Outreach Summary:

• Who is Carrie Savage?
• Why you should help
• Our goal

Who is Carrie Savage?

Carrie Savage is a wonderful voice actor who has been with Anime Detour since the very start. Through all of Anime Detour, Carrie has been there for us. Her smile has brightened our lives and made every Detour that much better. It's hard not to get a smile when you recognize her voice while watching an anime, or get to talk to her at a con. The Anime Detour Charity auction would not be the same without Carrie; it is quite possibly the best part of our weekend as she gets everyone enthusiastic about donating to help others in need. So please help us help Carrie Savage, because Anime Detour would not be where it is today without her.

Why you should help?

Carrie Savage has been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called muscular dystrophy. You may remember the Jerry Lewis Telethons of years past, during which he had as guests children with the most devastating forms of this disease. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, there are 9 major different types of muscular dystrophy, further classified into possibly 43 sub-types due to minor variations. All are very serious and systemic, as they influence many organs and systems in the body besides the muscles. The different forms of muscular dystrophy are distinguished by severity, age of onset, and affected body systems, but they are all linked by one main factor: the body’s inability to produce certain proteins or glycogens that muscles need in order to survive and grow, causing a progressive deterioration of muscle tissues. Hence the term "dystrophy".
The good news for Carrie is that while her condition can still be debilitating, her type is considered to be potentially one of the slowest progressing and least devastating, as it is rarely congenital. She prefers to consider it more of a difficult life challenge than a disease. In addition, with the specific areas her type centers on, it does not hinder her ability to do voice-over or other acting work! Although her muscular dystrophy has been causing some health issues resulting from its effect on various body systems throughout her life – particularly her digestive system since birth – her more distal (further from the midsection) muscles were not classically affected until adulthood. Carrie’s condition was therefore undiagnosed until the past couple of years when her muscles started showing more typical symptoms. Unfortunately, her leg muscles are now weakened, a distressing development for Carrie as she has been supporting herself as a waitress between voice-over opportunities. It became apparent that this kind of physical stress on her legs was causing her condition to progress rapidly, to the point where she could no longer work any job that involves walking for long periods and carrying heavy objects. She has been trying to make ends meet with voice-over gigs, but they have been infrequent. Without assistance during these difficult transitioning times, she faces serious financial risks and housing repercussions. We'd like to help her avoid those situations, and it would be amazing if you are willing to help in this endeavor. We are not going to just sit by and watch that happen to someone who has done so much to help us over the years.

Each year at Anime Detour we hear how anime has changed someone or helped them through the rough spots in their life by giving them something to laugh at or relate to. Without the actors to give those characters life, they would just be images that make no sense. Carrie and her fellow actors help breathe life into these characters and make them funny or relatable. For that, they have our thanks and love.

Our Goal

$6,000.00

That is what we need to raise so that Carrie can get back to doing what she does best: voicing roles that have helped, healed, and changed us. We here at Anime Detour and our parent company, Anime Twin Cities, Inc., have set up this donation drive to provide aid in Carrie's time of need. Other members of our community will someday be in need, and we would like to grow this fund to be able to help whenever something endangers our community. Every dollar donated to this fund will go toward helping someone in our community; right now it's Carrie Savage, but who knows who may need our help in the future? Please help. Share this with your friends. Tell all who have loved anime about a person in need. And, most of all, donate.