Throughout the years I've spent here on deviantArt, I've raised money or provided support for several deviants and myself as we've taken part in different events for charity or political causes. In fact, when I called out for people to share their experiences with me, I was overwhelmed with an immediate and enthusiastic response from dozens of people. They have walked for brittle bones, cancers, arthritis, suicide prevention, beach preservation, civil and social rights, peace and even their own independence. Their stories run the gamut from the planned to the spontaneous and from peaceful to full blown riots, but their goals are common: to be heard, to be seen.

I interviewed over a dozen people, below are their words, from their point of view.

Why do we do it?
The simple answer is because it matters to us. Each and every individual interviewed responded to the question with passion and direction. The reason was never: well, we were bored that weekend, or someone made us. Instead many of the answers were responses to loss. *mode-de-vie lost a friend to suicide, =holls lost a grandmother, $Moonbeam13 lost a grandmother, `Beccalicious lost a close family friend.

Still more of the interviewed answered that they were participating alongside someone who suffered or on behalf of someone who could not demonstrate themselves, friends or family who were fighting an illness. *wordworks , ~EveningDownpour focus on fighting HIV/AIDS on behalf of `GeneratingHype, *mode-de-vie jogged for Osteogensis Imperfecta, =j14v6 races for her mother.

They might have gathered against exploitation or injustice. =bekkia promoted a clean and preserved beach, =ScummyVladDrac protested war, =fallenidle protested Proposition 8, ~kadarian stood silent vigil for a pro-life cause, and ^Cedarseed marched against Syrian occupation for the freedom of her country.

The reasons are visceral, reflecting the best of humanity. They gathered out of a need to protect those they loved and to improve the place they lived.

Sometimes it’s manifested humorously.


Sometimes it’s about the symbols.


It's not always a peaceful processes,


but demonstrators seldom back down from a challenge.


The Crush:
When you first arrive at the assembly, you might be lucky and see only a trickle of humanity making its way to the event. This is short lived. In no time flat you find yourself surrounded by people of common mind. As =j14v6 said, "it was a bit overwhelming".
The numbers grow and before long you are in the thick of the crush. How can it be described?


^Cedarseed : Exhilaration and brotherhood

*wordworks: Immense joy and gratitude.

=ScummyVladDrac: Enlightening, addictive. I felt I belonged, society does its best to belittle people that want to express they views, with those people around me I felt like something could actually be done.

=holls: I was very touched by the solidarity. It's sad to think that so many people have personal experience with cancer, but it gives me optimism that they all want things to change.


=fallenidle: One of the most incredible feelings of my life; it almost brought me to tears. Especially since our protest had such a positive air; everyone was smiling and happy to be there, not angry. There were children of gay couples wearing shirts like "I love my mommies", etc...I felt so proud to be helping.

~kadarian: It was... incredible. To know that you're united with so many people towards a common cause... it's a very powerful experience.

*ThePhantomTwinkie: I was filled with joy, personally. I didn't know any of these people, but by the end of the march, I had made friends that will last forever



=randomaxes: i didn't feel alone. i felt that there was a significant effort in place to address the issue at hand and that there was hope for a solution. likeminded people showing a massive presence to make other aware.

=TimeFalcon: It was fantastic that everyone was there....and sad. Everyone there had lost a loved one to cancer. There were a lot of stories, and there was a candlelight ceremony that evening.



Life long memories:
These days often give many opportunities to create memories that will last a life time. After all, you are surrounded by people who share at least one thing in common with you. The Houston AIDS walk features this particular hill that gives a vantage point over the parkway. I remember stopping and standing at the top of this hill, looking down on the sea of people, and realizing I couldn’t see the end of the flow. My friend I was walking with and I stood there for a couple of minutes and just filled with joy, jaws on the ground.

=j14v6: Watching a little girl run next to her mother who was a survivor. I can't run with my grandmother and my mom can't participate because of her back, but I know they are with me in spirit every time I run...watching that family just reminded me of that.

*wordworks: The coordinators of AIDS Walk Philly made a striking observation this past Walk: every single year of the 22 years they have held the event, it has never rained or otherwise been struck by adverse weather conditions. Every year, it has been beautiful.
Both years I have attended the walk thus far, the weather was perfect and the atmosphere was serene. The route follows the road from the Philadelphia Art Museum that runs along the river, crosses a bridge, and continues back on the opposite bank. The scenery can be striking on any ordinary day, and while seeing it in a stream of thousands of people, it's absolutely astounding.



=bekkia: My friends and I on the beach patrol got ditched by our patrol truck that we were helping deliver water to the runners, so we ended up having to run even more than the actual racers chasing after a patrol truck!

^Cedarseed: Probably the fact that although we were walking to topple a government and evict an army (and we did!) the revolution was completely peaceful and made up of laughter and songs rather than anger. Hundreds of thousands protested for weeks on end and didn't even trample the flower bushes around parliament. We even forced our way through the lines of soldiers supposed to stop us without any manhandling on either side. That was extraordinary.

=ScummyVladDrac: I would have to say it was the Mayday Protests in 2002. At the time the war discussion was being mentioned, Palestine were being slaughtered & corporate companies were making all the rules.
I remembered we marched to McDonalds head office in Sydney, got out a BBQ & started feeding their customers healthy alternatives to McDonalds food, while giving out fact sheets about the horrors of McDonalds food & their practices. This was an effort duplicated at over 350 McDonalds restaurants in Australia. That day McDonalds lost 9 million dollars in revenue.
Plus the after effects in past months (quarter) lead to McDonalds losing 34 million dollars from that time the year before.



`ATrue: During the fundraising process, we requested $5 in exchange for a candle with the name of the person that is being honoured. At the beginning of the event, all these candles line the walk-way, which took place at school 400-meter track, which was just surrounded by candles. It was amazing to see how many there were!

=fallenidle: Our march was around the outside of Temple Square, which is the world headquarters for the LDS Church, and includes the SLC Temple, the Church's business buildings, and the Joseph Smith Memorial building which is more like a fancy hotel/restaurant/theater that caters to special events. When walking by the latter building, there were some employees inside the large windows watching the march go by. An older lesbian couple carrying a picture of their large, beautiful and happy family stopped in front of this window, and the employees, and put their arms around one another and held up the picture of the family for them to see- no angry words, nothing but smiles. It was such an astounding moment, so powerful, and such an awesome message against a church that claims they are trying to "defend" the family by banning gay marriage. It was perfect.

~kadarian: The irony of being in a peaceful, silent protest, but being screamed at by passers-by who disagreed with me. I don't know why, but the memory of that (which occurred more than once) will always stay with me.

*ThePhantomTwinkie: When the man with the...Larynx box [I think that's the man] spoke to the crowd. He made people cry, it was touching in many ways.

=randomaxes: the building of camaraderie, making new friends, achieving new personal goals, learning my limitations (ok, so that's more than one favorite)



Advice for new comers:

If you’re considering getting involved in demonstrative gatherings there are a few things to consider. Of course you want to make sure that what you are doing is legal. Political protest is not as free in some countries. Even in the United States you must have a permit for some gatherings.
Sometimes a demonstration is illegal, and sometimes the illegality is what you demonstrate against. It can be violent, dangerous, but to oppressed people it might be worth it.
Not all demonstrations are created equal. While taking a stand on a controversial issue, bear in mind that some people who hold the same beliefs might go about promoting their ideas in a negative or dangerous fashion. Also, some issues draw negativity from outsiders. It is important to be aware of these things and keep a cool head.



Advice from the interviewed:
*wordworks: To any beginner participating in a cause, I'd advise you to really familiarize yourself with the organization running it and the reason for its existence. Know the story (there always is one). And if you plan to be in it for years to come, each year see if you can do a little more-- raise a little more money, attract a friend or relative to participate, see if you can join in with organizing the event for the next year.
But start with what you're comfortable with. The phrase may be cliché by now, but every little bit helps. Do what matters most to you.

*mode-de-vie: Don't take it too seriously- if you don't raise a lot of money, or you don't have a huge team with you, it's really not a big deal. As long as you are there for the right reasons, any little bit of money or time you can give is worth it.

=j14v6: You're there for a purpose...not to be the best...pace yourself...talk to others. If you're running for someone you love...or if you are going through this yourself...there is a ton of support to be found. Don't be afraid to meet people. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! Be sure to hydrate the day before! I neglected to do that before one of the races and cramped up quickly!

=bekkia: Even doing little things, like running or walking a mile
or two can help so many people.

^Cedarseed: Stay away from angry protests. Their energy will harm you.

=ScummyVladDrac: Be sure you research what you are marching for (in the case of going to a march or protest) a lot of people go to these events for the reason its "cool" or the "thing to do" these events need to be controlled or people gets hurt, the last things anyone wants.

`ATrue: Fundraising for any kind of charity takes patience and a lot of trial and error. Like I said, you need to find the right sales pitch for the right person, depending on their circumstances. There's no formula for fundraising, so don't be afraid to pick something you're comfortable with, even if it's not the typical sales pitch. The important thing is for you to be comfortable, because if you're not, and it sounds like you're just selling something, you'll get a lot of doors slammed in your face. Sometimes, because these events are entirely volunteer based, it might be a little disorganized as some people don't appear to fill their slot or jobs have to be shuffled around the day of because of something unexpected. Whether you are one of the volunteers organizing the envent or a participant, be patient. Everyone there has freely given their time and it can be stressful trying to run it, so be flexible. Don't try to slip an event in the couple of hours it says on the schedule, between two other important dates. Make sure there's a whole day or half-day set aside; it will allow you to focus your attention better to the task at hand anyway.

=fallenidle: If you're doing anything political or religious (or both- I really got a crash course!), be prepared to be yelled at, called names and otherwise treated like crap. Our march was peaceful- chants of "Yes we can!", smiles, laughs, and signs, yet I can't count how many times terrible things were yelled at us from passing motorists, etc. "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!" "You guys are fucking queers!" and worse. You have to ignore it, because the second you start a fight with someone, your cause is lost- the entire march will be portrayed as an unfair bashing of an innocent victim. It's not worth it. You may have also heard about threats, vandalism, etc. against the church after Prop 8 passed. Again- not the way to fight. It gives a terrible name to a non-terrible cause and only sets the cause back. I would like to point out that, even though they had "escorts" making sure we stayed off church property, the LDS Church's representatives were kind to the marchers. No cross words, usually a "good evening" or at least a silent smile. The verbal abuse came from the cowardly idiots driving by us.

~Adarian: You have a voice, and it is powerful. Unite it with the voices of others, and you will be heard. Don't be afraid to speak up for what you believe in.

*ThePhantomTwinkie: If people who aren't participating yell or mess with you; ignore it. Try to keep all walks peaceful! We had one woman wave a box of cigarettes at as before we started and yelling how we couldn't make her stop. She actually followed us for a little bit, before she got out of breath and was wheezing off on the side of the street. One of the people walking, went up to her and spoke to her about what she had been ignoring. A few weeks later, while we were wrapping things up; this same lady came back to tell us that she was on the road of quitting.

=randomaxes: jump in and do it. Every one of these events is doable by mere mortal. you won't get any life experience for these causes by just giving money. Participating in the events makes the reason and the results more real, tangible. Being with likeminded people attaining a common goal(s), teamwork, stories after the fact...these are all the textures and substance of life.

Further information:
If you want to find out about some of the causes supported by different deviations, some of the interviewed have provided links or suggestions to causes they have supported.

On my part, I am walking in the 2009 Houston AIDS walk and you can find out more information about that Here

*wordworks: I am not currently involved in fundraising, and the 2009 Walk will not be happening for some months to come (it is held in October every year). However, I encourage anyone who is interested to check out the Philadelphia AIDS Fund website . They are always taking donations, big or small.
There are countless AIDS Funds out there, too. In fact, I'd more heartily encourage checking to see if your city or town has one, and see what you can do to help, if you are motivated.

=fallenidle: Queers United is a great place for updates, and will inform you of any petitions, planned marches, etc.

~adrian: I'm not, but you may be able to donate to Blessed John XXIII, the chapel sponsoring the run. More info here: The Run for the John -- how can you not sponsor a run with THAT title?!


`Beccalicious If you are female and living in the UK, I would encourage you all to take part and raise money. The tagline for the race is 'Together, we can beat cancer' and this is really true. The more people who participate, the more sponsorship and money can be raised. You don't have to be Paula Radcliffe to do this!
For the rest of you, all I ask is if you can donate to my sponsorship page which is: [link] even if you can only manage a couple of pounds I will greatly appreciate it

Find more images like the ones featured here: A common purpose


Special thanks to all those who helped me put together this article and everyone who was gracious enough to share their memories with me.