September is national suicide prevention month, but if you ask me every month, every week, every day should be a day we seek to prevent suicide. That we try to give those that feel they don’t have any other options support, and help them see there are other choices. This will definitely be a bit of a personal post, but I’ll try not to derail things too much.  I’m sure most of you remember my post about Why I react so Violently to Bullying, if not give it a read. I will warn you that it’s full of feels as they say.

Not a day goes by that I don’t miss Mark. That I won’t wonder what could have been if he had somewhere to turn. He would have graduated college by now, surely, maybe even have found the love of his life. Maybe he’d have found a place to set roots, and have been well into the start of a happy and full life. Maybe he’d have none of those things, but the point is we’ll never get a chance to know. In his memory, I’d like to do something.

This is an attempt to fund-raise, not for myself, but for organizations that actively seek to give options and offer intervention services to help those in need. The Trevor Project, Born This Way Foundation and many others exist to offer help and solutions to those in need. From now until the end of September 2012, to help support them in their efforts, I will not be taking commissions for money for myself but instead I will offer commissions based on donations to these organizations. I know, having donated my own money to both, that they will give you a confirmation of your total in a handy email and or screenshot. If you donate to them, or any other organization that helps prevent suicide or provide crisis services, I will draw you something of your choice. You can see my artwork here, as well as on my Twitter and I’m going to offer it in the following structure.

  • $1 – $10 – A thank you on my live stream for 24 hours of gaming at the release of Mists of Pandaria.
  • $11 – $20 – Black and White sketch of a single character of your choice
  • $21 – $40 – Black and White sketch of multiple characters (in a single image) or a scene of your choice
  • $41 – $60 – Color painting / cell drawing of a single character of your choice
  • $61 – $80 – color painting / cell drawing of multiple characters or a scene of your choice
  • $80+ – color painting / cell drawing of multiple characters ( in a single image) or a scene of your choice, and I will upload a video of myself dancing a jig to youtube dedicated to everyone who contributed.  The highest contributor will get to decide what hat I wear while streaming, and while dancing the jig.

I ask that you email me a picture of your confirmed donation, or leave it here as a comment (again with image confirmation) and we’ll get the ball rolling. I hope that you will participate, you’ll get some decent art of the deal, I’ll embarrass myself for your amusement, and you’ll be helping a great cause. If any of my artists friends would like to join me in this, they would be most welcome.

 

*UPDATE* as an added bonus, the lovely and talented Lore from http://www.exitrealitystudios.com/ has agreed to give a sketch as well to anyone who contributes $20 + . That’s a good extra bonus for all you folks from an artist that far eclipses my own talent.