On July 10th, 2010, Germain Arena will be hosting “HOME GROWN” – SW FL’s FIRST large-scale “battle of the bands”.

Of all the amazing bands that applied to play, only 20 were selected. Of those 20, only the first 15 bands to sell 100 tickets will actually make it to the stage.

Here’s where you come in….

Hit us up with how many tickets you need, and we’ll get ‘em out to you! Think you can sell some to your friends? buy 5-10 tickets and re-sell them your friends, family and co-workers!

Can’t/don’t want to go to the show, but you want to make sure that others can go? You can donate so that other people and families who otherwise couldn’t afford it can go! Send us an email at sponsorship@fellowbliss.co

Pledge Your Support

ACT NOW – pledge your support to eliminate the demeaning use of the r-word

Spread the Word to End the Word is an ongoing effort by Special Olympics, Best Buddies International and our supporters to raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word.

The campaign, created by youth, is intended to engage schools organizations and communities to rally and pledge their support at www.r-word.org with a goal of reaching 100,000 pledges.

(Photos by the Silver Ring Thing Crew)

Too much stigma is attached to people with intellectual disabilities; as humans, when our curiosities cannot be satisfied and our knowledge is lacking, we often categorise that which we do not understand. This ad certainly highlights this pathetic aspect of human nature.

I hope this ad can be broadcast to millions and millions of people around the world. When a Jewish woman, or an Italian man; a homosexual or an Indigenous person sees this ad, they will be faced with the pain of the racism or sexism or homophobia or xenophobia that they have faced. This ad shocks us because the terms “tar baby” and “Jew him down” are not part of your average advertising campaign. We don’t want to read that; most of us don’t even like the knowledge that these terms exist.

But the term “retard”?

Well, that (until now) has been accepted as a figure of speech that is common in everyday language. How could a mentally disabled person even know what a retard is, let alone have the ability to care?

The irony is, many intellectually disadvantaged people have a greater understanding of sympathy and empathy than those ‘normal’ people who feel they can look at them and think to themselves ”I am better”. They do understand the word ‘retard’; they know they are different.

These advertisements will scream to the world on their behalf.

Just take the word out of your vocabulary.

My brother, Brad “The Bishop” Thompson, dug this photo up of he and I just moments before sacrificing and subsequently eating another child. Good times. Ah, to be young again!