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I've been a fan of Richard Dean Anderson (RDA) since his stint on General Hopital too many years ago. I'm also a Science Fiction fan and loved the movie "Stargate". When I found out that RDA would be starring in the showtime version of Stargate, I was ecstatic to say the least. I wasted no time getting ShowTime and becoming thuroughly hooked on the tv series.
Two years ago, actress Teryl Rothery, (Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate), had asked fans to donate a teddy bear to a children's organization in lieu of a gift for her birthday. This was such a success, that several of the fans formed The Stuffy Guard, an organization dedicated to collecting and donating stuffed toys to children's organization in Teryl's name. Last September they donated a grand total of 800 stuffies to the Starlight Children's Foundation in Vancouver Canada.
At this same convention, several friends and I had won a lunch with actor JR Bourne, also known as Martouf on Stargate. JR's niece has Cystic Fibrosis so he had auctioned off time with him before and after the convention for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He raised over $12,000 and spent a great deal of time with several dozen fans over the course of the convention. He is such a gentle man and gentle soul. <smile> He has the most generous blue eyes and open smile. <sigh>
I love cuddly stuffed toys and when the Stuffy Guard created the Martouf Squad, I justed couldn't resist taking command. This squad is in charge of Dolphins and other sea critter recruits but won't descriminate if others wish to join. In fact, I encourage diversity in my squad. :)
I've set a goal of 200 stuffy recruits by the end of February. A quantity that I can't ship so will donate to local organizations here in San Diego. I didn't think it would be that difficult to find a home for new Stuffies but I was wrong. After several frustrated attempts on the internet, I broke down and started making phone calls. I had heard that some cities police officers carried new toys in the trunk of their patrol cars incase they came across a child in need. That's when I found the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation and the SDPD Crisis Intervention team. Both use soft stuff toys for those who are in need of something to cuddle.
If my recruitment tactics are successful at ConDor, I will be setting up a recruitment station at ComiCon International in early August. ComiCon has up to 54,000 attendees over a 5 day period. Last year, MGM was there and had brought Michael Shanks down for his first convention appearance. Well, it was an autograph session versus a panel but he was here first so I hope we may see more of the Stargate personnel this year. Wish me luck.
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