changes, which is called A Glimmer of Hope!

See you April 14 at the Paramount - or if you can step up big-time for the nonprofit, at the museum.