This year marked the first ever for The Sanctuary Experience, a fan convention held in Vancouver by the cast and crew of the Syfy Channel series Sanctuary. Sci-fi fans are no strangers to conventions, but this event was unique as it was also a fundraiser. Stargate alums Amanda Tapping and Damian Kindler (former Stargate SG1 writer and Sanctuary creator) have been working alongside teacher and social worker Jill Bodie to raise money for their charitable organization Sanctuary for Kids.
Thanks to the fans of Sanctuary and the donations that were still coming in even after the convention drew to a close, they were able to raise $90,500 for the charity!
The entire cast of the Syfy series, as well as much of the crew, took part in the 3-day event. Fans were treated to Q&A sessions, autographs, pictures, and a live auction on Saturday night. The auction brought in such enthusiastic bidders that impromptu extras such as the actual shirt off the director’s back were added to the list of items for auction. Damian Kindler and actor Ryan Robbins even brought out their guitars and charmed the audience with a spur of the moment concert.
Tapping, who was hoping to raise $25,000 over the course of the convention, was awed by the success that they found with this event. “Having attended conventions and auctions in the past, I have seen the incredible power of fandom firsthand,” Tapping says. “A small group of dedicated fans with their grace and generosity reaffirmed my faith and respect. I knew fans were amazing, but this completely blew me away!”
Since opening the doors of Sanctuary for Kids last November, they have been able to raise over $174,000 for charities such as the Nepal Orphans Home and Vancouver based charity Watari. They also host three online auctions a year with Sanctuary studio Beedie Entertainment donating props for bidding.
Kindler hopes that other television series will follow in their footsteps. Both he and Tapping issued a challenge at San Diego’s Comic-Con last week, asking other television series to use their influence in a positive way. “We want it to be the norm that every TV show has a charity or supports one,” he said.
The third season of Sanctuary is now filming, and the show returns alongside Stargate Universe on Tuesday, September 28.
NEXT: Read the full press release
Congrats to Amanda and everyone involved – that’s impressive!
I really like the idea of every show having it’s own charity. Take people’s passion for a show and use it in a productive way. Plus it would alleviate the reputation fandom sometimes gets for being too wrapped up in it’s own fantasy world.
What charity do you think would be best for Stargate and it’s fans?
I think a charity that supports the military would be good for Stargate. And I’m not just saying that because I support Cell Phones for Soldiers–there are also a ton of other great charities out there doing what they can for soldiers serving or who have served overseas. This site has a great list.