Global initiative aims to save greatest body of wisdom in history

Oct. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Libraries of personal history are being lost as our grandparents pass away by the thousands each day. The Living Legacy Project (http://www.legacystories.org/about/living-legacy) is a global initiative to preserve, archive and share the living history of the 20th century.

“While interest in searching for ancestor records is growing rapidly, the personal recollections of our elders represent the closest connection to those records. There is precious little time to preserve that connection”, says Tom Cormier, co- founder.

“Equally as threatened are the billions of vintage photos and old media, deteriorating in the closets and shelves of our elders, the least knowledgeable about digitizing legacy media. These personally recorded images represent the living history of the 20th century. Without immediate assistance and attention this treasure will regrettably vanish. It takes a coordinated effort and a scalable 3- pronged approach to save it.”

The Living Legacy Project has three main components;

1. The International Association of StoryKeepers (I-ASK), a boots-on-the-ground network of heritage professionals providing free community workshops and fee-based assistance where needed.  Members come from all heritage disciplines; genealogists, personal historians, digital media specialists, and others.

Members take an online Certified Legacy Advisor course to maintain a consistent message and consulting process and are provided pathways to income to build or enhance their business. Learn more here: http://www.legacystories.org/ask

2. LegacyStories.Org is the official archive, meeting place and sharing network for the Project. The free site  provides everything to help build and pass on a personal legacy and/or the legacy of an ancestor with features such as:

·      Talking Photos, a new technology to record oral narratives of vintage photos

·      Multi-media blogs for memoirs, journals and writings

·      Books and tapes on genealogy, memoir writing, etc.

·      FamilySearch.org Family Tree access. Search for over 3.3 billion records

Learn more here: http://www.legacystories.org

3. The Legacy Matters Program was developed as a “first step” for people to take control of their legacy.  

The program is administered by I-ASK’s Certified Legacy Advisors (with background checks).  Learn more here: http://www.legacystories.org/about/legacy-matters-family

Together, all three components provide opportunity to heritage pros and for people wishing to start a career in the legacy-consulting field. For more details contact support@legacystories.org or call 423-295-5904.