2012 GARY CON BENEFIT Each year, Gary Con has held an auction, which relied on the generosity of our attendees to both donate items and to bid large sums of money to purchase those items. In the first two years, this revenue was important to overall success of Gary Con, as our badge fees and souvenir revenue did not cover all of the show’s costs. Last year, we realized that we were safely “in the black,” and that these funds wouldn’t be required to cover our costs. So last year we decided to collect these funds on behalf of both the Gygax Memorial Fund, in support of its efforts to erect a monument to E. Gary Gygax in Lake Geneva, and to the estate of the recently passed Jim Roslof, former TSR Art Director, to assist the Roslof family with their costs. We intend to continue this tradition each Gary Con by holding a Benefit Auction and a Benefit Raffle to raise funds to support important projects and individuals in the gaming industry. Gary Con is pleased to announce that this year’s benefit will be for the: BAIL OUT THE WARDEN FUND Many of you may not know this, but Jim Ward, an icon in the gaming industry, author of notable works such as Gamma World, Deities & Demigods, and Greyhawk Adventures, was recently diagnosed by the Mayo Clinic with a serious neurological disorder. Jim lost nearly 50% of his body weight and the gaming world came very close to saying goodbye to yet another of the pioneers of the industry. Jim’s doctors say that his condition is treatable and manageable, but that it will remain very serious forever. While Jim and his family are fortunate to have health insurance, the insurance does not pay 100% and his bills are mounting at an alarming rate. While we can't make Jim well, perhaps we can alleviate some of his financial worries and remove some of the burden from his family. The Bail Out the Warden Fund was set up by Jim’s close personal friend, Tim Kask, and has raised over $11,000 to date. This year, Gary Con plans to raise funds for Jim through our Benefit Auction and also in our all-new Benefit Raffle. Benefit Auction This year’s auction will take place on Saturday, March 24th, at 5:00pm in the restaurant area of the hotel. It is open to all and we plan on being finished no later than 6:00pm. While Gary Con will be donating and providing several cool items for the auction, we are always looking for additional donations. If you have something you’re interested in donating, please contact one of our staff directly or drop us a line through the website. A few teaser items that will be in this year’s auction include: • Coin #1 of 100 from this year’s Gary Con Challenge Coin • An exclusive, fully painted, Gary Con original miniature! • A private game for you and up to 7 of your friends on Sunday with Jim Ward as your DM! Benefit Raffle This year we’re trying something new: a raffle. Tickets will cost $1.00 each and the more tickets that are sold, the more prizes that will be offered. The raffle will be held on Saturday, March 24th, at 4:30pm in the restaurant area of the hotel (right before the auction). While you need not be present to win, you must claim your prize in person before 4pm on Sunday, March 25th. For every 100 tickets sold, Gary Con will donate a prize from our very cool line-up of souvenirs and donated items. For every 250 tickets sold, there will be an additional prize added that we promise will be very cool, and a limited edition (not available for sale). These special prizes will be limited to a maximum of 8 (at 2,000 tickets sold). A few teaser items from the raffle will include: • A DM copy of the Gary Con Open tournament module (not available for sale) • A original piece of art from the artists' alcove • A private game for you and 7 friends with DM Tim Kask at Gary Con V! Raffle tickets can currently be purchased at the Gary Con website. Until March 4th, for each ticket purchased, an additional GP will be added to your account to allow for additional event registrations. Raffle tickets can also be purchased at the convention. Gary Con has a limited supply of custom dice (d4s) and pens that we will include free with any raffle ticket purchase. In addition, due to several generous donations, a limited number of swag bags will be available. With a $20 purchase of raffle tickets at the show, you will get a free swag bag! Please note that raffle tickets purchased at the website do not count towards this $20 (you're getting GPs for those tickets!). The Fine Print Please note that 75% of the funds collected in both the Benefit Auction and Benefit Raffle are being raised on behalf of the Bail Out the Warden Fund. We believe that neither any funds paid nor any items donated to either of these events will be tax deductible. You are welcome to consult your own tax professional regarding your specific situation, however. The remaining 25% of the funds will be retained by Gary Con and earmarked to both assist with other charitable endeavors as well as to cover the costs of this and future fund raising events. Please see our 2012 Program Guide for information regarding the E. Gary Gygax memorial tile we purchased in 2011 which is located in Lake Geneva's Riviera Park.
The raffle tickets are now available for sale. Please note that the system currently only allows for 1/2 of your pts to carry over to next year (to a max of 10). So any balance over 20 will be lost.
