Want To Help Some People Who Really Deserve To Get To TAM8?

If you want to help out? Try these college students. They are students who have been working on skeptic and psychology-related projects and have already contributed to a site that indicates their relevant application to future research.

During my time as a skeptic – I’ve donated time. A lot of time.

I’ve donated my backstage-help, donated blogposts to plenty of people’s causes and projects. I’ve traveled across the country several times on my own funding, traveled internationally to work with a team and passed on the name and details of people whose talents need a chance, to as many benefactors as I can.

I’ll be forthright when I see something that can get a name more recognised – and I’ll be awake at some odd hour after a 12 hour workday, because I think that talking to people about their projects and getting the word out is worth it.

Hell, I started this very morning by sending in feedback and then immediately buying a product from a fellow skeptic (twice, in fact – after the internet crashed and messed up my first effort to buy something from them!)

Am I alone in this? Is this something special about me? Absolutely not – in fact, it seems that not enough skeptics point out what they contribute (or, more likely, they probably very rarely even step back and look – I only have this record because someone asked about non-profit fundraising- and I had a chance to think about it and respond!) how much they contribute. I see the same people again and again, helping out in so many ways. I think that this is something that is really unique and special about many skeptical individuals and groups – which is why I want to point out the following blog-post by Prof. Barbara Dresher.

Read this blogpost from the WooFighters. But don’t just READ – read and donate:

I have four well-trained young Woo Fighters – all scientists – who, if they could afford to go to TAM8, would jump at the chance and would use what they learned wisely. None are scheduled to speak this year, but I will make this promise: every Woo Fighter who is able to attend TAM8 because of you will submit a proposal for a Sunday paper next year, and I will personally oversee this process to ensure that they produce a high-quality presentation on a relevant topic or original research.

Furthermore, if at least 2 of them are funded I will personally guarantee that Bigfoot will make an appearance at TAM8.

So, if you want to meet Bigfoot, Please help us out.

By my calculations, if they are able to share a room and carpool, each Woo Fighter will need ~$700 for conference fees, hotel, gas, and food.

…If we raise enough for these students, you will have shown me that this community cares about more than just having a good time – you care that the torch is passed, and that the torch itself is important, too. These are the skeptics who will show people that candle in the dark that Carl Sagan always talked about 20 years from now and, I hope, pass it on to their students.

I can’t make it myself this year to TAM8 – but I’m sending in $150. I’d rather, as I’ve said to groups like the Young Australian Skeptics, see people who make a difference attend conventions, because I want to see conventions improve and continue. People like these? They’re the ones who demonstrate the kind of passion and hard work that end up maintaining them.

So – help out. Even in a small way, you demonstrate something about the ‘skeptical community’ that I like to think exists.

Tagged as: Amazing Meeting, blogging, donation, Links Elsewhere, news, Psychology, Science, Skepticism, TAM8, USA, Woo fighters