ALONG COMES MARY

Did you know that 1 out of every 6 women will be a rape victim or a victim of attempted rape? This makes up for over 17 million female victims alone. 1 in every 33 men will also be a victim, & lets not forget children. It breaks my heart that 15% of the youth population is also sexually assaulted at some point during their childhood, & 93% of the time, these children know the attacker.

Since 1994, The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) has worked endlessly to get these horrific statistics down. RAINN was, in part, founded by one of my favorite people, Tori Amos. Amos, who herself is a survivor of being kidnapped at knife point & assaulted, did not speak of this incident for 7 years, then, a random trip to the movies to check out Thelma & Louise triggered all her memories she had tried to forget. On her subway ride home, she penned one of her most powerful, stark songs, Me and a Gun, recalling her story. Little did she know that this song, which was on her debut album, 1991’s Little Earthquakes, would go on to inspire & help heal countless amounts of people with similar pasts.

When Tori became overwhelmed at the young fans waiting hours to meet her at stage doors across the world to share their own tale of surviving, Tori knew she needed to do more than offer post-gig hugs & support. This, RAINN was launched & has been going strong for over 20 years.

RAINN is all about one thing: a hotline. A toll-free number (1-800-656-HOPE) you can call anytime, day or night, & talk with a counselor about your situation. If you need legal advice, they will help you. At your wit’s end & need to know whats next, they will advise you. If you simply need to talk & come to terms with all the thoughts going on in your head, they will listen.

Tori Amos’ 52nd birthday will go down on August 22nd, & through August 23rd, she is offering some extraordinary gifts in exchange for donations to RAINN. Check out these incredible offers from Tori:

1. Donate $10 and receive a special thank you email from Tori.
2. Donate $42 and have your name signed to Tori’s personal birthday card.
3. Donate $84 and Tori will give you a personal shout out on Twitter (limit 10).
4. Donate $126 and receive a personalized signed thank you note from Tori (limit 25).
5. Donate $168 and receive a personalized signed photo from Tori (limit 25).
6. Donate $210 and receive a personalized signed CD of The Light Princess from Tori (limit 100).
7. Donate $504 and receive handwritten lyrics of your favorite song from Tori (limit 2).
8. Donate $1,176 and receive a haircut and consultation from Tori’s celebrity hair stylist, Barry Lee Moe (limit 2).
9. Donate $2,520 and receive a signed pair of Tori’s glasses (limit 1)
10. Donate $5,040 and Tori will join you and a friend for tea in NYC (limit 3).

While some of these goodies have already sold out, many have not….like, meeting up with Tori for tea in New York….just sayin’ 😉

Following up from last year’s RAINN brunch event with Tori in Washington, DC, for her birthday, I am absolutely loving these birthday gifts Tori has been doing, & all for such an amazing cause.

To donate, get your gift & learn more about what RAINN is doing, visit here & lets ensure all of Tori’s gifts for us SELL OUT for her birthday!