Written by Denise Gary
Photograph © Denise Gary
Should there be any doubt that Browncoats and fans of Nathan Fillion are at the very heart of Kids Need to Read, I would like to share the details of their enormous contributions to our cause in 2011. The various fan projects and groups raised a total of $36,504 for KNTR in 2011, and that amount does not include contributions from individuals. Interestingly, and perhaps not coincidentally, the majority of Browncoats and Fillion fans I have met over the past six years are highly literate and passionate about reading. We share their passion and sincerely thank them all for making a difference in the success of our young organization. This year, we impacted 23,463 children, almost quadruple the amount of children served in 2010! Browncoat and Fillion fan funds played a large role in that growth. Their funds also made it possible for us to initiate Reading Revolution, a new program developed in partnership with Arizona State University and ASU Preparatory Academy. Reading Revolution is aimed at increasing literacy rates and decreasing dropout rates among middle school students, especially in failing schools. This project is the most important work Kids Need to Read has conducted to date and could have a major impact on adolescent literacy rates in the future once the program is expanded.
We would like to thank the following Browncoat/Fillion fan organizations for assisting Kids Need to Read in 2011:
Browncoat Big Damn Fan Films (contributing $19,798 in 2011) created a Serenity/Firefly-based film (Browncoats: Redemption) to benefit charitable causes and managed to raise over $100,000 by the end of their courageous project. As one of their benefiting charities, Kids Need to Read received a total of $23,251 over the lifetime of Browncoats: Redemption. Browncoat Big Damn Fan Films has always gone above and beyond the call of duty for our organization, for which we will always remain grateful. The film’s writer/director, Michael Dougherty, now serves as the DJ of the KNTR Geek Prom, sponsored by Bookmans at Phoenix Comicon.
California Browncoats (contributing $5,123 in 2011) will always hold a special place in our hearts for being the first Browncoat group to embrace KNTR. They partnered with Dark Horse Comics to create a special edition cover for the Serenity: Better Days #1 comic book, which was initially sold at San Diego Comic-Con in 2008. Since that time, California Browncoats have raised a total of $15,688 for KNTR. In addition, Kids Need to Read was given several hundred copies of the limited edition comic book, which we sell in our eBay store and at Phoenix Comicon. We raised $608 from sales of the donated comics in 2011, and more in year’s past, so this project continues to benefit Kids Need to Read year after year.
Help Nathan Buy Firefly/Unstoppable Signals (contributing $4,208 in 2011) won our respect by standing tall when their Help Nathan Buy Firefly project gathered over a hundred thousand followers on their Facebook page virtually overnight, leaving many viral onlookers dumbfounded. When it was made clear their project could not move forward, the group leaders were determined to use their momentum for something positive. They encouraged their followers to send donations to KNTR, from which we received $3,736. Help Nathan Buy Firefly then sponsored a t-shirt design contest, with all proceeds from t-shirt sales sent directly to Kids Need to Read. The t-shirt project provided an additional $472 for KNTR. We were so impressed with the integrity of the HNBF leaders and appreciated how respectfully we were treated during their hectic times.
Nathan Fillion FANS (contributing $2,729 in 2011) have run a fundraising drive for Kids Need to Read over the past two years in honor of KNTR Co-founder Nathan Fillion’s birthday. In total, they have raised $3,795 for our organization. It is an honor to work with Nathan Fillion FANS, as KNTR evolved from a similar group of Fillion supporters.
The following Browncoat organizations contributed funds from their Can’t Stop the Serenity screenings of the movie Serenity, or from other fundraisers staged in their communities. We are most grateful to each of these organizations for choosing to support Kids Need to Read:
Alberta Browncoats Society ($860)
Arizona Browncoats ($333)
Austin Browncoats ($500)
Northern Virginia Browncoats ($497)
Raleigh NC Browncoats ($1,077)
San Antonio Browncoats ($539)
Southeastern Browncoats ($500)
Whedonites United ($340)
Thank you to all who contributed to Kids Need to Read in 2011, whether you are a Browncoat, Fillion fan, or supporter of childhood literacy. Together, all of your contributions enabled KNTR to not only provide a record number of books to children but allowed us to implement important programs to increase the impact of the reading resources we supply. We hope we can once again count on your support in the New Year, so Kids Need to Read can continue working on behalf of our nation’s children.
