We've just launched The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation, a nonprofit organization. Our vision is to make the orange duffel bag a symbol of hope for at-risk youth like the pink ribbon has become for breast cancer. We want young people to pack their bags with hope and a dream for the future, and we want corporations and organizations to pack those bags with connections to communities and tools that will help young people succeed on their journeys. 
News Releases
Help us make the orange duffel bag the symbol of hope for homeless teens and kids aging out of foster care.
Sam Bracken, up close and personal with
Atlanta School Kids
More Than An Art Show
For immediate release
Atlanta, Georgia -- On May 8, 2010, from 2 p.m.-8 p.m., the Third Annual Georgia Student Art Show and launch of the book My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change – Sam Bracken’s inspirational graphic mini-memoir combined with his transformational 7 Rules for the Road – will take place at the Regency Fine Art Gallery (www.regencyfineart.com). Artwork created by hundreds of students from throughout Georgia will be exhibited. The creations are based on Sam’s 7 Rules for the Road: Desire, Awareness, Meaning, Choice, Love, Change and Gratitude.
In deliberately stark, almost poetic fashion, the first part of the book reveals Sam’s harrowing story of growing up in Las Vegas in a family best described as a whacked-out version of The Brady Bunch. Despite suffering unspeakable abuse and being abandoned and homeless at age 15, Sam triumphed over the odds and offers a powerful message of hope, love, forgiveness and gratitude. The book’s title comes from the fact that when Sam was awarded a full-ride football scholarship to the Georgia Institute of Technology and came to Atlanta, everything he owned fit in an orange duffel bag. To review a sampling and the book trailer in order to gain an understanding of the power it conveys and the constructive pathways it creates for all teens and adults, please visit www.MyOrangeDuffelBag.com.
Because art and music were a vital part of Sam’s journey out of poverty and abuse, the event will feature both. Local and national professional artists will be entering art into the show. There will be two professional divisions. The first division will feature art specifically created for and inspired by the “7 Rules for the Road.” The event will feature works by internationally known artists: Amaila Amakia, Bill Davidson, Latralle Dubois, Lester Herbertson, Sid Maurer, Peter Max, Annie Moller, Jimmi Toro, Cal Warlick, Eric Waugh, and fine art photography by Kevin Garrett (www.kevingarrett.com), who has more than 50 images in the book. The second division will feature art donated in support of the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation; however, it was not created to align with the 7 Rules for the Road. Contributing artists receive 50% of the sale price from their art with the remainder going to two not-for-profit organizations dedicated to serving youth. The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (www.OrangeDuffelBagFoundation.org) is dedicated to providing life skills education and support for youth living in foster care, aging out of foster care, and for homeless youth. The foundation’s educational partner is Chrysalis Experiential Academy (www.ChrysalisExp.org ), a not- for-profit school serving average to gifted middle and high school students in North Fulton County.
Original musical compositions written to align with the 7 Rules for the Road will be performed at the event. Jimmi Torro, artist and musician, has created several musical compositions that will be performed by Kim Bracken. Reggae band “Wade and the Rhythms” will be performing an original powerful composition thematically written to address “Desire” (www.WadeInTheRhythm.com). Kevin Montgomery will be joining the other performing artists at the May event (www.kevinmontgomery.com).
Sam and his co-author Echo Garrett will be on hand to sign books. Sam will do a short reading from the book and speak about his remarkable journey from being a homeless teen to general manager of FranklinCovey Media, a division of the world’s leading training company.
Corporate and individual sponsors include The Bank of North Georgia, Around Town Publishing-North Fulton, Regency Fine Art and John Porter. A special thanks goes to the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation Spokesperson Speech, Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter and co-founder of Arrested Development (www.speechmusic.com ).
If you are interested in finding out more information regarding student art submissions, please contact Joel Mooney at jmooney@chrysalisexp.org. There is no fee for art entries or for attendance. For media inquiries, contact Echo Garrett (770) 977-7509 or echo@seelevelstudios.com. To order the book or view the book trailer, visit www.MyOrangeDuffelBag.com.
