The following are highlights from a recent Mick Foley interview where he discusses his work with RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network:
Foley on how he became involved with RAINN: “As a longtime Tori Amos fan, I had been familiar with RAINN and the work they did for many years – probably dating back to the founding of the organization in 1994. But until I actually met Tori in 2008, and then took the time to learn more, I didn’t see how I could really contribute to a cause that I had no understanding of.
“I had been doing volunteer work for quite a while, but until learning to use the computer – I actually linked to RAINN from Tori’s website on the first night I learned how to access the internet, in September 2008 – I had never thought that an organization like RAINN could be my piece of the puzzle to figuring out how one might be able to make the biggest difference. Now I see it as the perfect place for my piece of the puzzle to fit in.”
Foley on the wrestling world’s reaction to his work: “You know, wrestling can be kind of macho, but because it’s something of a performing art as well as an athletic endeavor, I think there is quite a bit more creativity and sensitivity than you might find in another type of locker-room. Little by little, the other guys, and the ladies I work with, are finding out about the work I do with RAINN, and I think they find it to be kind of inspirational in a way. If anyone makes fun of me, they’re not doing it to my face.”
Foley on his fundraising campaign: “We’re just asking for ten-dollar donations, but on a whim, while my wife was recording my RAINN PSA, I mentioned that for enough money, I would go to someone’s house and cut their lawn. When RAINN got the video – which I had to send, because I had no idea how to download – they asked if I was serious about the lawn mowing. I assured them I was, and yesterday, we got a $5,000 donation for me to mow a lawn.
“There’s part of me that believes that my wrestling fans’ love for me begins and ends with what I do in wrestling, and to some extent, the books I write about wrestling. I’m not sure how much support they’re going to give me. But I think this campaign is just offbeat enough to attract attention from the outside world – like the people reading this blog. That attention might create more money, but I also hope it leads a better understanding of the issue of sexual violence, and back to the idea that there is a place in the issue for even the unlikeliest of candidates.”
Check out the complete interview online at TheFWord.org.
