Welcome to Circle!

Season's Greetings!

As we complete our second year of "Circle!" with this issue, we reflect on what we've set out to accomplish, what we've achieved, and what we still have left to do.

From the beginning, our mission with this quarterly communication has been to inspire our readers to make a difference.

In working toward that goal, we've had the opportunity to shine a spotlight on so many people who have done some extraordinary things. Of course, one of those people was Harry himself. But how did Harry become the person he was? What made him tick? We asked his mom, Elspeth Hart, who generously shares her thoughts in this issue.

One of Harry's heroes, Pete Seeger, has dedicated his life to supporting a broad range of environmental and human rights causes, and in doing so has inspired thousands of other people to get involved. In this issue of Circle!, Pete talks about the importance of volunteerism.

Circle! also presents the story behind the song "We Are the World,” the project that has helped millions of people and celebrates its twentieth anniversary in January. Although it became one of the most well-known efforts in history to raise funds and awareness about hunger, it started with one individual — Harry Belafonte — contacting another individual — Ken Kragen — and a commitment by each of them to "do something."

The impact of their work, like that of Harry Chapin's legacy, endures.

One of the many bonus features of the forthcoming benefit two-DVD set of "We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song" is a segment that was recorded at the 1986 American Music Awards, where Belafonte accepted an award for the song and paid tribute to Harry Chapin.

In a very moving speech, Belafonte used a metaphor of throwing a pebble into a pond and watching the ripples expand across the pond, as he described Chapin's ongoing impact.

Belafonte said the ripples of Chapin's work reached Bob Geldof (who created "Band Aid" and the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?”), Willie Nelson (who established "Farm Aid," the international effort to help farmers in need), and Belafonte himself, along with millions of other people around the world.

We hope in some small way the stories we're sharing in this newsletter are helping to create ripples, and that more and more of our readers are throwing their own pebbles into the pond every day.

Please tell us about people you know who are making a difference so we can share their stories with others. Please help us to support the causes that keep Harry's dream alive — the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, the Harry Chapin Foundation, KIDS Can Make a Difference, Long Island Cares: The Harry Chapin Food Bank, and World Hunger Year.

And please continue to join us as we each find our own way to make a difference.

Warmly,
The Circle! Team

Watch for the Next Issue of Circle! on March 7