For The Greater Good
When fans of the show Xena: Warrior Princess get together, things change for The Greater Good, as Ian Rentoul discovers…
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 06
One such example of this is an organisation that has become known as Sword and Staff (in homage to Xena and Gabrielle’s ‘weapons of choice’ at the time the organisation was founded). Based in New York, Sword and Staff is headed up by Deborah Cassetta (who is known in fan circles as Mistopholees), and it was here that Xena Magazine caught up with her.
“Sword and Staff was ‘born’ in May 1997, shortly after the first New York City Xenafest was held,” Cassetta reveals. “At the time, it was established to track and document donations made by the show’s fans.”
However, Sword and Staff has evolved from merely ‘tracking’ donations made by Xena fans to actively organising and participating in fan activities, focusing on raising money for charitable organisations. “Since its inception, Sword and Staff has become a catalyst for volunteer groups from around the world to work on projects concerned with bettering the lives of people in their own communities,” Cassetta explains. “Whether it is working on a Habitat for Humanity project, working to clean up the environment by participating in the 1998 and 1999 International Coastal Cleanup campaigns, raising funds for worthy causes through Fests and on-line auctions, or by joining with other fans to make a monetary contribution to a worthwhile charity, Sword and Staff volunteers have given generously of their time and money in a concerted effort to make a difference.”
So what has been achieved through Sword and Staff to date? Cassetta reveals that the charity has raised a staggering $136,621 since its inception. “The money goes to a number of charities worldwide,” she explains. “This includes the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, England and Booth Hall in Manchester in Manchester, England; The Rainforest Preservation Foundation; the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDs Foundation; Landmine Survivors Network; The Make A Wish Foundation in Australia; Casey House in Canada; For All Kids Foundation; as well as the Starship Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Women’s Refuge Foundation in New Zealand.
“Sword and Staff has received an Award of Appreciation from the Domestic Violence Centre of Howard County [in the US] for help in assisting victims of domestic violence,” Cassetta reveals. “In 1999, the organisation was recognised as one of the positive aspects of the Internet by the Volunteerism and Community Engagement Initiatives of the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas.
“The continued participation and support of the fans allows Swords and Staff to make a difference in the lives of people who are often left with no hope and no support. We have proved that given the means to focus and channel their energy, people will generally do the right thing. Xena fans can be proud of the fact that they have made a difference, and through Sword and Staff activities, they continue to do so.”
Cassetta cites some examples of activities which have helped fans channel their energy towards helping others, one of which was sparked off by the birth of the Taperts’ son, Julius, last year. “Fans shared in the Taperts’ celebration of their son by donating approximately $14,000 through Sword and Staff to a number of childrens’ charities around the world. The All Kids Foundation; Starship Children’s Hospital Foundation; Starlight Foundation; Booth Hall and The Great Ormond Street Hospital were among the charities fans from 12 countries supported in celebration of the birth of young Julius. In addition, victims of sexual abuse and earthquake victims in Turkey also received generous support in that donation effort.
“Environmentally, an additional 256 acres of Amazon Rainforest in Brazil were preserved, and this brought the total acreage saved since 1998 to 454. In 1999, we also participated once again in the International Coastal Cleanup and that effort resulted in the removal of 1,485 pounds of ‘trash’ from the coastline along Little Neck Bay in Queens, New York.
“Through the efforts of the Dutch fan club, we are also ‘foster parents’ to two seals named Xena and Hercules. Both were ill and are being nursed back to health as a result of the donation made by the Dutch fans to the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre. I am also happy to say that Hercules has already been released back in to the wild. We expect that Xena will be re-introduced to the wild sometime early in the spring.
“Individual fan efforts provided many more instances of us giving back a little of our time and energy to preserve the resources of the planet. Their efforts are truly amazing. But what we do as a group truly astounds me at times. For example, for Christmas last year, we did some wonderful things for some very needy children. Fans donated money to help support children in several orphanages in Russia. Those donations will go to provide food and other essential items to children awaiting adoption throughout the former Soviet republics.
“In addition to the auctions and donations you will see that up on the Sword and Staff web site, I get numerous requests during the course of the year for donations of Xena merchandise that can be used in charity auctions around the world,” Cassetta says. “I’m happy to say that not one request for merchandise for a charity auction goes unanswered. We have donated autographed items to a number of international organisations and thus contributed to their efforts to raise money for those who need help. So, in addition to the donation totals and charities named on the Sword and Staff page, many other groups benefited from the generosity of the fans.”
The efforts of this charitable organisation are ongoing. For additional information, visit Sword and Staff on the web at http://sword-and-staff.com, where you can find details of current charity drives and on-line auctions.