Past Charity Efforts
Since MiDFur become a convention in 2008, the charity events have been a highlight of the event and has raised over thirteen 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. Before the charity auction itself, there was a charity comedy show with returning guests of honour Uncle Kage and 2 Gryphon which alone raised $840. When the charity auction began the audience continued to be enthusiastic and supportive, with the bids went into the hundreds with such items as a commission for animatronic ears and a two metre tall MiDFur poster. Uncle Kage was actually revealed as a surprise guest of honour during the convention by means of a four minute film which drew inspiration from the Saw films. There were several key items in the film: an antidote vial, three plush toys and a fox mask. These props were all part of the last bidding for the night. Once again when the bidding reached its highest point, the audience joined in to contribute, making for another bidding which broke the $1000 mark. 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.
The MiDFur poster and the props from MiDFur’s Saw will be on display in the Convention Operations room at MiDFur 12: Heroes and Villians. You can almost certainly expect the $6000 mark to be broken when we hold yet another charity auction for the Lost Dogs Home in 2010.