Tomatoes
tried to Kill me
But Banjos Saved My Life

An Award Winning, Inspirational True Story
Keith Alessi playing a banjo

Stories from the community

Everyone has a story. Your stories matter.  

Keith Alessi had a story.  

He was neither an actor nor a musician, and his journey to the stage was a highly improbable one. But this show is a reflection of the power and purpose our stories can have when we share them with the world in an authentic and honest way.

Everyone has a story. What’s yours?

We are inspired and amazed by the resilience, fortitude, and love shared by so many of the people we've met through our Tomatoes tours over the years. We wanted to create a space to collect and share these stories with the community. Find inspiration from people around the world (or future friends) and share your own story of resilience and purpose, of overcoming obstacles and facing life head-on.

INSPIRING COMMUNITY STORIES

From Novice Quilters to Community Pillars: A Journey of Crafting Comfort and Connection Through Quilting

My husband and I purchased a long arm quilting machine in February 2020. We had only been quilting for a few years but we knew we wanted to do more. There was a need for Comfort Quilts: veterans, foster children, cancer patients, babies, nursing homes, etc. And then, of course, Covid happened! But we had plenty of time to practice with the machine and it was all charity work so we spent months getting better. And that first year we completed 300 quilts. We have learned a LOT and attracted a few customers and many more quilty friends. The journey continues and we are still turning out 300 plus quilts each year. The work is immensely rewarding and we are together 24/7 (retired), grateful and blessed to be able to help our community.

C.Y.

SUBMIT YOUR OWN STORY

Have a story of overcoming obstacles? Share it with the Tomatoes community!

We'll review your story and post it to our website and potentially our newsletter to community members.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CAUSE

Check out some of the incredible organizations we support through the Tomatoes project and consider making a donation to support their work.

Sophie's Place entrance with banner across the front.

Sophie’s Place at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the sixth in the nation, is a dedicated music therapy environment to promote creative expression, safety, and solace for patients and their families throughout the healing process.

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ECAN was created with the primary goal to raise awareness of the risk of Esophageal Cancer posed by persistent heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (known as GERD). While increased awareness remains ECAN’s primary focus, educating patients about their options for prevention, early detection and treatment has become a priority. ECAN has become a trusted and reliable source for the latest in medical research affecting those at risk for Esophageal Cancer.

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Wellspring is a Canada-wide network of charities, offering programs and services, at no charge and without referral, to anyone, with any type of cancer, at any stage in their journey. Wellspring provides a community of support for those living with cancer and their loved ones, driven by our members’ needs.

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