Welcome to the My World My Time podcast, where we go back in time to interview people from history about how they made a difference in the world.
The year is 1918 and we’re on the front lines of World War I to interview Violet & Alice McAllister, two sisters who left their home in Virginia to volunteer with the Salvation Army in war-torn France. They spent hours each day making donuts for the soldiers. Listen to the interview to find out why those little donuts were so important!
(The interview is a work of fiction, written by Kathryn Moss. Wherever possible, Alice & Violet’s own words have been used as recorded in Alice’s journal.)
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TALK ABOUT IT!
- Alice says that even a small match, once lit, can dispel the darkness. Do you agree with her?
- Why do we sometimes feel our small efforts aren’t as important as bigger, more obvious efforts?
- We each need to take our turn being on the front lines and being the support. How can we remind ourselves that both are equally as important?
- What’s one small thing you can do to support someone going through a hard time?
***To find out more about the Salvation Army Donut Lassies, check out some of our favorite resources:
- The Doughnut Sweethearts (Original journal of Alice McAllister)
- The Women who Fried Donuts & Dodged Bombs (article by Smithsonian Magazine)
- Salvation Army (official website for the US Salvation Army)
MEET THE ACTORS!
ELIZABETH PARSON (ALICE) has lived many places in her life but has finally found home in Fort Collins, CO. Where she enjoys biking, kayaking and hiking with her husband and kids. From a young age she has been involved in theater and performance, and eventually found her way to being an actress in film. A lover of and believer in the power of story, she has recently begun dipping her toes in screenwriting and has found so much joy in this different form of creativity and art. She also volunteers her time to coaching middle and high school theater students in her town so they too can feel the transformative power of theater that she discovered as a teen.
Some of the shows that she has loved being a part of include “Jane Eyre”, “Adam Bede”, “Marvin’s Room”, “Over the River and Through the Woods”, “Out of Liberty”, a mini-series based on “The Book of Mormon” and “Matchmaker Christmas”.
RACHEL MACDONALD (VIOLET) is an avid reader, writer, and storyteller. From the day she was first able to read “Ten Apples Up On Top” to her sister, to her time telling stories as a teacher and mom, Rachel loves telling a good story (and doing all the voices.) Next to long Sunday afternoons reading “Narnia” to her kids, her favorite story experience has been her two years as a storyteller at her local library. Rachel is a voice-over artist with Such A Voice, as well as a member of the Utah Storytellers Guild, and The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You can find her on her writer’s blog, https://thegoodwritinglife.wordpress.com/.
KATHRYN MOSS (WRITER/INTERVIEWER) is the founder of My World My Time, and an EMMY-nominated writer & director. Her feature film, Resistance Movement, and her award-winning documentary, “A Time for Resistance”, tell the incredible true story of the Hübener Group, three teens who had the courage to stand against Hitler.
In 2016 Kathryn founded the group My World My Time, to help inspire one another in the fight for a better world.
As a speaker she has been invited to speak at film festivals, churches, prisons, schools and conferences around the world, including an International Conference on Religion & Film in Italy.
Kathryn earned a Master’s degree in Directing from the University of London, and has 1st degree black belts in both Mixed Martial Arts and Traditional Taekwondo. She lives in West Jordan, Utah with her husband and three daughters.
Another winner AND a weeper! What a lovely story. I love the thought of two sisters sharing these experiences — challenging, tender and uplifting — together. What a beautiful and powerful bond they built in their cheerful and united effort to help and what a difference they made. So inspiring.