AERIE Fund is Ready to Serve, Avatars!

Hi Guys,

It's been awhile. Too long, in fact.

A lot has happened since the Iron Maiden Chemo Relief Fund. It's been a blur, really. So let's bust out some bullet points and get everybody up to speed.

• After the Iron Maiden Chemo Relief ended (successfully raising over $55,000 to help fund his chemotherapy treatments - thanks to YOU), Doug (Iron Maiden) kept his word and donated back a generous amount of funds to continue our good works in New Britannia.
• Running the IMCRF by myself was one of the most rewarding (and FUN) gaming experiences I've ever had. But, it was also crazy time consuming and stressful at times for one guy to manage and GROW. So, I reached out to some folks in our community who really stepped up during the initiative and invited them to join in building the AERIE Fund. We formed a Board of Directors (which, by the way, is also a requirement when filing for 501c3 not-for-profit status). Segue to...
• We formed a 501c3 organization called AERIE Fund (which stands for Avatar's Emergency Relief InitiativE - fitting, no?) and filed for tax exemption status from the IRS. I'm proud to announce that were were approved with flying colors (and that I learned more about tax laws than I ever wanted to).
• Next came banking logistics, Articles of Incorporation, website design, building an assistance application and vetting process, and all sorts of administrative hoo-hah. Thankfully I picked the right people, and the Board has really stepped up to help me lift this bad-boy off the ground.
• After 2 months of grinding our noses to the nub, I'm thrilled to finally say we've got all the key pieces in place, and are finally ready to rip open the doors and shout:

THE AERIE FUND IS READY TO SERVE!


www.aeriefund.org

Our Mission:

Good Works Through Gaming
​

Aerie Fund helps gamers overcome catastrophic hardships. ​

Here’s what AERIE Fund does:​

1. We provide funds and facilitate fundraising efforts for vetted gamers who need help during a catastrophic hardship (financial, medical, and natural disaster).
2. We promote awareness and raise funds for other 501c3 organizations centered around issues gamers care about (i.e., cyber-bullying).
3. We work with developers and gaming communities to build fun, inclusive, and cause-centered gaming experiences.
4. We promote social interaction and apolitical activism to bring awareness to compelling (and important) causes that directly impact gamer lives.

Here’s how you can get involved (on our site):​

1. Follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, and share our mission with your friends, families, and gaming comrades. Without a global chat in-game, following us on Twitter is a must as its the easiest way for us all to coordinate. @AerieFund
2. Support us – every bit helps as we lift off the ground. All your gifts are 100% tax deductible. Recurring monthly donations and merch coming soon.
3. Participate in our in-game / out-of-game events – our goal is to make gaming activism FUN and REWARDING. Check the calendar to see what we’re up to in New Britannia.
4. Apply for assistance if you need help. That's what we're here for! And, if you want to remain anonymous (publicly), no problem.

Board of Directors:
Feel free to reach out to us with your questions!

@Thexedor Markhamm - Chad - President
@Jack SinAssist - John -VP
@Justyn04 - Stacy - Secretary
@Lazarus Long - Harry - VP of Marketing
@Turock Ockenshire - Bob - Treasurer
​

So, there you have it, guys. Together we helped a friend (Iron Maiden), and turned our residual efforts into something positive for our entire community to enjoy! That's what AERIE Fund is all about.

So thank you all! Thanks to @IronMaiden for the kickstart. And thanks to @Portalarium for making an awesome gaming platform that supports social, gaming activism. Gamactivism? (tm)

We hope that AERIE Fund will serve all of the Avatars in New Britannia for many years to come. Please visit our site, stay in the loop (follow us), give feedback, and support our efforts when you can. Let's set the gold standard for gaming communities out there, and show the world how SoTA rolls.

- Thex

P.S. @Numa - see? I told you IMCRF was only the beginning.

CC:

@DarkStarr @dallas @Lord British @Chris @Berek

 

Speaking of Iron Maiden, I forgot to mention...

I'll be flying into Austin to meet him (in-person) in June. I'll have a full update on his condition, pics, etc - to follow. Stay tuned.

 

Wow, thats amazing Thex! You guys really stepped up, and I can't imagine a better group to help others.

 

Thanks, Jayson. It took a village to get to this point. We're super excited to serve this community, help others, and have FUN while doing it!

 

Yea!!! Nice to see things up and running!

I've bookmarked the site and have signed up for the newsletter.

 

Awesome! Thanks for staying in the loop!

 

Interesting timing.
All power to you. This will be a ton of work. Real and paperwork ^^

 

Indeed. That's why we're moving slowly and carefully. Luckily we put a great team together so we can divvy out the workload.

 

Congratulations on kicking this off Thexedor! We'll help out with some announcements on our channels this week, and include this in the weekly update.

 

Again, this community never ceases to amaze me. Thexedor, I sent you a PM related to an upcoming in game event I will be having that I would like to include the AERIE Fund into if possible.

 

*Teaser Trailer*

Hiya folks, we're going to have an announcement coming (prolly next week) about our next Good Works Through Gaming initiative starting in June, including a community contest (woot!).

Watch this space, Avatars.