Afghanistan Stories 3

On October 20, 2009, we hosted the third in our immensely successful series at the Belleville Lounge in Park Slope, Brooklyn! Together we raised a truly staggering $1,000 in cash donations, which AFCECO is in the process of using to purchase warm jackets, hats, socks, blankets, and bed sheets for the children to have as winter approaches in Kabul.

About our storytellers:

Kristen L. Rouse, founder of Veterans for Afghanistan, is a regular contributor to the nationally broadcast NPR show, “The Takeaway,” and recently appeared on MSNBC with anchor Contessa Brewer to discuss Veterans for Afghanistan. She served in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division for twelve months in Afghanistan and will return for a second tour early next year.

Max Noble, who served in Afghanistan as a medic with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division in 2006, recently joined President Obama at the White House to honor the service and sacrifice of his team member, Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti, who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Max spent fifteen months on missions, many of them on foot, in the eastern mountains of Kunar and Nuristan provinces.

Heather Metcalfe is an advocate who utilizes both the arts and law to raise awareness for others. She is a member of the NYS bar and the founder of Artfully Unforgotten. Since founding Artfully Unforgotten Heather has traveled to Rwanda where she spent time at a Rwandan orphanage. She has since produced a video which highlights the children of Gisimba and four multimedia exhibits all of which have raised funds and resources for the orphanage. In 2008, Heather began researching the situation of the women of Afghanistan. In June of ’09 she traveled to Afghanistan where began the production of a short film and a book that demonstrates the strength and courage of Afghan women.