A Very Special Supernatural Fandom Public Service Announcement
Every once in a while, it’s my duty to keep everyone informed on some important things going on in the fandom. There are good things that do come from the crazed (sorry, enthusiastic!) fans, and they deserve some mention.
First, the big Asylum convention in Birmingham, England is being held this weekend. Anyone going? Want to share your experiences? Just email them to me (use the Contact Us section) and I’ll be sure to publish it on the site. Many of us love reading these con stories, so share your joy! Be a hero to your fandom! Be the recipient of our extreme jealousy!
Second, I was contacted on behalf of Tonya, who is spreading the word about the annual Kazcon held in Lawrence Kansas. This year’s con is August 6-9. This is a fan con where there are no high profile guests, but no expensive ticket prices either. There are panels and activities all designed for fans to bond and share the love of the show. All information can be found at http://kazcon.us.
Also, its time for an update from my good friends Lindsay and Heather at Support Supernatural. For those that are unfamiliar, they have been raising funds for the last few months for “A Dog’s Life Rescue,†a Jared Padalecki endorsed pet rescue in Los Angeles. The fundraiser is set to run until early August.
Now, I know, these fan fundraisers are wearing a bit on people. Times are tough, and how many of these things can we be asked to support? This campaign has taken that into heart and has been trying to make it easier on folks. For one, I’m offering up the proceeds on my Amazon Associates account. I’m finding with a bad economy and a tighter budget, more than ever I’m ordering things from Amazon. I’m sure many others are doing the same! Click on an Amazon add here at the Winchester Family Business, place an order (it knows the link came from this site), and six percent of those proceeds go toward Support Supernatural’s fundraiser. The offer is good for the entire length of the fundraiser. Want to pre-order your copy of Season Four? Do it through this site, and you will be helping the animals. Given the fact I’m a HUGE pet lover (I own two dogs and two cats), you would certainly have my gratitude.
I’ll even share pictures of my pets if it means support for A Dog’s Life. Here’s one of my cat, who we rescued as a kitten from an uncertain future in a friend’s garage. My kids named him Gary, after Spongebob’s pet snail. I won’t even try to explain how my puppy’s name ended up being Elvis.
Second, Support Supernatural are holding monthly drawings for anyone who donates as little at $10. This month (May), the drawing features one Fred Lehne autographed photo, an Alona Tal autographed photo, Issue #5 of Supernatural magazine, an autographed copy of Jim Beaver’s Life’s That Way, and one of Kelio’s pure silver charms that she had autographed and donated to us (see attached image). One is signed by Malik and one is signed by Jim.
The prizes will get bigger and better each month. A few examples: a Supernatural script signed by Traci Dinwiddie and “A Dog’s Life Rescue” merchandise signed by Jared Padalecki. Also, Support Supernatural has a Café Press store. Any proceeds from merchandise you buy will go to the animals.
The goal is $10,000, and with only a little over two months to go, only $3658.50 has been raised. For more information on the campaign like the Grand Prize drawing at the end of the fundraiser, a chance to sign the Guestbook, and all the great press they’ve been getting, go to www.supportsupernatural.com.
That’s all for now. Any other news to share or something to plug? Please share. We need to be informed.
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
I’ve made my donation, and hope to donate some more before the campaign ends! As a newbie to any sort of fandom, I was so pleased to find that being a fan of Supernatural could involve being a part of something like a fundraiser for an awesome cause. Since I work for a Humane Society, I know that animals are often at the bottom of the donation totem pole, so raising money for A Dog’s Life Rescue is such a fantastic thing. I really hope the fundraiser is a huge success.
Well, the good news is that Support Supernatural’s campaign for A Dog’s Life Rescue is above $4000 now. As someone who has helped with rehabbing a horse rescued by the SPCA, I know the importance of societies like these, and I have not only donated, but also took a step further into the techy world and learned how to add a special banner for them on my blog. (http://tigershire.blogspot.com/) if anyone wants to see it.
I am like Alice too. I don’t normally go into bugging folks about donating. I do what I can when I can so fall firmly into the category of “don’t ask me – I’ll come to you when I’m ready” but, I was also a very lucky sod – I donated at the beginning of this campaign and won a prize! One of those cool minibusts of Dean (which I am SO taking with me to the ‘con in Vancouver and getting Jensen to autograph). So, you know, if you are thinking about it…..there might be a good karma surprise in it for you. 😀