Subject: So here's what happened.
As we begin to look toward the future of this crazy, fantastical journey, it’s important to take a glance back at we were able to pull off together. You’ve managed, once again, to outdo yourselves in grand gishwhes fashion: you gave oodles of time to worthy causes, raised mountains of cash for those in need, and changed the lives of more earthly creatures than ever before. Well done, you. Let’s take a gander down memory lane and see what we did this year…
You Became Proud Protectors of Pandas
As part of the premium registration package, we wanted to offer the chance to become a proud adoptive parent of your very own Porcupanda and support Pandas International, a non-profit providing awareness, research support, and habitat preservation for pandas around the world. You raised over $18,000 for the organization whose conservation work is now more vital than ever, and in so doing, saved countless lives of our fellow furry, black-and-white, bumbling and adorable bears. Right this moment, as you read this, there are pandas worldwide that are sleeping, eating, playing, or creating adorable panda poop, only because of you.
You Saved 40,000 Acres of Nepali Forest
We partnered with the Rainforest Trust on a mission to help protect and defend roughly 20,000 acres of forest in Nepal filled with endangered species and critical habitats. Through gisholarship donations, upgrades and registering for the hunt, you managed to introduce thousands of people to the wonderful and weird world of gishwhes and saved over 40,000 acres for animals and flora to enjoy forever.
You Helped Save the Dreams of Countless At-Risk Children
After raising over $225,000 last year for several Syrian families in desperate need, you exceeded expectations and managed to raise over $260,000 dollars for Dreamscape, a dance school in South Africa that is a beacon of hope in its community. Almost 12,000 donors gave hope to children who live in some of the world’s poorest conditions and granted the dying wish of an incredible teacher and mentor with a gift that will support the artistic journeys of these amazing students for years to come. We look forward to documenting their journey and sharing it with you.
Acts of Kindness By The Numbers, gishwhes 2017
You created thousands of care packages for cancer patients, thank you gifts to first responders, and donations to local shelters. You inspired hundreds of women to run for elected office, completed more than 45,000 acts of kindness during the Hunt, and inspired thousands to stand in front of decision-makers and hold up signs about issues that are important to them.
But as you know, gishwhes isn’t all about being good. In fact, you kind of shine when you’re asked to be weird, freaky and wild. You managed to launch paper airplanes in outer space, hosted hundreds of underwater board meetings, created thousands of avant-garde recycled wedding dresses, rewrote the hippy movement using storm troopers, photo documented the much-discussed Zombie versus Vampire war, became architectural geniuses with wombat poop, inspired thousands of ballet bar room brawls, summoned ghosts for ghost towns, participated in the once-every-3000-year annual Spectral Olympics, and many many many more wild, weird, beautiful and eye-popping wonders.
Your kindness, generosity and freaky joie de vivre truly knew no bounds this year and we - and the world at large - are beyond grateful for that. There’s so much more work to be done and weirdness to infiltrate the world, but we are proud of the effort and light you’ve brought into the world through gishwhes.
Misha, MJL and the Gish Gnomes
The Gishwhes Historian is a project to archive Gishwhes-related information including emails, hunt updates, timelines, and more.
If you’d like to help, we have a list of missing content here, or you can fill out one of our surveys.
