Well it took a little longer than expected to get here, but I am excited to say I can finally announce the official totals for this year's Can't Stop The Serenity, and they are exciting!

All monies received, minus some expenses for supplies, are going directly to charity. In keeping with tradition, each city chose to donate a portion of its intake to a local charity. For the third year in a row, Tucson is sending 20% of its total earnings to the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona (WFSA). In Phoenix, $1 of every ticket sold went back to MADCAP Theaters who generously donated their space, equipment, and expertise to our event. So without further ado, here's how the numbers stack up:

Tucson
Total attendance: 434 people (theater capacity = 500)
WFSA = $660.95
Equality Now = $2,643.79
Total = $3,304.74

Phoenix
Total attendance: 269 people (theater capacity = 154 per screening)
MADCAP Theaters: $269.00
Equality Now = $5,777.74
Total = $6,046.74

Combined Total: $9,351.48

Despite the economy and Phoenix's space restrictions, we were just over $100 shy of our 2008 total. Add up the past four years together and we're sitting at a shiny $39,686.17!!! What an amazing accomplishment! (Side note: for a more complete history of our numbers, check out our CSTS homepage)

I would like to thank everyone who attended our events for making this success possible. I also want to publicly thank a few key people to whom I owe my sanity and utmost gratitude. Matthew Hewitt took the reins down in Tucson and under his hand Tucson managed to increase its audience attendance and bring in about $1,000 more than the previous year. In addition, Matthew also played a key role in the Vampire Bunny Slayers' shadowcast of Dr. Horrible. I know he spent countless hours in preparation and the hard work clearly paid off. While still speaking of Tucson, I'd like to thank Kevin McAlonan who, in addition to volunteering at Tucson's event and starring as Billy in the Dr. Horrible shadowcast, transported all the merchandise and other shared supplies back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix for us.

Marg Grady, our 2009 CSTS Banker, has managed to keep all of our records straight and provide us with lots of detail so we'll know exactly where we get the most bang for our buck in future years. She's also been a source of wisdom and guidance as I foraged through my first year of being the lead CSTS organizer. Lisa Richins put her heart into our Dr. Horrible prop bags and lent a hand wherever I asked. Rebecca Carter made sure we got our Fruity Oaty Bars just how we like them, made some special parasols for us, and donated one of our valued prizes. Valerie Moore lent us her craftiness in redesigning left-over merchandise from previous years and making her own snazzy merch, while Ed Ellsworth taught us a few things about sewing machines and bookmarks.

Cindy Pickard took home the prize for the best hand-drawn spirals as she painted replicas of Kaylee's parasol for us and made other generous contributions. James Johnson made sure we had lyric sheets for the Dr. Horrible sing-along, helped with some sewing, and even wrapped a few (hundred) Fruit Oaty Bars. David Richins and Raymond Wolfe suffered a few hours helping stuff swag bags, sort raffle prizes, and fold programs. They also provided emotional support at the event itself. Lori Whipple made sure we had everything we needed from Bookmans and took part in the program folding. Andrea Beesley-Brown made coordinating with MADCAP as easy and effortless as possible while Jeff Yanc made sure everything ran smoothly at The Loft.

Randall Whitlock showed flexibility, patience, and creativity in working out this year's costume contest in Phoenix amid time and space constraints. Cameron LaRue put up with our house being covered in CSTS gear for months, helped me pack and unpack boxes, and carried them to and from our event. Sharan Hoyle, Shellei Guenther, and Brian Esterson faithfully attended meetings and jumped in whenever needed.

Finally, Caylee Hoover, Mike Cassidy, Amrita Kaur Khalsa, Sat Guru Singh Khalsa, Robert Tabb, Carol Tabb, Dawn Treude, Brett Treude, Deanne McFarland, Heather Cordova, Melissa Laliberte, Patrick Kelch, and Tisha McGovern all contributed in one way or another for which they are owed sincere thanks and gratitude.

From Matthew: In addition to those listed above, I would like to thank my MC: Karlen, The Cast and Crew of the Vampire Bunny Slayers: Raven, Kayla, Caitlyn, April, Andrea, Amelia, Michael, Jason, and Kevin, and the rest of the Volunteers who showed up at the last minute to help the day of (my apologies If I forget someone): Joey, Cat, Sioux, Hope, Crawford, Beatrice, Stephany, Brittany and Esperanza. Laura from the WFSA. And especially my wife Teresa without whose help behind the scenes we would have never pulled this off. div>