The Event
When we here at Geeks With Issues are letting someone know about “The Battle Against Dysentery,” we are inevitably countered with an amusing statement: “I didn’t realize that Dysentery continued to be a severe problem in the modern world. Why’d you choose to help fight Dysentery?” Of course, this is an odd question to be asked when you’re trying to support two wonderful children’s organizations. And that’s the reason we’ve created this page, to answer any questions regarding “The Battle.”
What Is “The Battle Against Dysentery?”
“The Battle Against Dysentery” is a live 24 hour charity webcast and “telethon,” the donations from which are given to two children’s organizations (Child’s Play and Hillcrest Educational Centers) helping younglings in need. The event itself includes special guests, musical performances, prize giveaways and a healthy dose of topical discussion that is the trademark of the Geeks With Issues.
When Is The Event?
“The Battle” occurs every year, starting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Noon EST. This year, that means the action starts on Saturday, November 27, 2010. As we run for 24 hours non-stop, the show will end at Noon EST on Sunday, November 28, 2010.
Where Can I Watch The Show?
If you live in Pittsfield, Dalton or Richmond, Massachusetts, you can watch the program live on Time Warner channel 18. If you live outside of that area, you can see the show right here on this website – shortly before the show starts, our blog will switch over to a UStream Player with a chat window, ready for anyone with a computer and a high-speed internet connection to enjoy!
Why Is It Called “The Battle Against Dysentery?”
The event, since it started in 2008, has prominently featured a marathon of the MECC edutainment computer game “Oregon Trail” as played using an Apple IIe emulator. The game has players leading a wagon train of 5 people through the frontier to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, making life or death choices and hoping to arrive in one piece. As anyone who’s played the game is likely aware, one of the challenges experienced by players of the game are a number of historically accurate illnesses, including dysentery. Since we would be playing the game for 24 hours, whoever would be playing the game and trying to make it to Oregon would be fighting…yes, you guessed it…a battle against dysentery. The name of the event seemed obvious to us from there.
Where Did You Come Up With The Idea?
Wanting to find a way to give back to our community, and wanting to establish a holiday tradition in the process, we started looking to the internet for ideas on what we could do. The core of our inspiration came from the folks at LoadingReadyRun, an online sketch comedy troupe from Victoria, Canada. They have spearheaded one of the most successful (and painful for the folks involved) marathon-style charity events, Desert Bus For Hope. While the breadth of their event was beyond what the Geeks were prepared to endure, the style inspired us to refine the idea and develop the B.A.D.
This Is Awesome – How Do I Help?
There are three ways that our viewers can help us make “The Battle Against Dysentery” a rousing success. The first is to donate - the entire reason we do what we do is because we want to give two big fat checks to our charitable organizations. Every dollar you can spare helps us make those checks fatter. The second is to tell other people, and ask them to donate. We’ve always believed that if all you can donate is a dollar, but you tell ten people who also donate a dollar, the kids get $11, and that’s some powerful stuff. Third, you can watch the show – sure, we’re looking for donations, but we’re also hoping to entertain you. We think that you will really enjoy the show, and we look forward to sharing it with you as much as you do to seeing it every year.
I’m A Member Of The Press – How Can I Cover Your Event?
First off, that you so much for being interested in covering our event! For everything you need to cover our event, including contact information for our producer, can be found in our press release. We hope it’ll give you everything you need to start covering our event.
