Changemaker
Jack Canfield
TL;DR
The Chicken Soup for the Soul co-creator who appears in our film. He met Sparky in 1984 and published the blue-ribbon story that carried her ceremony around the world.
Jack Canfield is the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which has sold over 110 million books, and a longtime teacher of self-esteem and success principles through his company, Self Esteem Seminars. In our film he tells the story of meeting Sparky in 1984, when she honored him with a ribbon at one of his events, and of the ribbon story he later published in the first Chicken Soup for the Soul, about a father whose ribbon reached his son on the night the boy had planned to end his life.
Canfield's role in the blue ribbon story is the amplifier. Hundreds of ribbons handed out through his seminars reached 35,000 people in three months, and the book carried Sparky's story worldwide.
Why OGSP Recommends It
He is on camera in our film telling the story most people know the blue ribbon by. The father, the son, and the pistol that was handed over instead of used. His seminars and book are a big reason blue ribbon reached the world.
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Key Takeaways
- Canfield met Sparky in 1984 when she honored him with a ribbon at one of his own events.
- Ribbons distributed through his seminars reached 35,000 people within three months.
- He published the father-and-son blue ribbon story in the first Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jack Canfield?
Jack Canfield is the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series and a longtime teacher of self-esteem and success principles through his company, Self Esteem Seminars. He appears in One Good Story Project's film about the blue ribbon movement.
How many Chicken Soup for the Soul books have been sold?
The Chicken Soup for the Soul series co-created by Jack Canfield has sold over 110 million books, according to his One Good Story Project profile.
How did Jack Canfield meet Grandma Sparky?
Jack Canfield met Helice "Grandma Sparky" Bridges in 1984, when she honored him with a blue ribbon at one of his events. He tells the story in One Good Story Project's film about her ceremony.
What is the blue ribbon story Jack Canfield published?
In the first Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield published the story of a father whose blue ribbon reached his son on a night the boy believed his life did not matter, and changed his mind. Canfield retells it in One Good Story Project's film about the ceremony.