Fame and Recognition

by Charissa Nasrallah  

During my time off steady work, I picked up extra work as an occasional  substitute teacher, which opened my eyes to the depressing conditions of the South Carolina Education system.  During this time I encountered many wonderful teachers, doing the best they could with the shortage of supplies and funding.   Sometimes the schools I went to were little more than trailer parks.

My salary as a substitute teacher was even worse than my salary at the park, and as time went on, I found myself neglecting my calling to teach in order to make more money as a waitress.  As I slipped further into the world of food and beverage, I began to partake in a hedonistic lifestyle of substance abuses, decreasing my grip on reality.  It was at this time when I got the grand illusion of my ideal settlement.

One afternoon I received a phone call from a woman who said she was the program director for two brothers who hosted an Educational Animal show on PBS for children. The two gentlemen toured around the country in the summertime doing live performances to raise money for a wildlife rehabilitation center they were funding, and I had given my phone number to the lady the previous summer when I had gone to see them perform their live show.  The lady informed me she was interested in booking dates at various parks for the approaching summer tour. 

I had been a big fan of the two brother’s program for quite some time.  Like two lions in the Sahara, they had arrived as the latest crazy in Children’s animal programs, taking away the harem of followers from older males in the field.  Their program was both educational and entertaining.  Their goofy enthusiasm was enjoyed by many of the children who were able to view the program weekday mornings before school.  Every show they made a sincere attempt in inspiring children to want to help their fellow creatures.

The previous summer a friend and I had attended one of their shows in another state and I had thought their live performance would be a perfect thing to bring to the park, and that was why I had given their program director my phone number.  Unfortunately when she contacted me I had just lost my job, but I still was very interested in what she had to say.

The program director informed me that the brothers booked about ten dates during the summertime at various parks and zoos.  All that was required was a substantial donation to help them obtain a plot of land outside of the Rocky Mountains to save as a reserve for wild animals.  The park would also have to provide a stage for them to perform, ample parking and the other necessary things required to host a large event, since they usually drew crowds of around 7,000 people, mostly little girls with crushes on who were thrilled at the chance to meet them.

I was honestly hoping to resolve my case in a way that I was assured all my desired compensation, but at the same time it was the least costly to the park.  Losing my job at the park had deprived me of the opportunity to my programs teaching the public about how to conserve the wilderness.  If upper management was not willing to give me my job back, they could at least give me the opportunity to bring the two brother’s live wildlife educational show to the park.  This was a chance to educate thousands of children about wild creatures.

If I was going to settle my case with the park, I wanted upper management to agree to the following conditions:

(1)    I was granted the permission to organize and direct this event immediately;

(2)    I was granted full cooperation from upper management in making this event a success;

(3)    I was granted the money for initial funding including the donation to the two brother’s animal reserve, extra security, water, port-a-lets, shuttled transportation, sound systems, advertising and clean-up crews.

(4)    I would receive 20% of the proceeds from the event for my compensation and efforts in making the event a success, and the rest would be distributed evenly among the park and local schools.

My expected goal was to raise $25,000 from the event, and give $10,000 to the park, $10,000 to the schools, and receive $5,000 for my trouble, and I knew I could do it.  Five years ago, when I was just finishing college, I had been one of the people in charge of hosting a local music festival whose proceeds went to a local homeless shelter.  We had raised over $24,000 and that was after we had paid for all the damages inflicted by a bunch of drunk and rowdy college students. 

If I met my expected goal, I also requested that the park would begin recycling again and hire a full time naturalist to work in the education department.

I was completely confident that if given the chance I would be able to make this event a success.  It would also give me a chance to mend my bruised ego from the hurtful assumptions and opinions of my colleagues, and prove to everyone, including myself; I pursued this claim for the right reasons.

      There have been times in my life I have felt like I was teetering on the edge of good and evil, ingenious and insanity.  This was one of them.  I realized it was crazy to think I would be able to resolve the issues I had brought to the attention of the US Department of Labor so quickly and in this manner, but I decided to try it anyway.

sustainable living - natural living - eco living - earth friendly  - ecological - green living

Our Sponsors

EcoChoices Natural Living Store - Beautiful, natural, earth-friendly products for the home and garden.

Star Wishing - Name A Star Services - Name a star and add a special wish. The gift that is remembered every time they look up at the night sky.

Useful Tips

Above All, Be Kind:
Raising a Humane Child
in Challenging Times