Ultimately the filmmakers want the public to have hope for America's most vulnerable children and youth and to realize they carry more than scars from their painful upbringings. These young people also possess invaluable traits resulting from their formative experiences. While the scars are the default result of negative environmental factors, the positive attributes born out of a deprived childhood need to be cultivated with the assistance of others to enable such young people to actualize them. By participating on some level with the film's completion you become that "other." To that end, there are three primary goals behind the making of this film:

1. To inspire under-resourced young people to realize the internal assets they possess as a result of their difficult conditions; that in fact there are advantages to their disadvantages, so as to give them hope and motivation to pursue their dreams.
2. To motivate adult viewers to contribute to disadvantaged young people on some level to help build protective barriers around their chaotic lives. In so doing, these children and youth are afforded the opportunities and the emotional and psychological breath to discover their internal assets not in spite of their circumstances, but as a result of their circumstances.
3. To rejuvenate and inspire youth development professionals who work with America's most in-need kids by reminding them of the inherent strengths gained from such hardship waiting to be unleashed by a guiding hand.

Examples include:

• Host a house (or other venue) party for friends, colleagues and family to bring awareness to the project and ask for financial contributions. The event would include screening the film's 10-minute trailer and a Q & A with the Director/Producer.
• Organizational/logistical support
• Administrative support

Examples include:

• Help identify potential donors
• Broker a meeting between a prospective donor and the Producer
• Write and send a solicitation letter to a potential donor
• In partnership with the Producer identify additional fundraising strategies
• In partnership with the Producer develop an internet fundraising campaign
• Write an article about the film for submission to a media publication
• Help develop marketing/promotional materials
• For corporate employees, inquiring with your marketing department about supporting the film by providing tax deductible in-kind marketing materials and services.
• Editorial support
• Maintain and update the beating the chalk player website (webmaster) (tax deductible)

No need to beat around the bush here. If you wish to see the stories of these courageous young people brought to the public eye and have the financial capacity to do so, the filmmakers ask for your monetary contribution. Without such generosity the film's message will simply remain a great intention. Your financial contribution to the film is tax deductible as the project is fiscally sponsored by a registered 501c3 non-profit organization. "Executive Producer" credit is offered to donors contributing 20% or more towards the final costs of the project.  Please make checks payable to Film Arts Foundation.

Other helpful treasures include:

• In-kind office space use (tax deductible)
• In-kind airline mileage credit transfer (tax deductible)
• In-kind hotel vouchers (tax deductible)
• In-kind vehicle use for filming in bay area (tax deductible)
• In-kind marketing and promotional printing (tax deductible)
• Production meals for crew during shooting (tax deductible)