I’ve only been to a handful of closing ceremonies, and this last Furry Fiesta’s were the first I’ve ever viewed from up on stage. It was a fun experience, and it gave me a great view of one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen at a furry con.

Istanbul, the chair of Furry Fiesta, was announcing the amount collected for charity (the Center for Animal Research and Education) at the convention. The amount this year, he announced, was a hundred dollars lower than had been collected in 2009. Isty is not someone to let that go. So he told the couple hundred people gathered there that we were going to try to collect donations here, at closing ceremonies, to pass last year’s total. The staff produced a sombrero to “pass the hat,” but although it was festive, it wasn’t quite big enough. So Isty lifted up a box top and asked everyone to toss in five bucks if they could.

I’ve never seen anything like it. The crowd rose with money in hand, running to the front to contribute. Derek, the representative from the charity on stage, was speechless–and he’s not the kind of guy to be speechless. For ten minutes people threw money into the box, piling up bills, the staff and guests included. When it finally calmed down, the charity liaison, looking a bit dazed, was holding a box top that looked like it had come out of a bank heist film. She and the head of security went back to count the take, and I ran back to help. Even with the three of us, it took us another ten or fifteen minutes to count the total.

From a couple hundred people, with no warning, Istanbul collected a thousand dollars for the charity.

It’s things like this that I wish would get more attention in the fandom. People talk about the weirdness, the drama, the inappropriate behaviors. And yet one of the things that keeps me coming back to furry conventions is the people. By and large, they’re nice, warm, and caring, and when given the chance, they come through. I know that Derek was quite overcome by the gesture. Hell, I was blown away by it. I mean, who has money at the end of a three-day weekend? Okay, the dealers do, but certainly there were a lot more people in the audience than just dealers. And I know from talking to fans that a lot of people were hurting for money this year. And still, and still.

All you guys who were there, thanks for your generosity and your inspiration. I keep telling people what a pretty cool fandom–what a cool community–we have. Let’s keep on proving it.

[[Editor's note: Ainoko recorded video from the closing ceremony. The sound is hard to hear, but you can see the generosity in action. It starts at the 8:00 minute mark in the first video, and continues in to the second]]