Esther's Story
Hey LJ. I have something specific to write about today. To really understand the scope of the story, it needs a little back story.
There is an organization called the Harry Potter Alliance. It was started by Harry Potter fans. The HPA is a place where fans pool their creativity and host concerts, shows, conferences, charity events, and other fun stuff. What makes the HPA unique is their mission. In the spirit of Harry, the sacrifice his mother made for him, and the sacrifice Harry is ready to make for others, they spread love throughout the community. Their official slogan is from a Harry and the Potters band song: The Weapon We Have is Love. In this spirit, the HPA supports many charities that work in education, human rights, and political reform. Just think about how many hardcore Harry Potter fans you know. Now imagine if all of them got together to raise money for awesome charities. Then imagine how many Harry Potter fans there are in the world, and imagine how much money they could raise in the name of Harry Potter. That is the HPA.
It might seem silly and fandom-ish, and it is.. but the stuff that the Harry Potter Alliance does is truly mind blowingly amazing.
The HPA has:
-raised over $15,000 for the Genocide Intervention Network's Civilian Protection Program for Darfuris and Burmese
-donated over 13,000 books to villagers in Rwanda and Sierra Leone in Accio Books!
-signed up 900 first-time voters in their "Wizard Rock the Vote" campaign
-a July podcast about Darfur was dl'ed 120,000 times, causing a 52% increase in calls to 1-800-GENOCIDE
-won $250,000 in the Chase Community Giving Challenge to fund more charity efforts
You would think that J.K.Rowling would be annoyed that her fans are using her characters. Fans use them in music, stories, webpages, etc., and a lot of them make a profit off of it. The lovely thing is that JKR doesn't mind people using her characters' names in most cases. These are her fans, and they're using their creativity. She actually said in an interview that she has a lot of CD's by Wizard Rockers, and she thinks it's super-fun! Sure, there are people who abuse this privilage, but that's only 1% of people. It just goes to show you that if you trust people, 99% of the time, it results in more awesome than notsome. I guess JKR has enough money, anyway, to worry about 18 year olds making love songs about Hermione and Viktor Krum.
In a 2007 Time Magazine interview, the author wrote, “When asked about the group, Rowling practically levitates off the couch, spilling her coffee along the way.” Rowling later said on her web site:
“I am honoured and humbled that Harry’s name has been given to such an extraordinary campaign, which really does exemplify the values for which Dumbledore’s Army fought in the books.”
...
Now that you know what the Harry Potter Alliance is, let me tell you the story of Esther Earl. Esther is a teenager. A gryffindor with a big heart, puffy red hair, and a quirky personality. She can sing and draw, reads for fun, and is both witty and funny. She answers questions on her formspring like:
"Do you have names for your buttcheeks?" "Not as of yet, but that is a good idea???"
..and tweets things like:
"words aren't overwhelming me they're just going into my brain and i contemplate them and then i decide i don't need them so i throw them away." -2:40am Aug 13th 2010
Esther has two little brothers, one who appears frequently on her vlogs. On one vlog, they do a hearty rendition of "Draco Malfoy, What's Your Problem?" She has two older sisters.
Esther was born in Massachusettes, and could speak fluently at the age of two. She lived for three years in Saudi Arabia with her family. There, she collected stray cats and played with strange insects while attending an English-Arabic school. At age 11, the family moved to France where locals families said she developed a "perfect French accent."
In France, at age 12, Esther was diagnosed with pappilary thyroid cancer. She moved back to MA, and battled for four years, enduring chemotherapy and drug treatments. During this time she was mostly confined to her bed, but sometimes had strength to enjoy family time and special outings. She had multiple tumors in her lungs, and used an oxygen machine she affectionately nicknamed, "Denmark." She enjoyed being a member of the Harry Potter Alliance. She also contributed popular articles to a popular tumbler blog called EffYeah.
When Esther heard that the Harry Potter Alliance was in the Chase Community Giving Challenge to win $250,000 for charity, she became a leader, encouraging people to vote. Esther met John Green, a prominent YA author and professional internet vlogger. His vlogging fanbase is 369 thousand strong, operating under the name of the "Nerdfighters." Esther had been a fan, and John decided to go visit her and see how she was doing. This led to the entire Nerdfighting community learning about Esther, and she developed many new friendships. John Green declared Esther's birthday as "Esther Day," a day where we tell the people we love that we love them. John also created a vlog about Esther and how she wanted everyone to vote for the HPA to win the $250,000. It was in Esther's name that 369 thousand people voted for the HPA. They won the challenge, and the $250,000 for charity.
Esther Earl died last Wednesday, August 25th, peacefully in her sleep. She was 16.
I want to always remember Esther, not only for what she did for the HPA, but because she was 100% charming and 100% positive until the day she left us. Considering what normal teenagers wrestle with.. pimples, awkward growth spurts, who to ask to the prom.. Esther was wrestling with so much more. I can't imagine what got her through, but I can only guess that it was... that she was Esther.
In typical Harry Potter spirit, Esther said that she wasn't afraid of dying. She lived day to day, and saw death as "the next great adventure." Esther means star. Her friends had a bracelet printed up that reads:
This Star Won't Go Out.
Thanks for everything, Esther.
Watch a tribute to Esther from her vlogger friends
Donate to Esther's family to help them with the cost of her medical care over the years.
Visit the HPA, to find out more about them and to get involved in Esther's honor
There is an organization called the Harry Potter Alliance. It was started by Harry Potter fans. The HPA is a place where fans pool their creativity and host concerts, shows, conferences, charity events, and other fun stuff. What makes the HPA unique is their mission. In the spirit of Harry, the sacrifice his mother made for him, and the sacrifice Harry is ready to make for others, they spread love throughout the community. Their official slogan is from a Harry and the Potters band song: The Weapon We Have is Love. In this spirit, the HPA supports many charities that work in education, human rights, and political reform. Just think about how many hardcore Harry Potter fans you know. Now imagine if all of them got together to raise money for awesome charities. Then imagine how many Harry Potter fans there are in the world, and imagine how much money they could raise in the name of Harry Potter. That is the HPA.
It might seem silly and fandom-ish, and it is.. but the stuff that the Harry Potter Alliance does is truly mind blowingly amazing.
The HPA has:
-raised over $15,000 for the Genocide Intervention Network's Civilian Protection Program for Darfuris and Burmese
-donated over 13,000 books to villagers in Rwanda and Sierra Leone in Accio Books!
-signed up 900 first-time voters in their "Wizard Rock the Vote" campaign
-a July podcast about Darfur was dl'ed 120,000 times, causing a 52% increase in calls to 1-800-GENOCIDE
-won $250,000 in the Chase Community Giving Challenge to fund more charity efforts
You would think that J.K.Rowling would be annoyed that her fans are using her characters. Fans use them in music, stories, webpages, etc., and a lot of them make a profit off of it. The lovely thing is that JKR doesn't mind people using her characters' names in most cases. These are her fans, and they're using their creativity. She actually said in an interview that she has a lot of CD's by Wizard Rockers, and she thinks it's super-fun! Sure, there are people who abuse this privilage, but that's only 1% of people. It just goes to show you that if you trust people, 99% of the time, it results in more awesome than notsome. I guess JKR has enough money, anyway, to worry about 18 year olds making love songs about Hermione and Viktor Krum.
In a 2007 Time Magazine interview, the author wrote, “When asked about the group, Rowling practically levitates off the couch, spilling her coffee along the way.” Rowling later said on her web site:
“I am honoured and humbled that Harry’s name has been given to such an extraordinary campaign, which really does exemplify the values for which Dumbledore’s Army fought in the books.”
...
Now that you know what the Harry Potter Alliance is, let me tell you the story of Esther Earl. Esther is a teenager. A gryffindor with a big heart, puffy red hair, and a quirky personality. She can sing and draw, reads for fun, and is both witty and funny. She answers questions on her formspring like:
"Do you have names for your buttcheeks?" "Not as of yet, but that is a good idea???"
..and tweets things like:
"words aren't overwhelming me they're just going into my brain and i contemplate them and then i decide i don't need them so i throw them away." -2:40am Aug 13th 2010
Esther has two little brothers, one who appears frequently on her vlogs. On one vlog, they do a hearty rendition of "Draco Malfoy, What's Your Problem?" She has two older sisters.
Esther was born in Massachusettes, and could speak fluently at the age of two. She lived for three years in Saudi Arabia with her family. There, she collected stray cats and played with strange insects while attending an English-Arabic school. At age 11, the family moved to France where locals families said she developed a "perfect French accent."
In France, at age 12, Esther was diagnosed with pappilary thyroid cancer. She moved back to MA, and battled for four years, enduring chemotherapy and drug treatments. During this time she was mostly confined to her bed, but sometimes had strength to enjoy family time and special outings. She had multiple tumors in her lungs, and used an oxygen machine she affectionately nicknamed, "Denmark." She enjoyed being a member of the Harry Potter Alliance. She also contributed popular articles to a popular tumbler blog called EffYeah.
When Esther heard that the Harry Potter Alliance was in the Chase Community Giving Challenge to win $250,000 for charity, she became a leader, encouraging people to vote. Esther met John Green, a prominent YA author and professional internet vlogger. His vlogging fanbase is 369 thousand strong, operating under the name of the "Nerdfighters." Esther had been a fan, and John decided to go visit her and see how she was doing. This led to the entire Nerdfighting community learning about Esther, and she developed many new friendships. John Green declared Esther's birthday as "Esther Day," a day where we tell the people we love that we love them. John also created a vlog about Esther and how she wanted everyone to vote for the HPA to win the $250,000. It was in Esther's name that 369 thousand people voted for the HPA. They won the challenge, and the $250,000 for charity.
Esther Earl died last Wednesday, August 25th, peacefully in her sleep. She was 16.
I want to always remember Esther, not only for what she did for the HPA, but because she was 100% charming and 100% positive until the day she left us. Considering what normal teenagers wrestle with.. pimples, awkward growth spurts, who to ask to the prom.. Esther was wrestling with so much more. I can't imagine what got her through, but I can only guess that it was... that she was Esther.
In typical Harry Potter spirit, Esther said that she wasn't afraid of dying. She lived day to day, and saw death as "the next great adventure." Esther means star. Her friends had a bracelet printed up that reads:
This Star Won't Go Out.
Thanks for everything, Esther.
Watch a tribute to Esther from her vlogger friends
Donate to Esther's family to help them with the cost of her medical care over the years.
Visit the HPA, to find out more about them and to get involved in Esther's honor