Charity
This Years' Charity
At last we are ready announce the charity we will be supporting at the MiDFur charity comedy show and charity auction. These events always amaze us with just how supportive and generous the Australian furry fandom is, with over $20,000 raised to date.
Which is why we felt we should share a somewhat disappointing story with you. We had intended to support the Penguin Foundation this year and were in the final arrangements when we were informed that they no longer wanted our support.
The best response we can give as a community is to show we are way more awesome than they think. So this year, we are proud to once again be supporting the Lost Dogs Home. Last year we raised $7771 for the Lost Dogs Home and we're looking forward to seeing you all doing what we can to help, so come along to the charity comedy show and charity auction on Sunday and bring your wallet as we pitch in to help.
Originally founded in 1910, today The Lost Dogs Home cares for over 20,000 animals every year and is Australia’s largest animal shelter. By providing shelter, veterinary services, adoption and re-homing services they care for cats and dogs who are lost, abandoned, suffered injury or otherwise just needed help. They also take a proactive stance on the treatment of animals, from providing knowledge through school talks, responsible pet ownership and animal training courses and lobbying for fair laws that support animal welfare.
For more on the Lost Dogs Home visit their website here: http://dogshome.com/
Charity Auction
This charity auction is not like other auctions. Loud, fun and driven by the community, this event sees furry art, memorabilia of all mediums and few random surprises thrown in go under the hammer. Last year we collectively raised $7771 for the Lost Dogs Home - and we're looking forward to breaking that record once again.
Submissions for the charity auction are welcome. This is done at the convetnion at the Art Show desk from Wednesday, January 4th to Friday, January 6th, 2011.
Charity Comedy Show
This year's comedian as the charity comedy show will be guest of honour, stand up comedian and 2 Sense host, Jibba Foxcoon. Kicking off the evening will be Australia's own furry stand up comedian, Anthrax, who performed last year with amazing success.
Past Charity Efforts
Since MiDFur become a convention in 2008, the charity events have been a highlight of the event and has raised over twenty thousand dollars for charities.
The first charity auction was at MiDFur X in 2008, where an audience of nearly 200 furs raised $3870 for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (RSPCA). Hosted by guests of honour 2 Gryphon and Uncle Kage who led the proceeding with humour and friendly jibes, the audience responded with unexpectedly high bids in the hundreds of dollars for arts and even a full fursuit. The final item was something legendary though. It was a poster signed by practically every single MiDFur attendee that had been display over the four days of the convention. This mere sheet of paper quickly was up to hundreds of dollars in the bidding – when an American furry brought the bidding to a halt with his unbeatable bid of nearly $500. No one had the funds to outbid him, yet it would be unthinkable to let an American lay claim to the poster from Australia’s first furry convention. There was a surge of Australian patriotism as everyone began putting in whatever money they could. When the crowd had settled, there was well over a thousand dollars raised. The poster was ours and the money all went to the RSPCA.
Then in February 2009, the state of Victoria in Australia was hit by one its worst ever natural disasters It was a series of bushfires that burned at numerous locations across the state from February 7th to March 14th destroying homes and lives. Despite the devastation, the community response to this was endearing with people volunteering their time and money to help. MiDFur was just one of countless groups who organised fundraising events, but we’re glad to say that the Australian furry community did their bit in raising $3987.30 with an online furry art auction with the funds going to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.
The second charity auction was at MiDFur: At The Movie in 2009 and raised funds for the Lort Smith Animal Hospital. Based in North Melbourne, Lort Smith is a not-for profit organisation whose services include veterinary care for injured animals, sheltering strays, provide boarding for animals and generally caring for animals that normally may not have been able to receive treatment. At the end of the night $5705 was raised, which was donated to the Lort Smith Animal Hospital and the money was given direct to the hospital’s CEO.
In 2010, the third charity auction raised $7771 for the Lost Dogs Home. Sydney's own Anthrax and Anthrocon CEO kicked off the evening with amazing stand up comedy set, followed up an auction that included original art by Stan Sakai, 2 metre long tails and one of the large MiDFur banners that decorated the convention. We hope to continue breaking records at MiDFur the 13th. Stay tuned as we'll be deciding on our 2011 charity later this year.
