Give Big Sacramento

UPDATE 05.13.2014: Sacramento citizens raised more than $3,000,000 during the 24 hours of Big Day of Giving on May 6, 2014! Congratulations, and thank you all for participating!

May has been amazing for us. Just look at what we've experienced so far this month:

• May 3 - Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con
• May 4 - May the Fourth Be With You, aka, Star Wars Day
• May 5 - Cinco de Mayo

For three days in a row it's been all about our own enjoyment. Now today, May 6, 2014, we have the opportunity to show our pride as citizens of Sacramento. At midnight, May 6, the Big Day of Giving started.

How To Participate In Big Day of Giving

Oh, yeah, GiveBigDOG.

Big Day of Giving is a chance to become more familiar with our local nonprofits and a chance to support them by means of our donations. Our goal as a city is to give ONE MILLION DOLLARS in this 24-hour period. To participate, check out the list of participating nonprofits, click on the name of the organization you'd like to support, and then donate in any amount you can.

We hope everyone will consider giving to a cause you believe in whether it's literacy, the arts, homelessness, conservation, etc.

There's quite a conversation around this topic on Twitter using the hashtag, #GiveBigDOG... but as you can see from the picture below, not everyone thinks that's the best hashtag to use.

I'm already punchy.... makin' memes #givebigdog pic.twitter.com/YdyT4L9iSU
— Jeannie Howell (@JeannieLeeHPx) May 6, 2014

Giving Back: Do it for the kids of the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento

This Saturday we're hosting a toy drive to benefit the children at the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento.  All proceeds and donations will go toward making their holiday a special one.

This amazing organization serves the needs of children and families affected by abuse, neglect and other issues. The success stories that have come from this organization will bring tears to your eyes. Now's your chance to show your compassion for children going through a difficult time.

Toy Drive & Art Fundraiser
This event, hosted by Sacramento Comicbook Creators Group & Empire's Comics Vault, is an important annual tradition and a way that all of us -- our community of comic book readers -- can give back to our community. Please join us for this special event.

Date: December 14, 2013
Time: 11am - 8pm
Note: Empire's Comics Vault will receive your toy, gift and monetary donations through Thursday, December 19, 2013.

There are two ways to participate:

1. Donate a gift. Purchase a toy and drop it off at the shop. Purchase a toy at the shop and donate it. We'll give you 25% off the purchase price. Better yet, check the specific wishes of a child and donate one or more of those items. Gifts must be un-wrapped only please.
2. Bid on or commission original artwork at our in-store event. Arts from the Sacramento Comicbook Creators Group will be on hand for commissioned work. You can also participate online via the livestream of the event.

Learn More About the Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento
"The Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento is committed to positively impacting the lives of children, youth, and families affected by abuse, neglect, behavioral health issues, and trauma in California." - Source: http://www.crhkids.org/

Website: Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento

Share Your Old Comics With Future Generations

By Kevin Winter
Today is a special post.  I will not talk about a specific series or comics.  I will not review the trends or comment on DC's new relaunch that we are well into.  Today I shall talk about what to do with your comics when you no longer have room.  Everyone will face this fact, after all, you can store only so many comics where you live.  The question becomes...

What do I do with my old comics?  
With many stores not buying comics, and very few comics worth a any money on eBay -- unless, say, we’re talking about Chew number 1 or Action Comics number 1 -- what do you do with them? Hold a yard sale and sell them for 25 cents each?

Think About Future GenerationsI would like to say that I would do something else with them.  Around the country there are several special collections of just comic books and they are looking for donors just like you that are willing to part with their comics so they can be added to the collection for a future generation of people.


Now this is not for everyone, and I stress, do your research and contact the different institutions with what you are willing to donates. Found out if they have those issues already, and whether they want your comic books.  Libraries rely on donations -- for example, the newest issue of Fantastic Four -- for the new comics, since they do not get funds to buy individual comics.

Organizations That Appreciate Old Comic Books
The biggest one in the country is Michigan State University.  MSU’s comic book collection boasts around 200,000 individual American comics,

along with about 50,000 foreign language comics.  Their website is a bit bare bones, and it can be difficult to navigate the site to see what they have already, so you’ll need to call or email them.
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has a large collection, around 40,000 individual issues along with a large collection of manga, original art and more.  They are also the official home for the Eisner award nominees and winners.  They are looking for newer runs of currently running comics.  They also have a big Golden Age selection.  As a personal note, this is where I send a lot of my comics and manga.  
Northern Illinois and Bowling Green are two colleges that have smaller collections.  They  might be willing to take donations, but be forewarned unlike MSU and VCU they do not have dedicated staff just for comics.  Also Bowling Green is more focused on original artwork.
UC Riverside has a small collection.  It is mainly to complement their science fiction/fantasy book special collection that they have.  They do not have a special website for comics, and it is all but impossible to search their collection online.
So if you want to donate your comics think of these libraries.  There are a few more than I mentioned.  Again, do your research, email the people at the libraries.  A 20 pound box of comics can cost about $9 dollars to ship via the cheapest way possible (which is the way I send it!) and that can hold quite a few comics.







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About The Author
Kevin Winter is someone with an opinion about almost everything. A comic fan of several years, he can be seen around Empire's Comics Vault on Wednesdays, and generally spouting an opinion (if anyone wants to hear it or not)...  also trying not to get on Ben's bad side.