Can’t Stop the Serenity is a global charity event which reaches thousands of pop culture fans every year.  Fans of Joss Whedon in 52 cities over 7 countries organize screenings of “Serenity” to raise money and awareness for Equality Now – an organization that advocates for the rights of women and girls on a global scale, through social pressure and grassroots education – and other worthy charities.  Since 2006 we have raised over $400,000 and we are aiming to raise a further $150,000 in 2010 as we continue to grow and reach new areas.

As a Global Sponsor, you will reach a wide audience and be associated with a highly successful charity event.  Our fans are keen to support those who support us, and we welcome the opportunity to bring you into our family.

Global Sponsorship can come in many shapes and forms, and we are confident that we can find something to suit you.

• Prize Pack Sponsor – Donation of merchandise and other items that can be used as prizes at local events in raffles, auctions or competitions to assist our local organizers raise money for Equality Now.  The minimum quantity is 60 items (one per local event), and all items must be received by April 30th to enable distribution to local event organizers.
• Auction Sponsor – Donation of items for our Global eBay Auction such as memorabilia, autographs and other unique items.  Auctions will be held in June and October.
• Media Partner – Join us in promoting Can’t Stop the Serenity by providing advertising on your website and communications.
• Merchandise Partner – Enable local organizers to purchase merchandise at a discounted rate to sell at local events to raise money for Equality Now.

Equality Now is a non-profit organization in the US and UK, so your donation will be tax deductible.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, we would be happy to discuss the various options and benefits available to you.  Please contact Christine, the 2010 Global Organiser, at christine@cantstoptheserenity.com.

However, we can only have one “winner” here and that winner is: #5 by Don McMillan from Ottawa, ON Canada. You might remember Don’s work from last year’s promotional art. Congratulations Don, and thanks to all who entered for the hard work they put into their entries.

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Please visit our Host an Event! page for all the details about the registration process.

Stay shiny!

Do you love all things Serenity? Do you love doing good works? Do you have mad artistic skillz?

Then there’s probably no power in the ‘Verse more compellin’ then a request for you and your awesome creativity.

Calling all Big Damn Artistical Heroes… We’re putting the signal out to those of YOU with the guts and artistic skills necessary to create the Official Promotional Artwork for CSTS 2010.

One lucky winner’s design will be featured on t-shirts, posters and promotional material and only one can achieve world fame.

Should you accept this mission and seek to become an artistic part of the CSTS 2010 crew, you’ll have to follow the basic guidelines listed below. The reward is shiny, the cause is mighty and we’re sanguine (as in the hopeful sense of the word) that the competition will be mighty fierce… what with all the amazing and compelling art you’ll be sending in.

So saddle up, release your inner muses and submit your artwork to us today! We look forward to seeing all that positivity and creativity we know all you Browncoats have stored inside you.

Keep flyin’ shiny!
Christine (via Anne’s perfect 2009 prose)

And now, we’d take it as a kindness if you’d read up further on the competition guidelines. For more information please continue on to our forums.

This is the (a) call for the CSTS 2010 Global Organising Team, join us to support our brilliant world wide Local Organisers and give to Equality Now and our other causes.

See this post for details about available positions.

Twelve is a magical age, where life is poised to leave childhood behind while reaching out toward the mysteries of women. Dolls sit on shelves but remain dear friends and babysitting becomes something to strive for, to feed the blossoming feminine need to nurture as well as to earn money for little dreams. Yet on September 11th, for Fawziya Abdullah Youssef (a 12-year-old who should have been a flower girl instead of a child-bride) life ended – awash in pain and blood.

Fawziya bled to death after three days of hard labor, a child forced to become a mother before her time. For most WOMEN it is a traumatic experience (pain of any kind for anyone is debilitating) but to force a CHILD to suffer through it for THREE days is a devastating commentary of sadness and disbelief. Yet, Fawziya is not the first Yemeni child-bride, nor is she to be the last. Unless something is done now to educate and legislate changes to protect these girls from the same kind of horrors Fawziya suffered through, thousands more will follow in her bloody footsteps. Without a minimum statutory age, there is no way to even begin to punish those responsible for this sick slavery.

This is where the hard working efforts of organizations like Equality Now help to make a difference all over the world.

Recent reports find that anywhere between 25% to 50% of the females in Yemen are married off before the age of fifteen – giving them the ghastly earned sobriquet of “the brides of death.” Many like Fawziya (married at a mere 11 years of age) are traded off like cattle to cousins and/or for the promise of high dowries. Little girls and young women without a chance to pursue their own dreams. Do you remember when you were 11 or 12? Do you know of a girl now who is that age? Can you imagine the horrors of being forced into maternal servitude without a say, to anyone with enough collateral to buy you?

Can you imagine dying after three days of horrific pain, giving birth to a stillborn baby – alone and unprepared? Now imagine it if you went through it as a child.

Don’t stop there – use that anger and disbelief and turn that energy toward something positive. Use it to do something, anything because there is always hope when good folk get together. It only takes a minute (at the very least) to donate something to an organization for change, like Equality Now. If you want to do more, you can write letters, speak out in blogs, twitter or get the word out via other social networking sites. Go to one of the remaining CSTS events to not only have a great time, but to donate to Equality Now so they can do more to bring balance to this impoverished area of the world.

If 8-year-old Nojud Mohammed Ali can fight the system in Yemen, and win – just imagine what we can all do together. When her father married her off to a man 20 years older than her, she fought and was granted a divorce. Because of her courage, others are becoming aware of their own rights for childhood, education and the chance to become what they want to be. So it doesn’t matter how old you are, if you fight the good fight, you can make a difference and bring about change.

Join with me in supporting these girls and women and do something for the greater good of all of humanity. Donate your time, talents and pocket change to Equality Now – because that’s what us Browncoats do best. This is the best way I know of “aiming to misbehave.”

Warm Regards,
Anne

What if we tell you that there is a way you can help make a difference to raise money for Equality Now and all it would take is maybe a minute of your time?  Sound good?  Well here’s the scoop.

There’s a contest for your favorite charity at:

http://www.ilovechristiecookies.com/contest/form.asp

The link isn’t listed in the drop down menu yet, but with a few more votes it should be up there soon.  So where’s what you need to do.

1.  Click on the drop down menu (“Check to see if your favorite charity is already listed.”) to see if Equality Now is listed.  If it is, click on it and proceed to fill out your information and vote!  (Amanda Sullivan should be the Charity Contact Name)

2.  If it isn’t there, click on the 2nd drop down menu (“Don’t see your charity listed?  Click here add yours.”) and enter in Equality Now.  Fill in the information, use Amanda as the Charity Contact Name and send in your vote.

3.  Tell everyone you know about this and have them go and vote too!  There are 12 prizes in all ranging from first: $10,000, second: $5,000, and 10 prizes of $1,000 each.  There is only one vote per email address (so if you have multiple emails you can use them) The more we pass this on, the better chance we have to raise even more money for Equality Now.

Nominations must be submitted on or before October 15, 2009. The winning charities will be announced in November 2009.

SO let’s get out there and do our part to help Equality Now!  We can show them the big voices and hearts of gold, CSTS and Browncoats everywhere have to do good.

I have here, right here before me… that precious bit o’email from Amanda at Equality Now!

What email you ask?  Well for those of you who mighta missed our little missive earlier, it contains two very special names – the names belonging to the shiny winners in part one of the global prize draw…

Even I can’t stop the serenity – so now, without any further ado and/or and procrastination of the special shiny announcement – here we go.

✺❥✺ JOHNNY YARBROUGH ✺❥✺
of Chicago!❣

✶✳✸✷✵✹✺  CONGRATULATIONS❢  ✺✹✵✷✸✳✶

From all of us here at CSTS central, we say thanks for supporting our awesome sauce cause by supporting your local organizers and whoot for winning!  Be sure to keep checking back because we have more things to share and we’ll also be drawing for the rest of the festive prizes in a couple months.

Also, a very special thank you to Amanda Sullivan/Equality Now for agreeing to be our lovely random name/prize puller!  What a team we make and what a way to make a difference!

Have a fantabulous Labor Day Weekend!

Warm Regards,
Anne

CREATION ENTERTAINMENT GOLD PASSES

Jen Grańa – Boston
Cory Seaton – Denver
Carl Hewelt – Chicago
Craig Dungan – Raleigh
Abi Kritzer – Minneapolis
Patrick O’Connor – Seattle
David West – Pittsburgh
Aurora Miracle – Portland
Brett Trout – Des Moines
Mark Thompson – Vancouver, BC
Wendy Scott – Warwick, UK
Diana Hall – Nottingham, UK
David Hudgins – Arlington
Steven Norris – Nashville
Tiffany Bell – Melbourne, AUS
Jacob Acosta – Dallas
Megan McAfee-Erskine – Albuquerque
Linda Bourbeau – OC/Irvine
Michelle Carlbert – Los Angeles
David Bean – San Diego
MA Ghaffar – Riverside
Lydia Hernandez – Austin
Risa Kitaura – San Antonio

BROWNCOAT BALL PASSES

Dan Morley – New England
Erin Card – Denver
Johnny Yarbrough – Chicago
Amy Preble – Raleigh
Grant Johnson – Minneapolis
Gary Rawson – Seattle
Michele Trader – Pittsburgh
Anitra Pavka – Portland
Kelly Goergen – Des Moines
Laurel Ragen – Vancouver, BC
Susan Crean – Warwick, UK
Laura Walker – Nottingham, UK
Matt Krainik – Arlington
Lisa Rish – Nashville
Carly Williams – Melbourne, AUS
Tracy Yothers – Dallas
Chris Laplante – Albuquerque
Michelle Evans – OC/Irvine
Kate Hopp – Los Angeles
Corey Ruhl – San Diego
Beth Zorko – Riverside
Barbara Slough – Austin
Jaime Crowe – San Antonio

And these are the Browncoat groups who sent ‘e m on up!

*via snail mail (All others were emailed to globalprizedraw@cantstoptheserenity.com)

Stay tuned – we’ll be sure to let you know who they are as soon as we hear back from Amanda…

GOOD LUCK!

Warm Regards,
Anne