The Fandom Rocks Frontline would like to thank the fans for their continued support of the campaigns. Every email, comment, and donation from each corner of the world keeps us motivated and enforces our appreciation of our awesome fandom. (We have said you guys rock, yes?)

Stay tuned for the campaign report and Campaign #3 charities announcement!

Brande’s Trip: I drove down to my parents’ place in Orange County from my house in Northern CA on Friday, about 9 hours’ drive. Saturday morning, I picked up ilovesn at the train station near my parents’ house as she came in from LA to join me. My father, a veteran Marine, my mother, my boys, Lissie and I were all planning to be there for the handoff.

The drive to Oceanside was very short and we actually were a bit early, so we killed some time outside the gates of Camp Pendleton. Once we were through the gates, we followed my parents (who were in a second car) as my dad used to be stationed at Pendleton and knows the base layout. It’s a very good thing as the Wounded Warrior Center is tucked away in a fairly secluded section of the base, just off the lake. The scenery was lovely and I wish we’d been able to take pictures, but due to Sec Regs we could not.

The IMSFF location is not just offices, as I previously thought. It is actually a 26-bed rehabilitation facility for Marines too injured to return to their regular unit, but not injured enough to require hospitalization. After transfer to the Wounded Warrior unit, they can continue with physiotherapy, meet with counselors, etc. About 50% are rehabilitated enough to return to their regular unit. Those that are unable to return to their unit and are scheduled for a medical discharge are then scheduled to work with counselors who assist them with the transition to civilian life. They also receive assistance with PTSD and other psychological issues related to their experiences and injuries.

(Read the rest of Brande’s report at our Livejournal community.)

Dana’s Trip: On Sunday, I drove from Champaign to Lawrence to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade with the Lawrence Humane Society and present them with our check from the second campaign. While in town, I stopped by Target and picked up two dozen or so travel-sized bathroom items (deodorant, sunblock, toothpaste, etc.) to drop at the community shelter from our first campaign. Loring, the director, was not in the office yet on Monday morning, so I left the donation with a note. It will be good to keep in touch with them over the next year as they work toward funding for a new building/location.

Late Sunday night, I sent an order to Kinko’s for 20 sheets of our bookmark. I had three bags of Starburst candies to tape to 100 bookmarks for the parade. We handed them all out within the first 5 blocks, but I am getting ahead of myself.

First, we stood in the drizzling rain for an hour, finishing the float, waiting, waiting, and waiting. Then we walked in the parade for 20-minutes, handed out all of the bookmarks, and were completely soaked by the end. My fingers are crossed that at least a few of those bookmarks made it into the hands of a new viewer.

When we went back to the humane society, I presented Midge with the check and took a photo with the staff who were on hand. We did a video tour of the shelter, and I will have that on the web site as soon as I get back home and can edit everything together.

The renovation/expansion completed last fall at the humane society had a $600,000 loan. They have paid it down, roughly, to the last $120,000. With our donation and other fundraisers, they hope to have it paid off this year.

(Read the rest of Dana’s report at our Livejournal community.)

Lawrence Humane Society Tour: Dana walked through the humane society with Midge, the director, on Monday, March 17. On Mondays, the shelter is closed to visits for cleaning, and you can see the staff hard at work while Dana and Midge continue through the building. The front of the building has meeting and offices spaces. On the tour, you can also see:

• the main dog and puppy area
• the dog holding area
• the opposite side of dog holding
• the food room
• the working room where staff do laundry, give baths, etc.
• the main cat and kitten areas
• the cat and kitten holding areas
• the media room for education purposes

(Dana apologizes in advance for all of her cooing over the animals. If she could take them all home, she would.)

The phone interview from last fall is included at the end of the video over the Humane Society’s fundraising/informational video.

• Creation Entertainment
• Titan Publishing
• Powerstar Merchandise
• Harper Collins Publishing
• Keith DeCandido
• Fan-Made Creations
• LJ Users: _sin_attract, Ficwriter1996, Janglyjewels, and Aurelia

Thanks to all the sponsors and guests, our second campaign is well on the way to success. Enjoy the podcast!

Links:
Zilla: www.zillamusic.com
Arthur Yoria: www.arthuryoria.com

Raised so far …

- $1 from Cafe Press
- $18 from Amazon Associates fees
- $300 from Paypal donations

Thank you to …

Stephanie L. (US)
Janine L. (UK)
Crystal C. (US)
Emilie D.L. (Canada)
Brandy O. (US)
Bernadette G. (Switzerland)
Christine L. (US)
Anja K. (Germany)
Melissa S. (US)
Elizabeth H. (US)

Silent Auctions, Posters, and Podcasts …

In case you didn’t know, a couple of fans are organizing a dinner and silent auction right before the Chicago Creation Convention, and the proceeds are going to Fandom Rocks. How awesome it that?

This is a perfect example of the kind of unique event that fans could try to have themselves. Other ideas:
- Host a dinner party with donations accepted at the door
- Have an “extreme” chocolate party with all sorts of chocolate goodies for a donation
- Put out a jar at a garage sale for donations
- Host a car wash
- Host a dog wash; after all, we are supporting the Humane Society this time around!

For any event you are hosting, you can download one of these posters, add in text for your event, and print them as needed. We would love to know when you are hosting an event so we can promote it for you, too!

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Podcast: for the fans, by the fans

We are still collecting audio greetings from fans. If you would like to send one in, please do! The upcoming podcast is all about you and will (hopefully) be as diverse and entertaining as our fandom. It might contain:

- Three Questions with a Fan
- Tell Me Your Favorite Season 1/Season 2/Sam/Dean/John/Bobby/Ash/Ellen/YED Moment
- Episode Recap in 5 Minutes
- ANYTHING!

If you can record it, we will work it into the podcast. Just like before:

- Make a phone post on Livejournal
- Call us on Skype
- Record it another way and email it

If you have ideas or questions, don’t be shy. We will be more than happy to work with you on it.