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The 2006 CharityAuction beneficiary will be ProjectGutenberg, an online repository of out-of-copyright e-books.
The following appeared in the 2005 ProgramBook:
CharityAuction
Charity begins at home, but it also extends worldwide. This year, the PenguiCon CharityAuction is going to have two worthy recipients, one very local, and the other international. These two charities that will split the proceeds from the auction are CritterCare and the EFF.
What is CritterCare?
CritterCare is the medical expenses benefit fund established for The Critter, also known as TracyWorcester, co-founder of PenguiCon. As many of you know, Tracy was diagnosed with thyroid cancer some months ago, and last month underwent thyroid removal surgery. While the surgery went well, and the latest tests show the cancer gone, Tracy is still accumulating substantial medical bills. She currently is working with her doctors to determine the appropriate dosage for her thyroid hormone replacement medication, and continues to suffer some side effects as a result.
What is the EFF?
The ElectronicFrontierFoundation is a non-profit advocacy and legal organization which preserves first amendment rights in the context of today’s digital age. Its educates the press, policymakers and the general public about civil liberties issues related to technology, and acts as a defender of those liberties. EFF has taken action in several ways:
• providing or funding legal defense in court
• defending the individual and new technologies from the chilling effects of baseless or misdirected legal threats
• providing guidance to the government and courts
• organizing political action and mass mailings
• supporting new technologies which preserve personal freedoms
• maintaining a database and web sites of related news and information
• monitoring and challenging potential legislation that would infringe on personal rights and erode fair use
• soliciting a list of patent abuses to defeat those without merit
So please come and help us support both of these very worthy groups at the PenguiCon CharityAuction, Saturday night at 10:30 in the Amphitheatre. We hope to duplicate the fun that was had at last year’s benefit auction, and we urge you to bid early and bid often! Our celebrity auctioneers will be Penguicon 3.0 GuestOfHonor CoryDoctorow, and former GuestOfHonor and current PenguiCon NiftyGuest Eric S. Raymond.
The following appeared in the 2004 ProgramBook:
CharityAuction
Come and participate in the first PenguiCon CharityAuction held Saturday night at 8:30, with WilWheaton as auctioneer! The auction will be for the benefit of the ComicBookLegalDefenseFund, founded in 1986 as a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community.
Just recently, the CBLDF has been active right here in Michigan helping in the fight against the new “Harmful to Minors” law. This law, which became effective at the start of this year, requires booksellers to prevent any possibility that minors could even look at works considered “harmful” to them. According to Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the CBLDF, this would cover such graphic novel classics as NeilGaiman’s Sandman.
All proceeds from the Charity Auction will be donated to the CBLDF, and the donors list includes writers like NeilGaiman and LaurellKHamilton, as well as organizations like BaenBooks, Addison-Wesley/Prentice Hall PTR, O’Reilly & Associates, SteveJackson Games, Palladium Books, and Dark Carnival Games. Donated items include autographed ScienceFiction and Fantasy novels, computer and programming books, games, t-shirts, and many other items of interest. We hope to see you there 8:30 pm Saturday.