This message was intended to be posted on the ABC board but was too large so it is shown here in it's original, unedited version.

Hello,

My name is Claudine and I am the president of the fan club that is working with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance to coordinate the fundraising for Michael’s birthday.   I am not a member of this board, but a lot of the members have been telling me there are some things being said here that might need to be addressed in order for people to feel comfortable participating in this fundraiser, so I will address them here.

Firstly, I understand that people are questioning whether or not the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is a legitimate agency.  People can feel free to look up the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance themselves, they do not have to use the link provided in this thread or the one on any other site.  Do a search, look them up for yourself like you would any other agency you would consider donating to.   Find out for yourself if they are legitimate.   When you go to their home page, you will see that the fan club is listed on their home page as an agency that does fundraising for them.  As of July of this year, the Unofficial Michael Easton Fan Club Inc.  became an incorporated non-profit agency and all of our profits, by law, have to go to charities. This is also a matter of public record. We decided that we wanted to be about more than just a snazzy t-shirt and honor Michael by making a difference.  Some of you may already know that we raised money for the OCNA last year and we sold a calendar this year to raise money for them as well.  Back in the day all fan clubs were about making a positive difference and we decided that was what we wanted to be about too.  We will be rotating our fundraising efforts among the different charities Michael supports.  We began with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance as that was the disease that killed Michael’s mother.  I also have a very good friend battling the disease.  I have been contacted by dozens of people thanking us for doing this and telling stories of loved ones that have battled it also.  

I have also heard there is talk that Michael is somehow the one benefitting from the tax deductions or something like that?  I am not even sure how that would work to be honest with you, but this is actually a surprise for Michael and he doesn’t know about it.  Although the fan club has raised some money directly for the OCNA, this particular link www.ovariancancer.org/michaeleaston is set up directly with the OCNA.  It is a webpage on THEIR site and the money does not even pass through the fan club at all.  The donation goes directly to them, from you.  You then receive a receipt from them that allows you to use it as a tax deduction.  Although the fan club is a nonprofit agency we are not a 501c3 agency like the OCNA.  What that means is all of our profits are required by law to go to charity and we must prove this annually to the IRS, but we do not have the authority to give others tax exempt receipts.  So that is why we set this up through them, so the fans would be able to get a tax deduction.   You will notice that the fan club is “unofficial” also. Although Michael has been very supportive of us, has participated In some of our gatherings  and we go to him for permission for things when needed, he is not involved “officially” and has absolutely nothing to do with the finances of this fan club.   I do send him an end of the year report and copies of all of the receipts as I want him to feel confident that we are not making any money off of his fans, but that is my choice and again, he has nothing officially to do with either the OCNA or the fan club.  

I also heard that earlier someone was wondering about why people had to donate 50.00 in order to leave a personal message. last year everyone who donated had their name included in a special delivery card.  Guess what, everyone who donates still gets their name included in the card, but this year, as an added option, you can donate 50.00 and include a message.  This is an additional option.  Something extra and it is definitely not mandatory.  So everyone who donates does get acknowledged, same as last year.  I don’t want anyone who is not comfortable

Donating to do so, nor do I want anyone donating more than they are comfortable with.

No one is obligated but everyone is invited to join us from any fan base or group.  No one is excluded.  Part of the point of this is to bring everyone together for once.  To show him that we put Michael Easton, the person, first and we can come together to make a huge difference together and make him proud. We would love for everyone to join us. And let's not forget the main purpose is to raise money to help cure cancer.  Getting acknowledged in a card is just a bonus.

This particular fundraiser was put together is for Michael’s birthday, but it is about much more than Michael.   I work for a non profit agency and several of my co-workers donated because they want to help in the fight against cancer.   I had a soap reporter contact me last year after that birthday drive and say to me “thank you for elevating the reputation of soap fans everywhere”.  Whenever I get discouraged I remember those words.   Soap fans have a reputation of being nasty and negative and we are trying to show that we can make a positive difference that matters.   Soaps are great and that is something we have in common, but in the end there are things that matter more.

Again, I invite anyone, no matter what fan base, that wants to join us to join us.  If you are not interested, then don’t.  But please try and see that we are trying to make a positive difference, to do something good and respect that.   

 Again, I am not a member here and I will not see any of the responses so if someone wants to contact me with a legitimate question, please feel free to contact me through the fan club website.  www.michaeleastonfanclub.com   I have been warned against posting here.  I have been told that no matter what anyone writes, people on this board will find something negative to say.  Honestly, that is why I am not a member here.   

I ask that if you are not interested in participating, you don’t like Michael Easton, or any other thing, that you remember that we are trying to do a good thing here.  We are trying to raise money to find a cure for cancer.  Please remember that.   Again, I would be happy to answer any legitimate questions anyone has.

Thanks for your time and Happy New Year!!