The Holiday Competition Fairy & I are here to announce the winner of the Just For One Day contest and, let me tell you, deciding upon the winner was not an easy thing for either one of us! We put our heads together, though, yesterday and settled upon a winner.
The reason this wasn't easy is both entries are incredibly heartfelt and inspirational in their telling of how Bob Geldof, Band Aid, & Live Aid influenced and changed their lives. Speaking as someone for whom this is also the case, I got really swept up in reading both & I'm deeply moved by them. Okay, Holiday Fairy, are you ready?
🧚⭐🧚 AND THE WINNER IS...! 🧚⭐🧚
JEFF ELBEL FROM CHICAGO!
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🎉 Congratulations, Jeff! 🎉 You've just won yourself the Boomtown Rats t~shirt of your choice! (I'll be getting in touch with you to get your information). 🎉
Our other entry came from Irene Clayton & I fully encourage you to read her story here:
https://www.citizensofboomtown.com/boomtown/competitions/just-for-one-day-1
Irene runs Bob Geldof's Twitter account & does an amazing job doing it! In her story, you'll learn what inspired her to bring this into being. You'll also learn how Live 8 powerfully affected the kids in the school where she taught. It's a great and powerful story.
Jeff, I've chosen you as the winner for your focus on Band Aid and Live Aid, in particular, and the way you describe getting swept up in the tide of it. You put me right back there to those moments when each came into being. It's almost too much for words, isn't it? You found them, though, and I love the way you describe the spirit of both Band Aid and Live Aid being something you've incorporated into your daily life. I'm really excited because I think the run of "Just For One Day" at the Old Vic & the release of Live Aid to IMAX (I'm not sure exactly when that will happen) is going to spread that fire to millions of more people! I know it will. Thank you for so eloquently describing how this happened for you & exactly what it felt like!
Catch a fire, everyone, and read Jeff's story! Here it is!:
🔸 🌏 🔸JEFF ELBEL, WINNING ENTRY FOR THE JUST FOR ONE DAY COMPETITION 🌏
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I was a small-town teenaged kid in 1984 when the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas" was released. I liked the tune from Bob and Midge, and of course I was drawn by hearing so many of my new wave and alt-pop favorites from MTV on one track. But I was really struck when reading about the backstory and the reason that Geldof had spearheaded the effort - to actually DO something about famine in Ethiopia, instead of just letting it flash by as a newsreel. As I read, the world opened up to me and I learned that I had responsibility to do what I could to make life better for others, whether near or far. Self-interest didn't need to enter the picture, but I deduced that the world would only become a better place for me if it became better for others around the world who didn't have access to the resources I could find in plenty. The next summer, Live Aid exploded all of these thoughts into living color and sky high letters - there they were: More favorite musicians, including my new favorites The Boomtown Rats. More exposure to the needs of others. More realization that people -could- be collectively good and work for the benefit of others. Music really could be a mighty force for change. We can be heroes just for one day. And one more day, and one more day. One day at a time. xo - Jeff #JustFor.OneDay
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This is so fantastic! I am thrilled and thankful. Thank you, Jennifer and all. Much respect as always to Irene! I'm excited for everyone attending at the Old Vic. I'll proudly wear a new Rats shirt and spread the word around Chicago. #JustForOneDay