Hey friends,
Hard to imagine it’s been almost a year since our last chat, and we’re already on the road to the next Desert Bus for Hope marathon. In fact, if you hadn’t heard already, we’re ready to roll on November 8th, at 3 PM PST. There’s a handy, yet terrifying countdown on this very site, ticking the seconds away.
We’re already posting amazing Craftalong submissions on our social media accounts, with more prize previews on the way. Plus, in the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing shift lineups–including a couple of entertainment volunteer shakeups, guest announcements, and this year’s spicy shirt reveal, so stay tuned!
What’s happened in the meanwhile? I’m glad you asked! Our friends at Child’s Play let us take over their PAX West Booth, so we had the brilliant idea to bring a chair and inflict Desert Bus on passersby.
We also had our first third ever panel at a convention! Thanks to Cory from Broadcast and the VideoStrikeTeam, you can watch the hour-long recounting of some behind-the-scenes stories (and some prize previews) here.
Folks who attended either of these events, or visited our very impromptu booth, were encouraged to sign the LoadingReadyRun bandland banner, which was lovingly converted into a Desert Bus for Hope banner with the help of our community. We’ll be giving this away as a prize during the run this year, so keep your eyes peeled for this very special and unique item.
All of these happenings were courtesy of the Desert Bus Live Events Working Group, which Andrew introduced in our previous blog post last year. Given the success of our PAXWest 2024 endeavors, we’re looking forward to even more opportunities to connect with our fans in person.
Speaking of Andrew though, you may have already noticed a change to the organizational structure this year via this very blog post! I (PJ) beat the heck out of him in rounds of Clayfighter 63 1/3, and I am now the Communications Captain (Director? Champion? Coordinator?). Actually, in all seriousness, I’ve been promoted from Deputy to join the leadership of the Desert Bus Working Group while Andrew has spun off of the Comms team to form a new team, which he continues to not have a good name for yet., They’re going to be focused on handling our relationships with external folks; our partnerships with other groups, our PR & media, and sponsorships. This department is also going to include managing our guests for the run, giving Kathleen a well-deserved break from the bus to work on some fun personal projects. You’ll see at least one new face this year on his new team, as well as a few other new volunteers on other teams as well!
It is astonishing to think that we’re about to embark on our 18th run this year, and so soon. We’ll be in contact again here before we kick off on November 8th. If you’re still using social media, keep up with us on Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook, or (sigh) Twitter. In addition to those, plenty of fans and I hang out in the #desertbus channel on the LoadingReadyRun Discord server.
TLDR: We’re making changes to the leadership structure of Desert Bus to enable us to potentially do new & exciting things in the future. We don’t have anything to announce yet and there are no big changes to the event for 2023. Also some folks are changing hats & Serge is officially retiring. Desert Bus rolls on!
Alright friends, Andrew here. Y’all still with me? Interested in hearing all of The Deets? Great, because I am writing to you as I drift through a sea of neon light halfway around the world and I have a hilarious amount of text to share with you on behalf of the DB Organizing Committee. We’ve been working extra-hard this year and we’re happy to be able to start sharing a glimpse of where we’re at with everyone; Earlier this year, the OC went on a pair of two-day working retreats in order to figure out ‘what’s next?’ for us as an organization. So, let’s dive into that!
The First Summit
Over the course of one weekend in February, all thirteen of us got together in Victoria to start intentionally figuring out what the future of DB could be. Desert Bus itself often operates on a system of ‘same as last year, but better!’, so we wanted to take a longer view and tackle harder questions like ‘what will Desert Bus look like in five years?’ and ‘what else could we do as part of Desert Bus?’. We wanted to give real thought to what we thought could be great for our community, what could be great for Child’s Play, and what could be great for ourselves.
As Desert Bus rapidly approaches the legal voting age, it felt appropriate for each of us to evaluate our own relationship with the event too. We’re all in very different places in our lives from when we originally started (or joined) Desert Bus, and so is our audience! For some of you 2022 was your first ride on the bus, but there are so many of you in our community who have been our friends for nearly two decades now.
We decided to have an enormous greenfield brainstorming session together, thinking of everything we could possibly do; No dream too big, no rule too sacred. Absolutely anything and everything was on the table. As we started to move from idea generation into talking through potential logistics and what folks were excited about, we started to realize that the existing leadership structure for the event was designed for a committee to lead a single recurring project and didn’t adapt well to some of our ideas: How could new projects take shape? How could we better interact with our external partners? How could we make space for more volunteer participation and nurture future leadership?
So, we pivoted towards rethinking our leadership structure and how it could enable new possibilities.
Leadership Structure
In order to build the future we want, here’s what we’ve come up with: What has been traditionally known as ‘The Desert Bus Organizing Committee” has now become the overall Desert Bus For Hope Society Board, who will oversee & advise on all things Desert Bus. In recent years, we established ourselves as a non-profit arts society in British Columbia and following a more formal structure has proven beneficial to us, and we’re continuing to follow that model. While some of us do have more official ‘titles’ in this structure, we are continuing to lead things forward as a collective. We’ve always worked great together in a flat structure at the highest level and we’ll be continuing to lead with that for all decisions we make. We just need to designate folks to chair meetings, take notes, or do money things as needed. Heck, the new titles can’t be that serious; I won my title from James in a game of Rock Paper Scissors.
Under the umbrella of this overall Society Board, we now have working groups to manage individual projects. So we’ve taken some of the folks who were previously on ‘the OC’ and established the Desert Bus Prime Working Group. They’re tasked with focusing on the Desert Bus For Hope event we all currently know & love. We’ve slimmed the group down a bit to keep things simple, to help folks explore new ideas, and to give folks space to contribute at their level of availability. This was also where we each asked ourselves where we wanted to be and what we wanted to do. From the existing thirteen members of the organizing committee, some of us are in both groups, some are in new groups (more on that later), some are moving to be solely part of the society board, and one of us has taken this opportunity to retire.
As some of you may have seen earlier this summer, our own beloved “nomordinator” Serge Yager has decided to step down as an organizer and take this year off. It is impossible for me to overstate Serge’s many contributions to the event as an organizer for over 11 years, helping keep us fed, helping keep us organized, leading our many site managers & volunteers, and providing so much joy as an entertainment volunteer on Dawn Guard. Each and every one of us who’ve worked alongside him have so much love for Serge and we can’t wait to see what he’ll be working on next!
For the remaining folks in the Desert Bus Prime Working Group, we’ve had a few changes there too:
- Graham, Ian, & Paul will be less active here so they can focus on leading at the Society Board level
- With Serge retiring, James will be taking over as our new Logistics Coordinator, sharing more responsibilities with our site managers Sarah, Brett, & Paxton.
- Matt will be moving into a new role as our Entertainment Coordinator, helping manage our entertainment volunteers, our stage friends, and assisting the shifts in sharing more ideas, talent, & tech with each other
- Kathleen will be moving to take on the Guest Coordinator role, taking over from Matt
- Ashton, Beej, Erika, Fugi, Andrew, & Johnny will all continue to lead the same departments they have in previous years
- Well, technically Johnny and Andrew traded departments as a goof, but it wasn’t as funny as they thought it was, so everyone else made them trade back
The Second Summit
With an idea for our new leadership structure sketched out, we took time before the second summit to think it all through on our own and evaluate our many ideas with the new structure in mind. Between taking the time to do that and the general difficulties involved in scheduling anything with twelve busy adults, it was suddenly July when we met in Nanaimo for our second summit. We reviewed our previous ideas, added some new ones, checked in with each other about our new roles, and formally adopted this new model to move Desert Bus forward. With our leadership structure problem solved, we focused in deep on what new possibilities the future of Desert Bus could hold.
Additional Working Groups
For our first new working group, we will be establishing a Resource Sharing Working Group under the leadership of Graham Stark to look into ways we can share our knowledge & tools with other folks outside of our organization. As the world's longest running internet-based fundraiser, we have a lot of experience in this area that we’ve gained over the years. This group will primarily be looking to use our skills, our reach, and our knowledge to help marginalized folks in either establishing or improving their own charity fundraisers.
We’ve been working hard to prioritize diversity & inclusion within our event over the last few years, and this is a way we can also prioritize those values externally to help uplift other groups. While it hasn’t been previously formalized, this is an idea we’ve been talking about for years. We had to put it on the backburner a bit while we adapted our own event for the global pandemic, but now that we’ve got a handle on things we’re very excited to get back to moving this project forward.
Our last two working groups come with an important disclaimer: These two ideas are in the earliest of stages, exploratory work on them won’t even really start until 2024, and even then these things may never happen. We are excited though and we want to look into what could be possible, and what we would want to do together.
We will be putting together a Virtual Event Working Group under James’ leadership to explore the idea of doing a second, smaller & fully online, event that we would run at a different time in the calendar year. We’ll also be establishing a Live Event Working Group under my (Andrew’s) leadership, to explore ideas around having more of a Desert Bus presence at conventions, as well as, potentially, even a future Desert Bus event we'd run with a live audience in attendance.
These aren’t the only working groups we’re looking into, but they are the three we're ready to share at this time and the three that we’re the most excited about. We may eventually decide to do neither of those two new ones, for any number of reasons, but right now we absolutely want to explore what possibilities those ideas might hold.
A big reason we were in favour of this new working group focused structure was that it felt like a way for more of our existing internal volunteers to become a bigger part of Desert Bus as well, if they have the interest & capacity. As these groups get established, those volunteers will be stepping into bigger roles in helping make our future ideas a reality. We want a clearer path for folks who, like myself & Serge, once started out as volunteers in some small capacity many years ago and now want to do more. To help make this weird & magical little cavalcade of generosity become something ever greater, as we continue to strive to help those in need.
What’s Next?
So, this has been a lot of words to put together and then end with ‘To Be Continued…’, but we do kinda have to end it that way because we’re only just getting started! For now, our focus is on our upcoming event in just a few short weeks (!), but for 2024 & beyond we here at Desert Bus For Hope are hoping to do even more and build on what we’ve all created so far together.
With all this in mind, we can’t wait to see you in chat for Desert Bus For Hope 2023, starting Saturday November 11th, 2023 at 2PM Pacific Time. On behalf of the new Desert Bus For Hope Society Board, I want to thank each and every one of you for your endless love and support. The spirit and generosity of our incredible community is what inspires us to reach ever higher and dream ever brighter than we thought possible.
As always and for ever,
For The Children.
Because of the generosity of all of you out there in the entire Desert Bus for Hope community, we’ve raised over $1.2 million, and bussed 167 hours for Child’s Play Charity!
Not only did we get past $1 million this year, but we also passed $10 MILLION LIFETIME!!!
To everyone that’s part of our community – our crafters, guests, sponsors, moderators, VST members, volunteers, and most importantly, viewers like YOU – thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us on this ride, and we are so excited to see you again next year!
If you want to keep up with us now that we're done, make sure to find us on our various socials: Mastodon, Twitter (at least while it still exists...), Instagram, and of course thanks to the VST you can look at all the coolest moments on our Youtube! And if you want to keep the vibes going with some great games, I highly suggest checking out this year's Game Jam submissions!
But of course, don't forget that you can always donate to Child's Play any time of year - not just during Desert Bus for Hope!
Also for anyone who donated and didn't win: This is important to note! Make sure to get your tax receipts for your donations during the run, but if you won something off that particular donation and you cannot claim it anymore. Charitable donations are only claimable if there is no benefit of return in places like the US and some other countries, so be sure to check out your country's tax info!
Did you donate at least $5 at any point during the run? Whether you won something or just contributed to our goofiness, you will have a chance to win the Mystery Box! Every year we take one big box, fill it with things that may or may not be secrets: Things used or created during the run, given gifts that didn't get used, and a variety of other items...you never know what you might get! So if you want to add a chance in for the box, make sure to get in a donation of at least $5 or more!
As happens every year, there has to be the last of a thing. This is our very last giveaway, and what a prize to get one last chance at! Originally from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and made iconic throughout other games since, this Megaton Hammer is ready to smash it's way into your home...and heart??
If you'd like a chance to win, then all you have to do is donate $10.33 or multiples thereof by 10:33am PST!
The Megaton Hammer was once wielded by a legendary Goron to defeat the dragon Volvagia, sealing it inside of Death Mountain. Now a new hero must take it up to defeat Volvagia once again. Or hit some rusty switches, I guess. Perfectly fine use for a legendary hammer.
We are running out of stuff to offer you, so if you still have money to give and want to try your hand at one of these, make sure to keep an eye on their pages because they end at 10am PST and people love to come swooping in last second! Maybe it's you?!
First we have this IMPECCIBLY made Desert Bus Carry-A-Long bag!
This is the Carry-a-long Desert Bus messenger bag! It is completely handmade using real cowhide leather. No machines used while making this! Both pockets are hand painted and sewn, the front being a large pocket featuring the face of the desert bus itself! The back pocket features the inside view looking out. This bag is big enough to carry just about anything in. From school books or work files, to gaming consoles and binders, you can carry it all with you. A sturdy, adjustable strap makes it easy to wear on your shoulder or crossbody. Leather will last forever, and will break in and wear over time to make it the perfect personal one-of-a-kind bag (this bag measures 34.29cm tall x 31.75cm wide x 12.7cm deep).
And of course, as is tradition, we have the Afterparty Sponsorship auction!
Desert Bus for Hope is the product of the tireless work of dozens of volunteers. They give their time freely, not just during the event but in the weeks and months leading up to it. They take time off from their normal jobs, and some of them travel great distances to contribute their amazing talents to Desert Bus. It is because of their selfless labour that this event is successful. They keep the venue clean and organized, they make sure shipments are correct, they get the word out about the show, and they make sure the show looks and sounds fantastic, and that everything runs smoothly.
As a thank you to our volunteers, and too relax after a long week, we host an afterparty! The winner of this auction will be the Official Sponsor of the Desert Bus for Hope 2023 Afterparty.
The money from this auction still all goes to Child's Play, but you will get bragging rights and a cool certificate.
This copy of the poster is larger than the one sold in the store and is the ONLY large format version of the poster that will be printed. So if you'd like to get our hands on this exclusive piece, then keep an eye on the stream! We will be starting the live auction at 9am PST! And of course, remember that you need to have your donor account connected to your twitch account and you are paying attention to chat because there is a delay and you might not get it in on time!!
One of the longest running Desert Bus traditions is the poster that is drawn each year during the run by M. Lunsford. Every year they fill up the poster with our wacky shenanigans, the weird faces we make, the slapdash costumes, the amazing prizes, and the heartfelt moments.
Our second to last giveaway for the year, and this is a wonderful selection of LoadingReadyRun merch! If you'd like to get your chance at this prize you just have to donate $6.69 or multiples thereof by 8:30am PST!
LoadingReadyRun, those silly goofs, have once again offered up a fine selection of their merch for a prize this year! The winner of this prize pack with receive:
- The LRR20 Hoodie in the size of their choice.
- A shirt of their choice in the size of their choice.
- The playmat of their choice.
- The pin of their choice.
- The Moonbase Spacelines Amenities Bundle, a limited edition item that is no longer for sale.
All choices may be limited by current availability of stock.
Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. Summon the Rohirrim, consult the elven council, amass the dark forces of Mordor.
This lot contains 4 of the Lord of the Rings: Journey to Middle Earth Commander Decks: The Hosts of Mordor, Riders of Rohan, and two copies of Elven Council.
Donate $9.45 or positive multiple integers thereof from starting now until 5:45am PST for a chance to win!