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BE A HAWTHORNE HERO

Dear Librarians and Church Leaders, HawthoRNe, a new series airing on TNT beginning June 16, 2009 at 9 PM Eastern/8 PM Central, is the inspirational story of Christina HawthoRNe, a nurse who fights battles she knows she won’t win, but tries nevertheless. Starring Jada Pinkett Smith as HawthoRNe, a recently widowed mother of a smart, willful teenager, Christina juggles her career and her equally important role as a single parent, a role familiar to viewers who share her same challenges each day. At work, Christina challenges hospital administrators, heartless doctors, apathetic colleagues, and a system that sometimes forgets it’s there to serve the sick. Between work and her home life, she often has difficulty keeping things together. But she knows she has to meet her daily challenges without compromising her values and, as viewers, we see what it takes to be an unsung hero. This new series, which presents some mature themes, also presents compelling relevant stories. Like HawthoRNe, library patrons and church members will be inspired to stand up for what's right in their community and seek to make changes that can make a difference. To help your group members become HawthoRNe Heroes, TNT, has developed this community viewers’ guide to HawthoRNe, which includes three reproducible handouts and a wall poster that you can use as the centerpiece of a library or church display or as a starting point for organizing a community-outreach program. We hope that you will make copies of these handouts available on your take-one table or incorporate them into your group programming. The materials will also enhance viewing of the series and give ideas for setting up a weekly HawthoRNe Heroes Viewing Club as a catalyst for group discussion. Also, included in this packet is a letter from Jada Pinkett Smith. Please photocopy the letter and leave it on your take-one table for your patrons or members. Feel free to share these materials with others in your community. Although the materials are copyrighted, you can reproduce them for educational purposes. And, please return the enclosed reply card with your opinion of the program. We depend on your feedback to continue providing free programs.

Sincerely,

Watch About the TNT series HAWTHORN E HAWTHORNE, HawthoRNe takes place at Richmond Trinity Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, where the beginning strong-but-caring Chief Nursing Officer, Christina HawthoRNe (Jada Pinkett Smith), often finds herself in the position of reluctant hero, battling issues that no one else June 16, 2009 will assume. Whether treating the homeless woman with an abandoned newborn in front of the hospital like a human being or trying to talk a suicidal cancer patient at 9/8c on off the roof, Christina shows us what it takes to have a heart. Told from the nurse’s perspective, HawthoRNe focuses on the emotional impact and private lives of the people Christina treats and on her own daily challenges. For more information on the series HawthoRNe, visit http://www.tnt.tv/series/hawthorne.

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TM & ©2009 Turner Broadcasting, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Reproducible Handout Join the HAWTHORNE HEROES Viewing Club Christina HawthoRNe is an “unsung hero” whose character, cancer patient off the roof, Christina challenges hospital dedication, and concern for others makes a vital difference in the administrators, heartless doctors, apathetic colleagues, and a lives of all those around her. Jada Pinkett Smith stars as Christina system that sometimes forgets it’s there to serve the sick. She can’t HawthoRNe in the compelling new TNT drama series, give up on anyone. And because of that, we are introduced to a HawthoRNe, beginning June 16, 2009 at 9 PM Eastern/8 PM real hero. For more information on the series HawthoRNe, visit Central. http://www.tnt.tv/series/hawthorne.

Recently widowed and the mother of a smart, willful teenager, To supplement your understanding of the series and how it Christina juggles her career and her role as a single parent. At reflects our lives, here are discussion questions and work she fights battles she knows she often won’t win. Whether recommended reading on related themes. As you consider the treating the homeless woman with an abandoned newborn in issues, ask yourself, “If you were in the same situations what front of the hospital like a human being or trying to talk a suicidal would you do?” HAWTHORNE Heroes Discussion Questions 1. Do large institutions—hospitals, Questions for Episode 1 insurance companies—care about the individual enough? Give 6. In HawthoRNe, Christina struggles with 10. Christina is a single mom dealing with a examples both pro and con. situations where sometimes she must rebellious teenage daughter. Do you 2. Discuss examples of nurses or go above and beyond her think she deals with her daughter and other medical professionals who responsibilities as a nurse. Do you think school appropriately? What parental have gone beyond the call of duty Christina makes the right decisions or advice would you give Christina? in your own life or in the lives of should she follow protocol? people you know. 7. Christina breaches hospital security as 3. Christina HawthoRNe can be she rushes to the roof to try and save described as a compassionate her friend and cancer patient from Read About These nurse who puts her patient’s well- committing suicide. Was it ethical for Women Heroes being first. What can a community her to put her career on the line to do to nurture compassionate help her friend? How would you Abigail Adams, Louisa May Alcott, thinkers like Christina? How can convince a suicidal person that life is Joan of Arc, Susan B. Anthony, you be more compassionate to worth living? Would you break the Clara Barton, Dr. Elizabeth your family, co-workers, or rules to help a friend in danger? Blackwell, Marie Curie, Amelia community members? 8. Christina also is approached by Isabel, a Earhart, Dian Fossey, Indira Ghandi, 4. Christina is dealing with the homeless woman with a newborn in Althea Gibson, Coretta Scott King, anniversary of her husband’s death need of care. Do you think Christina and the duties of a single mom. makes the right decision? How does Emma Lazarus, Golda Meir, The What are some challenges that a society treat the homeless? How does Mirabal Sisters, Antonia Novello, single parent must face in trying to our community treat the homeless? Are First Lady Michelle Obama, Ellen successfully raise a child? Does our there steps our community can take to Ochoa, Rosa Parks, Hanna Senesh, community support single parents improve their circumstances? Sojourner Truth, Oprah Winfrey and their challenges? 9. A fellow nurse struggles with a patient 5. What are the qualities of a hero? that he feels is misdiagnosed by a Who are your heroes? Why? doctor. Does he follow the doctor’s orders or what he thinks is right? What advice does Christina give the nurse? Do you agree or disagree with Christina’s advice?

Tune in to HawthoRNe, Tuesday nights beginning June 16, 2009 at 9 PM Eastern/ 8 PM Central to see how everyday people can do extraordinary things. TM & © 2009 Turner Broadcasting, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Reproducible Handout Start a HAWTHORNE HERO PROJECT In HawthoRNe, a new drama series airing on TNT beginning June 16, 2009 at 9 PM Eastern/8 PM Central, Christina HawthoRNe takes on the causes of those who have no one else to fight for them. She treats the homeless like real human beings and understands the hopelessness of a cancer patient who wants to put a quick end to his misery. Everyone, in every community, needs a hero like HawthoRNe.

Ideas for Your Community Implementing Your Hero Project Community Hero Project Below are some suggestions for a Hero Project you You’ll need to organize your vision, mission, goals, might institute in your community. These “idea and strategies. starters” are sure to generate great projects that 1. Name: Give your project a name. would help your specific community needs. 2. Mission: Write one sentence that describes what, why, Health: Organize a weekly question and answer series from and how your group does its work. a variety of physicians who would address pre-natal care, 3. Vision: Complete the following sentence with the ideal childhood illnesses, teen health, women’s issues, diabetes, vision for your project: geriatric health, and cardiovascular problems. “(Name of group) is working toward the day when... Nutrition: Develop handouts on healthy eating that you (describe the change you wish to see in your community).” make available to all patrons or members. Provide healthy 4. Establish Objectives and Tasks: Define your short-term snacks for children attending classes or functions. Organize objectives and describe the specific tasks that you will need a diet and exercise club. Educate community members on to take to achieve the objective. Ask members of your how healthy eating goes hand-in-hand with diabetes group to volunteer for a task. management, as well as other illnesses. 5. Create A Timeline: Determine when tasks and objectives Crisis Support: Organize an economic help team—local will be initiated and when they will be completed. bankers, CPA’s, attorneys—to disseminate timely information about finding a job, credit counseling, and consolidating loans and debt. Create a food drive in which non-perishable foods are collected for families who are dealing with a Project Planning Tools health, economic, or family crisis. Consider the following questions: Working Moms: Organize an after-school program for kids • Within the community we wish to serve, whom do that offers homework help, tutoring services, and we contact? recreational activities. Organize a Mom’s Support Group and •How much manpower do we need? Can we invite encourage cooperation among the members. others to help us? • Do we need to train ourselves/others to provide the The Elderly: Provide healthy meals for the elderly in the service? If yes, what training do we need and who community. Arrange regular visits to home-bound elderly to can provide the training? provide companionship—playing games, talking, or sharing • What is the date, time, and location of the service we a good book. Create a help line for the elderly to call with want to provide? problems, or even to just hear a friendly voice. Organize • Do we need permissions from our organization or volunteers to mow lawns, do odd jobs, or make a daily call partners, permits for our location, signed to an elderly person who lives alone. agreements, etc.? • How much money do we need to implement our Homeless Shelters and Soup Kitchens: Donate food or goals? Do we need to implement fund-raising supplies to your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. projects or grant-writing? Collect and deliver clothing. • How do we delegate the various tasks and responsibilities? • What would success look like?

Tune in to HawthoRNe, Tuesday nights beginning June 16, 2009 at 9 PM Eastern/ 8 PM Central to see how everyday people can do extraordinary things. TM & © 2009 Turner Broadcasting, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Use the letter below to generate interest in your community’s Hero Project. Fill in the location, date, and your Reproducible Handout signature and photocopy the letter. Leave the letter on your handout table or mail it to community members. Join the HAWTHORNE HERO PROJECT

Dear Community Members: A new television series beginning June 16, 2009, on TNT called HawthoRNe, shows us how everyday people can make real, life affirming changes in the community around them. Through this series, we have been inspired to encourage you to become part of our community's HawthoRNe Heroes Project.

HawthoRNe takes place at Richmond Trinity Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, where the strong-but-caring Chief Nursing Officer, Christina HawthoRNe, often finds herself in the position of reluctant hero, battling issues that no one else will assume. Told from the nurse’s perspective, HawthoRNe focuses on the emotional impact and private lives of the people Christina treats and on her own daily challenges as a single mother, leader, and friend.

Jada Pinkett Smith, the star and executive producer of HawthoRNe, says that her character, who is a nurse, “heals some aspect of her own soul as she tries to help her patients.” We believe that we can all heal our souls as we help our community.

Therefore, we invite you to join our HawthoRNe Heroes Project. The TNT network has provided us with materials to start organizing our own community effort. We will select a mission that will positively affect the members of our community and ask for your input in making this selection.

Please join us on ______at ______to help us get started. We will meet at ______.

We look forward to seeing you and doing the important work that will improve our hearts, our souls, and our community.

Sincerely,

______

Tune in to HawthoRNe, Tuesday nights beginning June 16, 2009 at 9 PM Eastern/ 8 PM Central to see how everyday people can do extraordinary things.