Typhoon Haiyan is being called one of the most powerful storms ever recorded to hit landfall. The typhoon struck an unprepared nation in the Phillippines, and the country is now reeling in the devastation left behind.
And while we may not be directly affected by this disaster, I along with my many Filipino American friends and fellow gamers , do have a bit of a personal stake here. I haven’t been over to the Phillippines in almost 10 years, but through my parents and sibilings I share a strong bond to the nation and its people, and not just my relatives that still live over there, but the people of the nation and my parents’ province that I was able to befriend over the years. When I spoke to my mother about this tragedy, it was particularly alarming to me that two of my relatives, my Uncle Seymour and my cousin Michael, were visiting the Phillippines when this disaster struck, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. My uncle resides in San Jose’ California and I’ve known him for most of my life. My cousin Michael I met on a trip to the Phillippines back in 2002. During that trip he volunteered to be a local guide for my cousin and myself, and we became good friends at that time.
On the wargaming front, I recently subscribed to a Youtube user who calls himself Cygnarian Cat Lover- a relatively new channel that was posting some excellent WarmaHordes battle reports and some helpful hobby vids. Prior to this disaster I reached out to him because I noticed he was filming BatReps from the Phillippines and it was really cool to see some Filipino wargaming on Youtube. I don’t know CCL personally, nor am I aware of how the typhoon has impacted him or his family, but I wanted to wish him the best and hope that he is doing well.
So, when this happened I asked my mother (she and my father founded one of the largest Filipino-American organizations ever) if they were organizing any sort of relief for this disaster as they’ve done in years past and sure enough, they were mobilizing a small, private effort to pinpoint aid specifically where our friends and families were hit the hardest. This is different than the larger, public relief efforts which do a phenomenal job raising money and sending aid on a larger scale to the country, what my parents are doing on a smaller scale is taking advantage of their direct lines in the Phillippines and their extensive experience in disaster relief to get people aid as quickly as possible- which is more challenging for the larger relief efforts. I told my parents I wanted to donate directly and so I thought I would tap into my own personal network (that is you, my gamer friends and generally awesome people I know) to see if anyone else wanted to join me in this cause.
Now to be clear- this isn’t so much about the actual dollar amounts generated- because the fact is what we do here wouldn’t even register as a blip on say, Unicef or Red Cross or anything like that. We’re talking about fast, focussed, and very specific aid- canned goods, bags of rice, potable water, and general living supplies that can get to the specific towns and provinces under the direct supervision of my folks. This is a very personal matter, so if you don’t know me or don’t trust me, or you wish to support another cause then by all means please do so- my parents have informed me that they can issue our group donation a receipt, but that does not help any of us individually for taxable purposes. We’re talking about a very specific thing here, and to from my point of view it can make our timely small donations much more impactful relative to the dollar amount.
So here’s what I’m doing, and for all my family and friends out there, feel free to join me, and know that I love you for it:
1. I’ve placed a Paypal Button on this page for those who want to kick down just a few bucks can do so quickly and easily. Now I can’t do a fancy kickstarter with rewards or anything like that, but if you wish I can include your name on an upcoming thank you vid on my youtube channel for your donation.
2. I’ll also be hosting some more EBay auctions, of which 100% of the money will go directly to Typhoon Haiyan disaster relief. I was planning on putting up a few more things on Ebay anyway, so why not put this stuff up for auction so that you can donate to a worthy cause and score some cool swag while you’re at it. Stay tuned for links to these auctions, otherwise just follow ottooctavius74 on Ebay for the sales.
3. And finally, on a local level, some of my friends and I are planning on hosting an event specifically for Typhoon Haiyan disaster relief. We’re currently securing details for this as I type this out, but rest assured this will happen VERY SOON in the Southern California area.
Now I know this isn’t terribly specific at the moment, but we have to mobilize very quickly, and I wanted to get this in front of people as soon as possible. I want to thank all you guys in advance for your support, your well wishes, and for just gaming, painting, and doing those things that helps strengthen us as a community and as friends.
What can you do right now? Well, if you have a few bucks, you can donate- not just to this small private effort, but to any of the wonderful relief organizations out there- and not just for the typhoon victims! Go out and play in some Foodmachine, donate canned goods, go nuts!
Also, I recommend subbing to Cygnarian Cat Lover. His vids aren’t just good for Warmahordes fans, they are good gaming vids in general. Sub to his channel and if Google lets you- send him your well wishes:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMiaZpABzPn3o7mN7ZEegOg
Thanks in advance for all your support my friends. Let’s see if we can enjoy our gaming and help out a very worthy cause at the same time. Stay tuned for more info!
– Octave