silence

today i am taking a break from my design related posts and writing about a much more serious subject,  silencing cancer.

for the last month or so there has been a buzz among the atlanta social media scene about a guy who is calling himself “SilentClark” (aka @SilentClark on twitter).  the name alone is pretty interesting, but what he is doing is completely intriguing and honorable.  36 days ago clark harris vowed to be silent, COMPLETELY SILENT, for the entire month of may.  he’s not even talking to his wife!!  I can’t even fathom going a day without talking much less thirty. 

{@SilentClark and his beautiful (and very supportive) wife genna} {phto credit - poiema photography}

my first thought was W-H-Y??? would anyone do something so drastic.  the answer - - to “silence cancer.”  SilentClark’s mother lost her battle with cancer, specifically chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), in february of ‘09.  he’s taken a vow of silence in honor of his mother, and a few days ago he revealed that he has extended his silence past the month of may.  now his goal is to raise $100,000 for LLS.  for a total of 100 days, or until he reaches his goal of $100,000, SilentClark’s only method of communication will be through social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flikr, Google Chat).  verbal talking and even talking through email or mobile text is not allowed.

over the weekend billy and i had the unique experience of hanging out with SilentClark and his wife genna, of the blog 100andSouth, who i had previously met at networking events.  you would be amazed how much we actually spoke without speaking.  hearing about what he is doing (via his wife and twitter messages) and witnessing the passion that it must take to be silent for so many days was completely inspiring. 

{@SilentClark with his brother who is a cancer survivor}

billy and i wanted to somehow help him in his quest to raise $100,000.  i thought the best way for me to help would be to get the story out there through my blog.  you can follow SilentClark on this amazing journey by reading his blog where he chronicles his journey daily. If you feel inspired to help him reach his goal, donations can be made through a link on the blog’s homepage. Please help spread the word!

“Together, we can Silence Cancer once and for all by raising funds to help find a cure and by creating awareness for both the disease and the needs of those whose lives it affects.” –SilentClark