Two of the principals behind the hit Syfy series Sanctuary are urging fans of the show and of science fiction in general to do their bit for Haiti. Star and executive producer Amanda Tapping and creator, writer, and executive producer Damian Kindler are behind the campaign, conducting it under the banner of the non-profit foundation Sanctuary for Kids.
Sanctuary for Kids was founded by Tapping, Kindler, and teacher and social worker Jill Bodie last year. The foundation's mission is to help fund improvements in the lives of children around the world who need support and protection. The three aim to achieve this mission by raising funds through online auctions and donations. These funds will then be distributed to programs around the world that can improve children's lives.
“We all feel very lucky and honoured to be able to do jobs we love with people we love," Tapping says in a statement on the foundation's website. "Jill, Damian and I all felt a very strong desire and responsibility to do something with the reach and audience we have through the show Sanctuary and the sci-fi community. We didn’t want to waste the influence that the series has, or the meaningful connections we personally have made with so many people around the world."
Sanctuary for Kids principally supports four programs: Nepal Orphans Home, Watari’s Transitioning to Independence Program (TTIP), the Transitioning to Independence Program for Parenting Youth (TIPPY), and Save the Children Canada in Haiti. The foundation contributed money to the building of a new home for the orphans in Nepal and set up a capital fund to support more construction. The TTIP and TIPPY programs are based in Vancouver, where Sanctuary is filmed, and work with homeless youth in the city. The Save the Children Canada campaign has been a response to the recent earthquake in Haiti. Sanctuary for Kids donated $10,000 to the Haiti program in January and received over $5,000 in online donations in just the first eight days of February. The foundation is planning to continue its support there beyond the initial relief efforts.
In addition to working together on Sanctuary, both Tapping and Kindler were involved with the series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Sanctuary started life as an eight-episode Internet series in 2007 and recently completed its second season on Syfy. The cast also includes Robin Dunne, Agam Darshi, Ryan Robbins, and Christopher Heyerdahl. It has already been renewed for a third season and is scheduled to return to Syfy in the fall.
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