On May 25, 2008, in New York, 14 delegates, including Transcendence lead singer Ed Hale, were chosen from across the US to attend a Peace Delegation to the country of Iran, together with The Fellowship of Reconciliation – the oldest peace organization in the world with headquarters in over 40 nations across the globe and formed in 1913 in Switzerland to stop the war in Europe.
Besides the 14 delegates, there were another 13 people in the group going to Iran, including:
- Larry Beinhart – recognized for his infamous book that was made into a movie, “Wag the Dog” as well as “Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin”
- Robert Dreyfus – journalist, writer, and contributing editor for The Nation
- Carah Lynn Ong – Policy Analyst for the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation in Washington DC
During the two-week tour of Iran, the group traveled to the major cities of Shiraz, Esfahan, Tehran, and Qom, holding formal meetings with the nation’s ruling government and religious leaders in an unparalleled move since the Islamic revolution – about 3 decades ago – to discuss relations between the two countries – the United States and Iran.
The delegates also visited learning institutions (schools and universities) and media houses (TV, newspaper, and radio stations) to advocate for more peace, solidarity, and harmony between the people of the two nations.
The Ed Hale goes to Iran Chip In Crowdfunding Campaign
In addition to being the lead singer in the Transcendence rock band, Ed Hale is also recognized for his outspoken peace and human rights activism and volunteer work across the globe. Just before he was chosen for the Iran trip, Ed has traveled to Africa for a 2-week home building initiative with Habitat for Humanity.
The previous year, he had made two separate trips to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild the homes for Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi (Biloxi). As for his music career, his band was preparing to launch two new albums the following year: “All Your Heroes Become Villains” and “The Great Mistake”.
To finance his trip to Iran, Hale turned to the Chip In platform and widget to create a crowdfunding campaign. Using Chip In, MySpace, and the band’s fanbase, Ed encouraged fans and friends to donate anything they wanted to and help spread the word via comments.
The Chip In widget was useful in tracking the progress of the campaign in real-time, allowing Hale to access how much money was being collected, read comments from fans across the globe, and watch the funds grow.
In exchange for the support, Hale created a blog to post reports of events in Iran. In addition, he planned to attend different events in the US to speak about the experience. He also shared his experiences via press interviews and TV reports.
