Joseph Gannon

I met Sean Carasso in November of 2007. We were somewhere in South Africa and all having an early breakfast buffet before a long day of Shoe Giving on the South Africa shoe drop for TOMS. I had already heard all about him at this point. One of his dearest friends (Esther Havens) was my seat mate on the 18 hour flight from Atlanta. It was in Atlanta (sitting on the tarmac) that I first heard his name uttered. Esther, feverishly looking at her phone, was getting text updates from Sean- “see if you can stall”, and “I’m almost there…don’t let that flight leave without me.” In what proved to be typical Carasso fashion, Sean was running a bit behind for the flight. We all wanted in our hearts to fake a minor problem just to hold that jumbo jet up for 5 more minutes. Had I known Sean then like I know him now, I would have faked a coronary if it meant he made that flight. Worst case scenario would have been we both slept in Atlanta terminal C for the night.

Ask anyone who knows him and ENERGY and PASSION would be two of the most used adjectives to describe Sean.

Fast forwarding to that breakfast buffet…Despite countless hours of travel and sleep deprivation, Sean bounded into the room after catching up to us 2 days later. He had hopped on a flight from ATL the next day, then puddle jumped twice to catch us somewhere outside Port Elizabeth, S.A. His energy seemed to precede his entry into the room. Ask anyone who knows him and ENERGY and PASSION would be two of the most used adjectives to describe Sean. He’s all energetic passion, squared. Traveling around S.A. in white vans, we were in the man van (as it was dubbed by others). We occasionally got separated from the group and I recall one specific evening, sun setting, we slid into a local (see also shady) little grocery store and all enjoyed watching the sun set over some bottled cokes. I recall the suspicious looks and general curiosity that six white men garnered from our African brethren. This far off the main roads, we were certainly the first group of Americans to pull off for a pop. They all sat on the porch of the broken down store drinking their liquor purchased just inside. From over on our van, we looked back in silence. No one said a word…we just watched the sun set and drank our cokes. One of the men approached the van – his crew clambering to follow close behind. Carasso disarmed the whole scene by insisting on trading for the lead guys cap…a deal was struck (for my Surfrider beanie) and high fives and handshakes ensued. That’s Sean Carasso-Peacemaker. We became fast friends…
When the shoe drop ended, we all said our goodbye’s at Johburg Airport. All of us heading home to be with family just days (hours) before Thanksgiving 2007….Sean, jumped on a flight and spent the next two months wandering the D.R.C.. Before anyone was a “blogger” I recall following Sean’s google updates on what he was witnessing and experiencing. He was our eyes and ears on the ground. While we were living in comfort back at home….he was sleeping none and showering less…all in an effort to wrap his head around the atrocities taking place in the Congo. It was in this two months that he decided not to stand silent. It was here when he founded Falling Whistles.

This year I have asked everyone in my family [that usually buys me a gift] to donate to Falling Whistles. I’ve been to their headquarters in Venice, CA. The modest space doubles as dormitory, a work space, storage, board room, meeting space, a think-tank, among a host of other uses. Trust in the fact that they are good people doing good work. Every dollar donated goes towards bringing an end to the suffering. So this year, if your so inclined, ask for people to give the gift of support. If you know of a worthy organization you feel strongly about….ask that your family support it rather than giving you that shirt you will wear only a few times. That $50 donated to a small not for profit makes no difference to you…but, be sure, it means a world of difference to them. They are fighting this war for us…so that we may continue to blog about the unimportant stuff. Its all about perspective. Change someone’s perspective this year. To make a donation to Falling Whistles, or to just learn more about the cause, head over to the site, www.fallingwhistles.com. Buying a whistle or a t-shirt helps them just the same….and just might help you get someone crossed off your list at the same time.

Check their video (also available on the FW site):

Falling Whistles 2009 from Dan Johnson / brokenspacebar on Vimeo.

Images courtesy of Dan Johnson and Esther Havens

For photo’s of the S.A. shoe drop head to Esthers Blog, Here.
To give (even as little as a buck) to Falling Whistles, go Here.