Worldcon 76 Charity and Activities

This is the first of a couple of posts to introduce you to the charity activities during Worldcon 76 in San Jose.  We'll also be spotlighting auction items and generous donors over the coming weeks.  

It’s no secret that Science Fiction and Fantasy fans are well known for their caring and charity, and one of the best places that manifests itself is at Worldcon in the Charity Auction. This year our charity choice is inspired by gHost of honor Bob Wilkins, and was selected with the help of the surviving Wilkins family.

Proceeds from this year’s charity auction activities will benefit Alzheimer's Association, Northern California and Northern Nevada. Here’s a little bit about them:

The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s.

Since its founding in 1981, the Northern California and Northern Nevada chapter has grown into one of the largest in the Alzheimer’s Association’s 78-chapter network. Eleven offices serve population centers like Silicon Valley and San Francisco, and smaller communities like Reno, Chico, and Monterey. Each year the chapter serves thousands of families through the 24/7 helpline, one-on-one care consultations, and more than 150 support groups. In the latest fiscal year, the Northern California and Northern Nevada chapter raised more than $14 million for Alzheimer’s research. For more information, visit the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org or call the 24/7 helpline at 800-272-3900. 

We’ve met with the Alzheimer’s Association several times now and were incredibly impressed with the scope of their activities. You’ll have the opportunity to meet them as well as they’ll have a table display at the convention. Please make a point of dropping by and saying hi.

Of course we’re counting on our membership to help make our charity activities successful, and to help we’ll be putting together a wide variety of art, books (signed and otherwise), games (board and digital), electronics, memorabilia… well you get the idea. We’re focused on the kind of things we hope fannish bidders will get excited about.  And remember! It’s for charity!

Charity Auction activities will start with the opening of Worldcon’s doors on Thursday with the opening of the Silent Auction Exhibit. Much like the Art Auction, members can peruse items up for bid and write in bids between Thursday and Saturday. Items where silent bidding exceeds a number of bids (likely six)  will be sent to the Voice Auction on Saturday. Anything that does not exceed that number of bids will simply sell to the highest silent bidder.

We’re terrifically excited about bringing a trove of items for you to consider taking home, and proud to be part of fandom’s traditional support of worthy charities. If you’d like to join us, be a member of the Charity Auction staff, please go to http://www.worldcon76.org/membership/volunteer/volunteer-info-form and register as a volunteer, then write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

And if you like to personally donate items or products, or you represent a company that would like to donate for the auction, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. directly. Check with your tax professional about how such donations could be declared as deductions on your taxes!

More soon!

Ric Bretschneider
Worldcon 76 Charity Auction