Comic Creators for Freedom is an organization set up by creatives Lora Innes and Crystal Yates, and has been running for a few years. Joined by other creatives to create art, awareness, and fundraise monies to help victims of human trafficking. Please, either as a creative, or someone interested in helping, read on… – Fes
Contributed article by Lora Innes & Crystal Yates
www.comiccreatorsforfreedom.com
Because PayPal changed some of their policies, we couldn’t collect donations as we had in the past, so we didn’t do the 2013 CCF drive in January of this year. But the extra time has given us a chance to reevaluate, and make some changes for the better. So what’s different in 2013?
- The 2013 drive will be held on International Abolition Day December 2-14.
- We obviously missed National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2013, but more than that, we’re an international group of creators, so a U.S.- only awareness day just didn’t seem appropriate.
- We will be raising money for only one charity: Love 146.
- Working directly with Love 146 allows us to create a campaign through their fundraising channels and we’ll never have to touch the donations directly. This solves all of the problems I was having by handling the money myself through PayPal. Also, with their 501(c)3 status, more of every donation makes it into the charity’s hands!
- There will be both girl and boy characters on the 2013 wallpaper.
- It’s just simply not true that only girls are victims of Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking takes on a variety of heinous forms, and neither sex is exempt. We wanted the 2013 drive to bring awareness to this fact which leads me to…
- What is the 2013 theme, anyway?!
- So glad you asked!
- The 2013 theme is Awkward School Photos!
- Submit your creator-owned girl or boy character as a child, all dressed up for everyone’s (least) favorite day: School Pictures!
- Rather than be repetitive, read all the full details before submitting your art here.
So far we’ve raised $22,500 in the fight to end Human Trafficking! Will you help again?
We’re on an abbreviated timeline this year, with International Abolition Day fast approaching, We need your art by November 22nd.
If you want to participate, please respond to this email, ASAP.
- If you participated last year, we still have your information for the website and an email confirming your participation is all we need for now.
- If this is your first year for participation, please send me an email with your name, your comic name, your URL, your female character’s name, and a 70 x 70 pixel icon of your character to be used next to your name on our website.
We need a few extra volunteers this year, in three areas:
- We need help on promoting and recruiting! We need you to invite other comic creators personally, on FB groups, and other message boards. And we need people who are well-connected to get the news out on Comic News Sites, Podcasts, and More! Please let me know if this is for you!
- I also need someone who is willing to update the blog with participants’ artwork as it comes in.
- I need someone who is good at marketing/ advertising to write press release and blog material to promote the drive.
We’re so excited to be doing this again, and to be doing it with all of you! I’ve always said that the comics community is full of the greatest people out there, and your big hearts and eagerness to be involved in the CCF drive proves my case.
We look forward to doing this all again!
If you’re in it with us, shoot me back an email. And if you want to volunteer for one of these positions, let me know!
