Well, the final tally is in, and the TAM 7 vaccine drive to benefit the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) has been an outstanding success.

Our original concept had been to simply collect donations in association with TAM registration, and to present the SNHD with those proceeds at TAM 7.  The relatively late conception of the project combined with working to ensure that donated funds would be used to their optimal effect meant that it was an understated affair with relatively little publicity.  When combined with the current economy and the fact that attending TAM has never been a cheap affair, we had no idea what kind of response the project would receive.

We need not have worried.

Attendees of TAM provided a solid stream of contributions during registration, and I was very pleased by the willingness of JREF members to donate to the drive even when they were unable to come to TAM 7.  I was however completely unprepared by the outpouring of support at TAM 7 itself.

On the Saturday of TAM 7 I informed you that the total was approximately $8500, which would have provided approximately 340 children with a series of vaccines at no cost to their families.  Following this announcement I met a seemingly constant stream of people asking where they could donate to the drive.  Linda Schallenberger quickly rose to the task of receiving on-the-spot donations to the drive.  Within an hour of that announcement at TAM the total donations had exceeded $10,000.

The grand total raised by the JREF is $12,050.

One hundred percent of these proceeds are being donated to the Southern Nevada Health District.  Nearly 500 children will be able to be vaccinated at no cost with these funds, and the SNHD hopes to be able to stretch the funds even further.  The SNHD knows its population very well, and has identified a few of their impoverished districts with the worst vaccination rates in its region.  They will use the funds you have donated to engage focused vaccine drives in these areas.

I will be keeping in touch with the SNHD, and will be certain to let you know the final impact your generosity has had on the children of Southern Nevada.

I said it at TAM, but I'd like to say it again.  I am profoundly humbled and proud to be a member of a group of people who sacrifice their time, their effort, and their resources to champion reality and improve the lives of their fellow human beings.

Thank you.