Are you looking for a way to help end poverty and hunger worldwide?  Do you love books?  Do you love modern fantasy authors in addition to Tolkien?  If you said yes to these questions, you should check out Worldbuilders.  The short of it is that Worldbuilders is a team contributing to Heifer International, but by donating to Heifer through their team page, you get the opportunity to have your contribution matched and to win some incredibly cool items from some of the best authors and artists producing work today.  Included in Worldbuilders sponsors are TORn regulars like Badali Jewelry and Donato Giancola.  If you are feeling charitable this holiday season, you should check out Worldbuilders.  You can read the full press release after the cut. 

Worldbuilders kicks off its fifth annual fundraiser for Heifer International

(Stevens Point, WI) – This year marks the fifth year Worldbuilders is teaming up with authors, publishers, artists and generally awesome people from around the world to raise money for Patrick Rothfuss’ beloved organization, Heifer International.

“Heifer International is my favorite charity,” said Worldbuilders Founder, Patrick Rothfuss.  “It helps people raise themselves up out of poverty and starvation.  All over the world, Heifer promotes education, sustainable agriculture, and local industry.”

Rothfuss started Worldbuilders in 2008 to help people become aware of Heifer International and to raise money for the organization.  To date, Rothfuss and Worldbuilders have raised over one million dollars for Heifer International through the Worldbuilders fundraiser and Rothfuss’ personal donations.

“I’m constantly amazed by how generous people are.  We’ve had six year olds give us their Christmas money,” said Rothfuss.  “We’ve had teenagers run bake sales.  I’ve seen broke college students kick in ten dollars, and CEOs donate ten thousand dollars.  They all love helping.  They all want to make the world a better place.”

During the annual fundraiser, Rothfuss and Worldbuilders will match many of the donations made through the Worldbuilders Team Page by contributing additional money and great personal gifts from Pat’s own collection and money.  In addition, Worldbuilders will send out thousands of rare, specialty or signed books, posters, CDs and DVDs.  These prizes are donated to Worldbuilders by authors, artists, musicians, actors, publishers and readers for donors to win through their lottery system of the fundraiser.

For every $10 a person donates through the Worldbuilders Team Page, he or she will be entered to win one of the prizes.  In addition to the fundraiser, another way to support Worldbuilders year round is to visit their online store, The Tinker’s Packs.  The online store carries a variety of t-shirts, posters, jewelry and books sourced from around the world.  The Tinker’s Packs has become a popular place to go when searching for science fiction or fantasy works in foreign languages.

Heifer International is an organization working to end poverty in over forty countries, including the United States.  The organization provides families with animals, teaching them how to be self-reliant, and encourages them to share their wealth with others.  By doing this, they share their knowledge, education and hopes with other families in need, helping communities prosper.

For more information about Worldbuilders, The Tinker’s Packs and this year’s fundraiser, visit www.worldbuilders.org.