The wonderful thing about the Blogathon is that it is a fundraising endeavor where the very activity that raises money for a cause can call attention to and educate people about the cause. I’ve always had a cynical attitude towards events like charity balls where thousands of dollars are wasted on dresses, limos, and food that could have gone straight to the charitable cause’s coffers instead, though I understand that the fancy trappings are often necessary to raise large sums of money. But with Blogathon there’s an opportunity, if the weblog author chooses, to directly raise awareness about the charity they are collecting donations for. I was honored to have been asked to help judge the awards this year.