Back in July, a viral video made the rounds from cube to cube here at Wellstone Action HQ (just like in offices around the world). Footage of the uniquely choreographed wedding processional of Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz, now at a mind-blowing 33 million views on Youtube, captured our hearts and made us proud of these boogie-ing Minnesotans.
Imagine our delight and surprise when the following week, we got a call from Jill. Due to the unexpected meteoric rise of their video to the forefront of pop culture in the space of a few days, they wanted to do something to turn that popularity and support into something positive for the world. And given that they danced down the aisle to a song by Chris Brown, who in the time since the dance was conceived and choreographed was arrested and plead guilty on charges of domestic violence, Jill and Kevin wanted to encourage their fans to donate to an organization that worked on violence prevention and ending domestic violence. This issue is one that has always been a high priority for Jill and Kevin.
We were honored that Jill and Kevin chose the Sheila Wellstone Institute - our program that continues the work of Sheila Wellstone to ensure that ending violence is a national priority. The SWI ensures that survivors and advocates join elected leaders on the front lines working to guarantee safety for every woman and child.
As of today, we have raised $27,332.09 from 1,022 donors. More than half of these donors gave contributions of less than $20, and they came from 48 states and more than 20 countries. This money will go to supporting the ongoing work of the Sheila Wellstone Institute, and allow us to train and empower more survivors and advocates to lift their voices and work for change in our communities and policies.
This tremendous support speaks not only to the deep commitment of many people to violence prevention, but also the inspiration that Jill and Kevin's joyous wedding gave people to imagine a world, as Sheila did, where women will be safe in their homes and relationships.
Since posting the video, Jill and Kevin have spread their message of violence prevention in local and national media, and won the Buzzflash Wings of Justice Award for their work in support of SWI. All of this attention brings greater national focus on the issue of ending domestic violence.
Visit Jill and Kevin's website and read more about why they support violence prevention. And take the opportunity to read more about what the Sheila Wellstone Institute has been up to, and browse the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Archives for writings and speeches from Sheila.