"In a two-hour speech, people will remember a two-minute story."
~ AndyGoodman, "Storytelling
as Best Practice"
We received so many inspiring stories from LFP projects after the storytelling training session at the Annual Meeting, we decided to post them in batches as we update this website.
Our first group of highlighted stories comes from the projects that are nearing the end of their Robert Wood Johnson Foundation matching grants. See 2007 Graduate Reports and Stories. Here’s a sample:
Who Will Help Carlos? —Children’s Wellness Initiative at Franciscan Children’s Hospital
"As I entered the office, a tearful young brown-haired boy sat looking down at his feet, next to the school nurse and principal. The principal had sweat on his brow. The nurse takes me aside and tells me, 'Carlos wants to kill himself.'" Read Full
Story
What can you do when you’ve told your funders many good client success stories and you need something fresh?
Running Ahead is the kind of story Students Run Philly Style staff will tell to illustrate their program for someone who is just learning about their program.
"Khalil talked about his runs with his new buddies ... putting his miles in on the trails in Fairmount Park week after week. 'I would never imagine getting up early Saturday mornings, when I used to be on the corners every Fridaynight.'" Read Full
Story
Your name, what? is an understated, inspirational story from Students Run Philly Style that barely mentions running and never uses the word marathon. Instead, it takes supporters past the obvious success at the finish line to show how the program can change a young person’s life.
“As James stumbled off the bus, you could see the fear in his deep blue eyes, like a boy lost at sea. A lifetime of isolation and communication challenges resulted in a wall between James and the rest of the world. He retreated away from the other kids and leaned against the yellow steel bus, as if it was his security blanket.” Read Full
Story
Do you have a memorable story of how your project began?
The Birth of "Joe" is a story within
a story written by Erin Hall, project director of Community
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Partnership of
Fort Collins, CO. Joe’s fall through the system
persuaded a loose collaboration of service providers
to work closely together. Now 21 public and private
agencies coordinate mental health and substance abuse
treatment in Larimer County, CO.
“One
by one a strange sense of recognition appeared on
several faces. 'I think we wrote about the
same guy!' ... Gary, the captain of the detention center said, 'If
this is the guy I am thinking of he is sitting in
the detention center today.' ... What went wrong? ... How could
each agency have tried so hard to help Joe and have
him end up in jail?" Read Full
Story
I Want You to Meet Joe - How a riveting story
can get your message across - Hall and her colleagues turned the story of Joe into a compelling PowerPoint presentation. Read the article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Spring 2005) that describes the presentation as a best practice.
Storybook