Fundraising Update
Posted on December 8, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 23 Comments
So, I put up today’s fundraising appeal + story at precisely the stroke of midnight, and here’s how much you’ve kicked in, as of 3:37pm Eastern time:
$2,058.48
Bill Schafer of Subterranean Press promised to match the first $1,000 raised dollar for dollar — and he has. So this is how much we’ve actually managed to raise here at Whatever so far:
$3,058.48
That is pretty damn excellent, my friends. I sincerely thank you for helping out a fellow SF writer.
There’s more good news in that aside from the amount we’ve raised here, there has been enough raised for Vera Nazarian to make the house payment that will keep the bank from foreclosing. But as it happens there are other immediate and critical expenses she has that the money we’ve raised here can go toward. For example, Ms. Nazarian’s sewer pipes need to be tended to, and the cost she was quoted was something on the order of $2,800. So congratulations, folks: Your money is going into the sewer. In the best way possible. Additional monies will go toward other medical and personal expenses, so that Ms. Nazarian will have a little wiggle room if emergencies strike again.
Remember also that there are a whole bunch of auctions of books and services going on over here, to also add to the amount raised. Check ’em out, you might see something you like.
Again, thanks for pitching in. You’re making a real difference for someone, and that’s always a good thing. And thanks again to Bill Schafer for letting me borrow the story I sold to him, and for kicking in a grand’s worth of matching funds. That earns him the “Cool Human” award for the week, if you ask me.
Man this really made me smile, Scalzi. And it’s my birthday today so I was already in a kind of chippery smiling mood.
It’s really nice to see how many people want to help when someone needs it.
This is better then Bacon-Cat.
It was a pleasure to be a part of this, and I can’t think of a better way to have spent my money, especially since it looks like Ms. Nazarian will be okay. Great news!
Way to go!
I donated to Vera’s fund myself a couple of hours *before* reading your blog on the subject. Glad to hear that you were able to go over the top of the matching funds without my contribution.
My late husband, Robert Adams, was a recipient of the help available in the sf community, and am glad to have another opportunity to pay forward the debt.
PS- I too forgot the Help Vera line.
I always feel bad that I can’t help other people out at this point. I used to buy homeless people food and give them blankets and books and stuff when I had extra. But with this economy and with my wife being the sole breadwinner at the moment (I am the house husband raising our daughter), we are barely making it ourselves.
Luckily, there are always those who CAN help on things like this. Good on ya, all of ya.
Do you have any idea if she’s reached her goal overall, or is close? (I donated over the weekend, but via a different site.) No idea how to find out. Although I guess it will be announced if she makes it?
Mac:
As noted in the entry, the cost of her house payment to prevent foreclosure has been met, so she’s out of immediate danger of getting kicked out of her house.
Whoops. No idea how I missed that. *blush* Thanks!
Well, that’s what I get for going on a college visit and missing out on all the fun.
I’ll go buy one of her books.
You’re a nice guy, John Scalzi.
::big happy smile::
This makes me happy. And it feels good to know that what little I could give is part of making a difference for someone.
Is someone donating tax advice to her on these donations? I’d hate to have her get messed up again when The Man wants a share of the money.
That is so great. Hope my wee dollar helped.
Congrats, Scalzi.
Bill is 10,000 kinds of awesome.
Yeah! Sewers! (I asked J– to kick in for us through his paypal account.)
It is so awesome to see the Sff community pulling together to help one of our own.
Gives me a warm squishy feeling.
Ok. Yay for Vera!
but I still have the overwhelming urge to explain that if anyone wants to give me money, I promise it will only be used to pay my mortgage or for personal expenses.
And while I find that amusing, I think many would not, so I am saying it in a not funny way, even though I still think it is funny.
But Vera’s situation was not funny and I am glad people helped her out. Yay Helping People!
I’d also think it funny to say that Vera is a hoax created years ago by Scalzi or some other SF writer, as a psuedonym but with an entire online personality to go along with it, just to trick people and this is just the latest. Though, I know it wouldn’t really be funny.
So I won’t ask if anyone who has met Vera can confirm that she was not an actress hired by a SF writer to play the part of their psuedonym.
And I won’t ask if she has ever been seen at the same time as Scalzi or if anyone has pictures of Scalzi in drag.
Because, you know, it wouldn’t be funny. Right?
Patrick M:
Still working on that socialization thing, I see.
In fact, I don’t think I’ve actually ever met Vera Nazarian personally; at least I can’t recall having done.
There are pictures of me in drag, however. The less said about that the better.
Thankfully I didn’t ask about any photos of you in drag.
Yes, thankfully NOT.
WHY do you pique my curiosity in this way? Whip ’em out!
(Hey, if I could handle Guiliani dressed as Marilyn Monroe…)
Cat Hellisenon (#16): I sometimes get a warm squishy feeling too, but it comes from … well, you don’t want to know.
totally off topic, but it that my friend mac?