UPDATE: This is a raffle! For every $10.00 USD that you donate (or have previously donated) to this campaign, you will be entered into a raffle to win Wayward-themed prizes. These prizes include, but are not limited to, items AUTOGRAPHED BY ONE OR MORE OF THE SUPERNATURAL/WAYWARD CAST MEMBERS! See the rules for details.*
OUR OBJECTIVE
Wayward Sisters is more than just a TV show; it is a movement created by members of the Supernatural family. As the spinoff of Supernatural, the longest-running show on The CW Television Network, Wayward Sisters was highly anticipated. Unfortunately, in May—even with an established fanbase, characters that were beloved by the fandom, the support of the cast members of Supernatural, merchandise that sold out, the trending of #WaywardSisters on Twitter during the airing of the pilot episode, and the great ratings and reviews of said pilot—The CW passed on picking up the show for a first season.
Wayward Sisters means a lot to many people. It provides televised representation for groups that are under-represented in fiction: POC (two of the main characters, Patience and Kaia, are women of colour) and the LGBTQ+ community (the implied relationship between Claire and Kaia). Additionally, far too often, older female characters are deprived of significant and important roles in fiction; age representation is something that this show gets right. Jody and Donna are two middle-aged women in positions of power: besides being hunters and capable, tenacious leaders, they are both sheriffs.
However, the most important part of Wayward Sisters is the fact that it’s about six strong and diverse female leads whose storylines do not surround romance or sex with men, or involve the stereotypical roles of women. Jody, Donna, Alex, Claire, Patience and Kaia are examples of the concept of found family. They have each gone through their own individual hardships, but come together to be the heroes that the world needs. These characters are not “damsels in distress”; they are fierce, independent, and exactly the types of role models that young girls need to see in fiction. Currently, there aren’t any sci-fi/horror shows out there that have a female-centric cast, which makes Wayward all the more unique.
As a result of The CW not picking up Wayward Sisters, fans petitioned for them to change their minds, but we were ignored. We have decided to direct our energy into something even more positive: helping women in need, which is very pertinent to the #WaywardAF movement created by this fandom.
The charity we have chosen is Fistula Foundation, a foundation that raises funds for surgeries for women with obstetric fistulae who cannot afford to pay for it themselves. An obstetric fistula is a hole between the walls of the vagina and the rectum and/or bladder, resulting in incontinence of feces and/or urine. Some of the root causes of fistulae are poverty and low status of women and girls. A fistula can form in a number of different ways, but the main ones include obstructed labour and brutal rape (often involving objects such as metal rods and guns). They occur more commonly in developing countries due to less advanced obstetric care and more women giving birth without trained professionals present. Women in these countries often lack the money required—approximately $586.00 USD—to pay for a fistula repair surgery. Aside from the fact that these types of injuries are very painful, they result in death when left untreated. It is not uncommon for pregnant women, as well as their babies, to die if the fistula is not repaired in time. For more information, visit www.fistulafoundation.org.
Donate to the Fistula Foundation in the name of Wayward Sisters, to show that the audience is dedicated and here to stay.
—Bianca Giglio, Elizabeth Le Maistre, Laura Livenspire and Margaret Harriman
RAFFLE RULES*
1. Every $10.00 USD that you donate will buy you ONE raffle ticket.
2. There is no limit to the number of raffle tickets you can buy.
3. You are not required to go through any additional steps to enter the raffle: as soon as you donate, you are added to the pool of potential winners.
4. You are still eligible if you donate anonymously.
5. Once a donor’s name has been drawn for one prize, they are no longer eligible to win anything else. This assures that no one wins more than one prize.
6. The four organizers of this fundraiser will not be included in the raffle.
7. The organizers will contact you by email if you have won a prize at the end of the campaign.
8. See the “Updates” section for possible prizes!
