Many people have asked us why we at OG are continuing on, so long after the Gathering of the Fellowship. The simple answer is because it is the right thing to do. The incredible guests and generous private lenders that made TGoTF possible deserve it. The detailed answer? Did you happen to catch Bruce Hopkins doing cartwheels in the hallway to cheer up some volunteers who were dragging themselves down the hall after no sleep for days? It worked!!
Who could forget when the picnic almost didn't happen and the food was paid for by attendees...and then later when the picnic was rained out we ended having a truly wonderful party with music and dancing because those who were there to entertain wanted to see this all succeed!
....or when there were not enough tickets to the musical, so Bruce and Craig offered to entertain everyone for 2 hours... Many people gave up their musical tickets and attended this instead and it was FABULOUS!!
Did you notice all the guests and lecturers jumping into the fray to help? The fabulous Marcel Bulles was key in organizing and setup, and Marie Miesel was extremely helpful with registration...just to name a few. There were indeed many!
...and then, of course, there were all the volunteers. As many of you know, Talasi and Laheara took over organizing volunteers a mere 2 weeks before the convention with no plan in place at that time. We were constantly amazed at everyone willing to show up at 7a.m. after 3 hours sleep to move boxes, organize a line, work at a table all day, make sure the art room was monitored so the beautiful work could be seen, work in registration, setting up the silent auction during the movies, etc. Many of the volunteers missed every panel they intended to see because they were working elsewhere. We did not hear complaining...we heard laughter and the unmistakable forming of lasting friendships all around us. It brought tears to our eyes, and even got Talasi to speak up at the banquet in spite of her immense phobia of doing so....and again when she got done speaking and stepped off stage with the jitters, there was Craig with a reassuring smile and hug.
What is the common theme here? - FELLOWSHIP In spite of all the problems, the feeling of fellowship was rampant. How could you not get caught up in it with all the hobbits, elves, dwarves, and wizards running around!!! If you were at TGoTF, do you remember the faces of the people at the pier when a long line of hobbits and elves being led by a wizard or two crossed the street together?
To date, Operation Gathering has successfully paid balances owed to private lenders and multiple guests in the amount of $5110.00. We could not do this without so many wonderful people donating items for raffle, purchasing raffle tickets, etc. Please keep it up. All money goes to the guests and private lenders who have yet to see their money. The Operation Gathering team members pay for all shipping of raffle items, e-Bay fees, wire transfer fees, web site maintenance fees, etc. Every penny received by OG goes to those who earned it!
We only have a few major expenses left and we are confident that with your help we can see this quest to it's end. Our last guest expense is Craig Parker, please help us to reward him what he has so rightfully earned.
So, as we start out the new year, Operation Gathering will be pressing onward. We are confident that we can all work together to make things right for those who came together in fellowship in 2006 with us!
In Fellowship,
Talasi, Elda, Heather, Zee, and Jessica
Operation Gathering Team