"We don't need your steenking moneys!"

There's a lot of hurt in this world. A lot of violence, a lot of trauma, and a lot of poverty. Children in particular should be helped either avoid these problems, or to cope with them as best they can. As one charity says on their website:

At CCF, we believe:

* all children deserve an environment of hope, respect and understanding;
* that poverty is a personal experience for every child and this insight and sensitivity guides all of our actions;
* it takes a global perspective and collaborative effort in order to substantially impact the issues of poverty that are facing children today;
* we must work together to create an environment of understanding towards all children embracing cultural and religious differences;
* that all of our actions must be guided by the utmost integrity and transparency;
* that we are accountable for all funds we receive, and we will always be upfront and honest with our donors and stakeholders and use these funds in the most efficient and productive manner.

That's the Christian Children's Fund, of course. Which, in spite of its name, is not some nutso evangelical organization.

Or so I thought until this morning.

So, I was reading one of my favorite web comics - The Order of the Stick - when I saw a news item:

10/31/2008

As has been reported by a few other gaming blogs and news sites, the Charity Auction at this year's GenCon Indianapolis was held to benefit Gary Gygax's favorite charity, which I will not name here for reasons that will soon become obvious. The fine folks at GenCon raised over $17,000 for this charity, which helps starving children in impovershed areas of the world--only to have that money actually turned down by the charity. The charity refused due to the fact that the money was raised partly by the sales of Dungeons and Dragons materials, which as we all know, puts an irrevocable taint of evil on the filthy lucre that us demon-worshipping gamers might want to use to, say, donate to starving children. Not only is this a slap in the face to every gamer, but it is especially insulting to Mr. Gygax himself, who I understand donated to their cause many times over the years. Plus, I'm sure the children who would have gotten food or clean drinking water with that money would be sort of upset, too.

I bring this story to your attention not simply so that you might let the people at this charity know how you feel (especially if you have donated to it before, as many did in the wake of Mr. Gygax's passing), but so that you would be aware that there is an alternative charity that I would personally recommend (based on our own charitable giving) if you have a desire to donate money to help starving children. Plan USA is a worldwide charity aimed at helping those who live in poverty and/or have suffered from a natural disaster, particularly with monthly sponsorships of individual children. Since the money of D&D players is clearly not welcome at this other charity, I can't recommend Plan USA highly enough to those interested in giving anyway. At least if you choose to donate through them, there's no chance your generous gifts to the starving children of the world will be rejected due to your weekend hobby.

(Incidentally, GenCon was also able to find another worthy charity with an entirely different focus, the Fisher House Foundation, that was willing to accept the money given in good faith by GenCon attendees.)

(There are loads of links in the original.)

Now, I'm not a gamer any more. Haven't been for over 20 years. But I remember the foolishness of the Christian Right in claiming that D&D and other such games were tools of the devil. I thought that it was ridiculous then, as I think it is ridiculous now. That a charity would turn down some $17,000 in donations because the money was raised in connection with gaming is absolutely absurd. Downright evil, actually. And because I think this way, I wanted to share the information with you.

Jim Downey