On October 20, Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser will celebrate her 96th birthday! Wouldn’t you love the chance to sit down with her and have a cup of tea? I wish that were possible! But you can still give her a gift, of sorts – it’s obvious all throughout the Outlander series that Claire has a soft spot for the animals in her life, a trait we think she gets from her creator, Diana Gabaldon. So in lieu of being able to actually share a pot of tea, why don’t you take the $5 you’d spend and help an animal in her name?
In 2013, Diana announced on her blog that she had agreed to support an animal shelter in Portugal. “I recently agreed to become an Ambassador for Bianca Associacao,” she said. Bianca is a Portuguese charity that rescues, treats, cares for and then re-homes stray and abandoned dogs and cats. Many of the animals, which are left in the streets to fend for themselves or found tied or chained to the fence of the Bianca compound, have suffered severely through neglect and abuse and, without Bianca, some would simply starve to death or die of treatable diseases. Established in 2002 in Sesimbra, south of Lisbon, and run solely by volunteers, Bianca now takes 600 animals into its care every year. And Mike Gibb, who wrote Outlander: The Musical, has taken up the cause by creating a Scottish charity, Friends of Bianca, which helps raise funds. Another Outlander fan, Kathy Carbone, started a Facebook page, Support for Friends of Bianca – take a minute and join her group!
Diana with her dachsunds
Outlander Giving, a new venture created by Seattle-area fan Koko Pipkin and I, has already raised over $7,000 for another charity that Diana supports, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, and now we’d like to help Diana raise both awareness and money for this second charity. And coincidentally, it’s National Adopt-A-Dog Month – how appropriate! You can find Outlander Giving on Facebook – join us there and learn about items up for auction to raise funds for charities Diana supports, as well as other charity campaigns conducted by Outlander fan groups.
So how can you help? Between today and October 20, we’re asking you to donate $5 – more if you choose – to Friends of Bianca, which will, in turn, donate that to Bianca Associacao in Portugal (Bianca can’t accept US/UK donations). If you donate, and forward us a copy of your receipt, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a variety of prizes, which will include signed CDs of Outlander The Musical and many others!
– Go to Friends of Bianca to make donations in UK or US funds, or Bianca Associacao for donations in Euros. Click the How Can I Help tab. Scroll about halfway down and you’ll see Donate buttons for both UK and US funds through Paypal. Donate at least $5. Feel free to mention this campaign to any non-Outlander but animal-loving friends!
– In the message box, note that you are donating For Claire’s Birthday. This will help us keep track of the amount donated through this campaign.
– Forward the receipt you’ll get through PayPal (this will not contain any personal information) to us at OutlanderGiving@mail.com, and we’ll enter you into the drawing. Winners will be notified by email around October 30.
Koko will have an opportunity to give Diana the total of the fundraising campaign in person. We’ll report back to you!
And if you’re now intrigued by Outlander The Musical, here are some song samples:
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