Lynn: On a personal note, I so appreciate you personal support and "cheerleading"! I do wish to say upfront that, although I organized this fan action, I prefer that the focus be about the fans worldwide, and not me. I feel fortunate to have had the ability to conceptualize something like this, but the joy I will receive is three-fold: being a part of fans of Tokio Hotel worldwide coming together to make a difference in our world on a very important matter; the help we will give to the animals currently living at Valley Animal Center that are awaiting adoption into a loving home and lastly; giving the Twins a gift that is meaningful to them and speaks to the type of people their fans are, and also to the inspiration they have given to us!
Lynn: While I may fall into the category of "older" TH fan, my enthusiasm for the band is pretty much boundless. I joke that, when I am 82 years old, I'll be the pink-haired lady in the convalescent home with posters of Bill covering my walls, still rockin' out to Tokio Hotel, wandering the halls in my wheelchair singing Ich Bin Da at the top of my lungs. But, for now, I am a single mom with a teenage son that introduced me to TH in early 2007. "Hey mom, check out this band, a lot of the girls at my school really like them." I bought the Scream CD, I never looked back! Those that know me, understand and tolerate my fascination with Bill's hair. And, I am proud of my car license plate: ZIMR483. The non-Tokio Hotel part of my life is that I am a USC grad with a degree in marketing communications and currently own a small insurance business. But, back to Tokio Hotel and Love Unleashed ....
Lynn: Love Unleashed was born December 2009. I'd posed this question on a THN forum: "FANS HAVE GIVEN TH A STAR AND A PIECE OF FOREST SO FAR...WHAT'S NEXT?" After many posts and ideas back and forth with TH friends from the US and abroad, we collectively decided that the coolest fan gift we could give Bill and Tom would be something that matched their love of dogs and included a way for fans to do something meaningful to further the twin's ideals in this area. Having four of their own dogs rescued from shelters, and knowing of their devotion to them, this was the perfect idea. It just fit; as if it was meant to be.
Although the twin's 21st birthday at that point was months away, I knew it would take a while to put all the pieces together. Luckily during the ensuing months, I was able to rely on some wonderful friends that provided me a place to bounce ideas off of. However, Love Unleashed was not difficult to plan per se, as I'd worked before with United Way organizing community events and fundraisers, so I had an idea of how to put something like this together. The 'hardest' part of creating Love Unleashed was, once I'd identified Valley Animal Center as a good partner for our project, connecting with their development staff and explaining to them why they should partner with us! I have to admit I was a little nervous walking into the meeting with my presentation tucked under my arm. Considering their staff had never even heard of the band, I knew I had only one chance to convince them why they should work with us. I was thrilled when they called me back the next day and said they would be excited to work with us, and that they had never seen a donor event like this before but wanted to be a part of it. And now, we even have made a few new Tokio Hotel fans at the shelter! 
NTO: How did you choose this particular shelter? What is the history of the shelter?
Lynn: Having worked with non-profit entities before, I knew that there is a wide range of quality in non-profits. The decision-making process reflected five non-negotiable points:
a) The shelter had to have a top Charity Navigator rating, meaning that they are exceptionally well-run in general business terms.
b) The shelter had to be near enough to my home that I could see it in person - I would not partner with a shelter that I did not personally feel met the highest qualifications if we were going to associate our name (as Tokio Hotel fans) with it. Also, I knew that I would need to be going back to the shelter a few times as the project progressed, so it needed to be within a few hours' drive.
c) Knowing there are legalities involved in a project like this, I wanted to work with a shelter in California so I could understand this aspect of it, since I live here. It would have been difficult to work with an 'international' entity or one that had laws that I am not familiar with.
d) California, and in particular, the greater Los Angeles area are fortunate to have many exceptional no-kill shelters, so I was able to choose from several top shelters.
e) I purposely avoided choosing an international entity (even thought this is a worldwide fan action) because most of them are so large that they primarily engage in lobbying and legislation activities and are multi-million-dollar-funded entities; working with a local shelter allows us the opportunity to really make a big impact on their activities and donations at a local level.
Valley Animal Center was founded in 1992 and in 2000 broke ground on their current, state-of-the-art 18,000 square foot facility. VAC is a progressive, no-kill shelter that provides shelter, food, medical care and love to all animals in their care until they find a forever home. VAC is a privately funded organization and receives NO aid from the government. The shelter is beautiful, sunny and airy and provides comfortable and sanitary conditions for all the animals in their care. They also provide low-cost spay and neuter programs, a dog grooming facility and public education classes. Their next phase of growth will be the construction of a Canine Training and Exercise Yard, a Perpetual Care Sanctuary for Cats and a Pet Memorial Garden.
Edit note: The twins were born on September 1, 1989. Tom (with baseball cap) was born 10 minutes earlier than Bill.
Lynn: Everyone who has turned '21' knows what a really special birthday that is and the timing of creating Love Unleashed just fit so perfectly. So, it seemed like a great opportunity for fans to give a lasting and meaningful "gift" to the twins that will forever mark this important day in their lives!
NTO: What excites you the most about your project? Do you have any special/memorable moments to share?
Lynn: It is hard to choose just one thing, and I can't! The most exciting part of Love Unleashed currently is watching TH fans from all over the world join in. Love Unleashed is for all of us: TH fans everywhere, and for the Twins, of course. I hope that fans really are excited to do something like this for the twins and also are personally encouraged to get involved in the matter of pet overpopulation, regardless of where they live. If just a small fraction of fans become involved and donate, we will easily reach our goal.
It is also exciting to work every day to spread the word about Love Unleashed to the many TH fan sites/forums/blogs/twitters etc., and hopefully get us closer to meeting our goal of raising $25,000 for the shelter. If we meet that goal, in honor of our donation, the shelter will grant us naming rights to the new Dog Adoption Center. However, any amount we ultimately raise will go toward helping the animals, every penny, which is a good thing!
As far as special moments to share, I must say I am continually amazed by the wonderful friends I have met through becoming a TH fan. TH fans are some of the nicest people ever, and I am grateful to those awesome souls everywhere that have stepped forward and offered me their help to make this gift for Bill and Tom the best ever!
Memorable in my mind is the night of June 18th. That is the day that Love Unleashed went "live". I remember thinking, "Well, now what?" I fell asleep with my face on my computer keyboard. I had been on the website, Facebook and Twitter all day promoting the project, hoping and praying that people would want to be a part of Love Unleashed and all the while worrying, 'What if no one wants to be a part of this?' I am very glad that Love Unleashed seems to have connected with fans, and I will continue to hope and pray we are more successful than we ever imagined. Bill & Tom's reaction to their birthday gift will be priceless, I am sure of that!
Many, many thanks!
NTO: Lynn, it's been our pleasure. Good luck with Love Unleashed. Folks, to get more information and to donate, visit Love Unleashed.
Lynn shows exactly how Tokio Hotel is such a positive influence in peoples lives! A fitting tribute to the Twins, who have gone Vegitarian because of their love for animals. Such an amazing story!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing gift for Tokio Hotel.
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