Well, the dust is starting to settle after Lazy Bear 13 – and what a weekend it was! First and foremost, we have to give a big “THANK YOU” to all the attendees who made this year’s event one for the record books and to all the volunteers who have made Lazy Bear Weekend happen for the last 13 years. Without you guys, none of what we do would be possible.

We, the Board of Directors of Lazy Bear Fund, have some good news… and some not so good news. The good news is that Lazy Bear Weekend 2008 was a record breaker in a number of ways.

The records include:

• Largest advance sale on Lazy Bear Tags (+33%)
• Best attendance at Woods Pool Parties (+12%)
• Best attendance at Triple R Pool Parties (+24%)
• Largest attendance for Sunday Furry Sunday party (+27%)
• Most gross fundraising dollars earned (+20%)

These numbers are even more amazing when you consider that we had to forego one of our most cherished and successful Lazy Bear traditions this year: Pyro’s Bonfire. Due to the state’s concerns over fire safety and our own commitment to keep LBW as safe as possible, we had to do without one of our signature events. There’s no telling how successful we could have been this year had conditions allowed us to continue this tradition!

Each year, Lazy Bear Weekend strives to beat our previous year’s fundraising efforts and thereby provide larger grants to the beneficiaries that rely on these dollars. And while 2008 saw dramatic increases in the dollars we took in during Lazy Bear Weekend, it also saw record increases in the expenses we encountered to create and produce this year’s event.

From newly-required event permits for Sonoma County to increased costs of goods, transportation, energy, venue rentals, food, beverages… it seemed like the costs this year increased dramatically across the board. The current economic climate took its toll on our resources as some of our long-time partners were unable (or unwilling) to provide discounts on their services. A few businesses even went as far as to inflate their prices astronomically, feeling that we had no choice but to pay whatever they demanded. Each time we found a way to reduce costs in one area (for example, cutting printing costs by partnering with Gloss magazine to create our LBW-13 program), new and unexpected costs would arise to erase whatever savings we had hoped to recognize.

It’s gratifying to report, however, that even in this bad economy there were “Lazy Bear angels” that went out of their way to provide us with goods and services at or below their costs – even donating these necessities – to insure our success. To these true Lazy Bear partners, we give our unwavering respect and gratitude.

With that having been said, the Board of Directors of the Lazy Bear Fund is incredibly proud and privileged to say that this year’s Lazy Bear Weekend brought in a record gross of $248,150. After our bills are paid, we anticipate that we’ll be able to disperse about $175,000 to our 2008 beneficiaries – about the same figure that we had last year.

And while Lazy Bear Weekend is our biggest annual event, it’s important to note that our fundraising efforts continue throughout the year. Tax-deductible donations are gratefully accepted and can be sent to:

The Lazy Bear Fund
584 Castro Street #374
San Francisco, CA 94114.

Finally, we encourage Lazy Bears everywhere to join us on Saturday, September 27, for our annual Lazy Bear Fund check ceremony at the Lone Star Saloon in San Francisco and meet representatives from the organizations that YOU supported by being a part of Lazy Bear Weekend 13!

On behalf of the entire Lazy Bear Board of Directors, thank you again for your ongoing support!