Child’s Play this year is going incredibly well. To date we've raised just over $100,000. All kinds of companies are stepping up to help out Child’s Play this year. One of them, Smugmug.com has helped us out with Child’s Play in the past by hosting our CP photos. This year they are going above and beyond. Smugmug is offering to match match every cash and gift donation from a Smugmug customer with the same amount of cash themselves, up to $10,000. You can read all the details here on Don’s blog.
Something we started doing last year is our annual charity dinner and auction. This is a semi formal event held at the Meydenbauer Center (same building as PAX) in Bellevue Washington on Dec, 13th. Let me break the event down for you:
The evening begins at 6:30 pm, on the 4th Floor of the Meydenbauer Center (Rooms 405-406). You can mingle with friends, people from the industry and Tycho and I while you browse and bid on silent auction items. Feel free to take advantage of the hors d'oevres and wine during this period. Dinner and the live auction will commence at 7:30.
Attire: This is a “semi-formal” dinner so I don’t want to see any T-shirts or jeans. Last year people really got into it, I mean we as geeks just don’t get many opportunities to do this sort of thing. It was really odd to look around the room and see a lot of the same faces I saw at PAX, only instead of black T-shirts they were in suits and dresses.
Dinner Menu Choices: You have a few different choices this year so check out these options and drool:
- Turkey breast roulade with sage shallot sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and cranberry chutney
or
- Top sirloin steak with Merlot rosemary demi-glace and roasted forest mushrooms served with horseradish potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables
or
- Grilled vegetable Napolean layered with Fontina Val d'Aosta cheese and fresh herbs served with sauce rouille, chive oil and crispy leeks
and
- Baby spinach salad with toasted pecans, brie slice, dried apricots, and raspberry vinaigrette
- Chocolate Royale Cake featuring rich coffee cake with mocha whipped cream and chocolate shavings
Fresh bread, coffee, tea, and wine are served with your meal.
That’s right, sage shallot sauce mother fuckers!
Auction: We’ve got some ridiculously cool stuff to bid on this year.
- Penny Arcade signed and numbered Xboxes and PS2s
- Cardboard Tube Samurai limited edition laser cels (a Proof and #11 from 750)
- A complete Penny Arcade wardrobe (38 shirts!)
- Brand new PSPs and XBOX 360s
- A gaming day with the Penny Arcade crew (for up to six people)
- A tour of the New Bungie Studios
- An appearance in a Penny Arcade comic strip.
- Tour of the new Penny Arcade office.
- Pet Murloc for World of Warcraft (was available only at BlizzCon)
- Original PA comic strip art.
- PAX banners (the much sought after and occasionally stolen banners from the Penny Arcade Expo)
- And much more!
Just like last year, the items will be divided into two groups. Some will be available via a silent auction while others will be in the live auction. The silent auction will run from 6:30 to 7:30. Live auction will run from 7:30 to 9:30 and will be emceed by Tycho and I. All bids are binding. Please bring form of payment to the event (cash, check, credit card) as all bids are to be settled that evening.
Tickets: Tickets are $100.00 per person. Now $25 of that actually goes to pay for your dinner and the rest of it goes directly to Child’s Play. That means that $75 is tax deductible. A portion of all auction bids are also tax deductible. I know it’s not a cheap ticket but I can tell you having been there last year, this is an incredible night and it’s all going to the kids.
If you’re in the area or near the area I really hope you will come out. Like I said this is a night you honestly won’t forget.
-Gabe out
