Within only days remaining for contributions to the Storm Wardens Project to be entered, I thought I'd re-post this message from Mike at Santa Cruz Warhammer. It speaks a bit about the project, and the great charity of Doctors Without Borders.
Please take the time to read through it. My thoughts follow.
John and I at Santa Cruz Warhammer started the Storm Wardens Project with a simple idea:
John and I at Santa Cruz Warhammer started the Storm Wardens Project with a simple idea:
first find a great cause that needs help, then ask the most talented modelers we know to help us build an amazing army that gets raffled off with all the proceeds going to the charity. We didn't expect much and were mostly excited about doing something in the blog community to try and help out in some way.
Six weeks later I can tell you this project has become a bigger success then we ever imagined! This weekend we will make a very BIG announcement, ending the donation drive for this project.
Doctors without Borders
As our chosen charity, all the proceeds from the Storm Wardens Project will go to Doctors Without Borders. This organization provides medical and general health assistance in 60 countries around the world.
When needed, Doctors Without Borders send in only a minimal amount of skilled volunteers and they help set up a local network of sustainable health and medical projects that employs local doctors and nurses as much as possible. That way there is always a good understanding of the nature of problems in a specific area.
The projects range from building hospitals and field clinics to developing wells with fresh drinking water and setting up waste management projects.
The link below directs you to the current projects that DWB is involved in:
Remember that a lot of the things that they accomplish are things we take for granted in our countries: vaccines, fresh water, electricity and general medicine like antibiotics.
According to Wikipedia, DWB is pretty much the only source of treatment for people with HIV and AIDS in much of Africa...that is pretty amazing if you think about it. The picture below points to a project where DWB designed a new, affordable IV drip that can be made locally and costs a fraction of what a normal one costs.
According to figures from DWB, 80% of it's money has been donated by people like you and me.
As far as we are concerned, there can never be enough money for this organization. One glance at the list of current activities tells you that the world is in desparate need of a neutral group of people that help out the innocent victims caught in the crossfire.
Our Wargaming Community
Over the course of the Storm Wardens Project, John and I have become absolutely amazed by the excitement and generosity of the global wargaming community, including players, bloggers and gaming related companies alike.
We have received support from all over the world, including places like Indonesia, Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore and Iceland. I like to think that through table top games, people can release so much stress from their daily life, that the world is probably a better place because of it.
We have learned that as a community, we are not only creative, playful, and social, we are also compassionate and have an interest in helping others.
So, we see that this project has become truly global, but what else can we do?
The answer is to reach out one last time to make sure you have told everyone you know, not just your gaming buddies, about this grand project.
You (and they) have until the end of this Sunday, July 18, to click on the button on the top right, and contribute to this collection for Doctors Without Borders. If you have already given, we are extremely grateful and proud that you did. Just remember, Sunday at 7.00PM we will remove the donation buttons, so you have a few days left to help out people in need.
Thank you all.
Mike
Well, there you have it. A great charity and a great response from our hobby community!
When I was invited to participate in this project I was very excited. A chance to work with some great hobbyists (and bloggers) for a good cause. What's not to like?
Thank you to all the team members for your time and effort.
Thank you to all the companies who gave their products (and profits).
Thank you to all of you who have given your cash to the cause!
If you haven't been able to contribute yet, please remember two things:
1. Charities need your help all the time, don't stop giving.
2. To contribute to this project you have until Sunday night (10pm EST or 7pm PST), get to it!
Cheers
Dave
personally I think that the storm wardens project is a cracking idea and it doesn't matter if you don't win the army at least you know that you've made a differance to someone.
ReplyDeleteThe added extras like the dice and the like are the cream on the cake as these are one off and not been done to self promote but to show that they have a human side to them and that they involve themselves within the community.
Awesome idea and great work guys.
ReplyDeleteDWB is an fantastic charity and awesome choice
I have never contributed to an online call for charity... until this one. The key? A solid charity and how the community so fully embraced the project.
ReplyDeleteWhile they're cool, it's not about the prizes (I waited until the eleventh hour and did the deed yesterday). For me, it has everything to do with how all us geeks came together and really ran with the idea.
Kudos to the Storm Wardens project leaders/participants. Your empathy for those less fortunate is admirable, and having the stones to follow though and actually attempt to facilitate change is to your credit.
Were this to turn into an annual event, count me as a continuing supporter.
-Dryw
Thanks very much guys! It has indeed been great to see so many people get behind the idea and contribute what they can, from product to donations to words of encouragement.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure this'll be an annual thing, switching up the charities and formats as we go.
As you say Dryw, it's not about the prizes at all, but the drawing together of the community for a common cause.
Cheers
Dave
Great idea indeed... hope you will tell us the amount you will donate...
ReplyDeletetx
Hi Danick - yep, not sure if the plan is to tell after we close the donations, or after we draw the winner, but rest assured we'll be letting everyone know how much we raised : )
ReplyDeleteGreat cause! Good on ya guys!
ReplyDelete