Couple Seeks Help Financing Children’s Book
Grant and Martha Griffin have a son, Barron, with a facial birthmark. The University Park couple tried to find a children’s book about birthmarks that could present a positive message to their son and kids like him, but they couldn’t. So they wrote one. Now they’re trying to get Sam’s Birthmark published via Kickstarter. They need to raise $25,000 by Nov. 1, and they were $2,924 short of that goal last night.
Um, no. Whatever $$ I have for charity will go to help kids with much more severe problems than a facial birthmark, no matter how bad it is. Like, kids whose parents beat the crap out them, kids who have no food, stuff like that.
Wow. It’s a shame that my beautiful angel has to grow up in a world with aholes like you.
@AB Wow, you really do come across as charitable. Everyone can direct their contributions as they see fit, but I for one give the Griffins some credit for doing something to help kids going through a hard issue, albeit not a fatal one like the ones you choose to support.
Kick starter is a scam. The products never get completed. It’s a way for unemployed folks with no money to find short term compensation on the backs of suckers until their next entitlement stream appears…….
We chose Kickstarter to measure the response to Sam’s Birthmark and spread the word. To date we are 90% funded with 339 backers so we know there is a need for a book like this. We most likely will be extending our goal so we can print more books. The whole experience has been so rewarding!
Martha Griffin
@AB, you do have every right to put your money where you want. I do recommend looking up Port Wine Stain Birthmarks and Sturge-Weber Syndrome to know the medical issues that can be involved with Vascular Birthmarks. I agree there are other important issues with our society that need to be addressed but Sam’s Birthmark isn’t about those. The name of this post is a little misleading as we are using Kickstarter to pre-sell copies to pay the print bill.
@T-Bone, Kickstarter and our book is not a scam. It’s been an excellent way for us to share our project with the world and we have gotten a huge response from individuals and vascular birthmark organizations. Both myself and my wife are employed and not needing “short term compensation” or an “entitlement stream”. We needed a way to reach as many people possible to pre-sell a book that will be published.
Grant Griffin – 214.534.5896, grantbgriffin@yahoo.com
I never buy self published books.
Grant:
If you “needed a way to reach as many people possible to pre-sell a book that will be published”, then why not a digital book? It’s a lot less expensive and you can reach the masses faster. But, that would mean forgoing the upfront cash to spend as you wish, no?
Kickstarter.com is “commonly” a ruse that is used to raise money from emotionally stunted individuals who have a need to feel good about their “investments” and are notoriously bad investors. It’s become known in investor’s circles as “SuckerStarter”. It’s like selling penny stocks from the pink sheets in the 1980’s. You can almost hear the money being separated from these poor people….but they feeeeel good.
So, if this project is so needed, so important, then why not fund it with your own hard-earned, post tax earnings? Nothing speaks louder than putting your own skin in the game…..
Good luck to you and your cause, really. There’s one born every minute…..
@T-bone Lets reference some of the bad press the Kickstarter has received:
http://online.wsj.com/article
/SB10000872396390443991704577579190431157610.html
http://www.inc.com/erik-sherman/when-kickstarter-campaigns-go-bad.html
Most of the “Failed” Kickstarter projects have been technology or product related. I can’t recall an article about one of the more “Artistic” projects being a ripoff. I’m talking about music, writing or just general art projects. So, for you to label Kickstarter as “commonly a ruse” seems unfair. Further, it seems like you are disparaging the Griffins for using a valid way to raise money and awareness about a “cause”.
Full disclosure. I have no idea who the Griffins are. Don’t know anything about their cause, except I have a daughter that has a large birthmark on her bottom and her mother and I joked that “she will never be a swimsuit model”. As far as Kickstarter is concerned, I have funded 1 project and it delivered as advertised. I did miss out on the ‘feeeeel good’ part though.
I would live it…if you could quote a similar project that has failed.
Ok, I would live it…but, I would rather love it
Yup, T-Bone, there is one born every minute, and I’m not talking about suckers and I’m not referring to the Griffins…
My husband’s cousin had a port wine birthmark, it faded with time, so no need for surgery for her.
As a parent of a special-needs child, I know how powerful a children’s book explaining “differences” can be. I’m super-proud of the Griffins, and can’t wait to buy the book.
Why in the world someone would be so jaded to come on this blog and slam people they don’t know for trying to help get this sweet book published is beyond me. Read up on this family and their son’s history of surgeries, etc. and you might be a little more compassionate.
As another parent of a special-needs child, ditto what “A fan” wrote.
Primarily because of some of just of downright mean people commenting here, I committed a few dollars to their project.