On July 13,2013 the world suffered a devastating loss in the
passing of Cory Monteith. Not only did the entire world lose a truly amazing
human being, Glee fans lost one of their idols. In the days since his passing,
the Glee fandom has been in a state of complete and total understandable
despair. I can't say that I personally have been a part of this fandom until
after the news broke about the loss of Cory. When the news came out, I was at
home and it was after midnight and I was actually reading Glee fanfiction (the
last chapter of How to Lose a Finn in Ten Days specifically) and I myself was
completely destroyed by the news. I spent all night stalking the trending
topics on Twitter and mourning with other people who felt just as heartbroken
and wretched as I did. I began following other Glee fans so that I could talk
to people who understood the feelings that I was feeling since nobody in my
real life quite got it. I had been a fan of Cory since I began watching Glee in
mid 2010. I was a late comer, admittedly.
I was shocked that I was so affected by Cory's death. I knew
I liked him, I followed him on twitter for a long time, I knew I liked the
show, and I enjoyed watching and reading his interviews. I didn't realize just
how much I cared until after I got a text from a good friend of mine at
12:23a.m who was giving me a heads up about the news because she knew I was a
fan. As soon as I read the text I was in a complete and total shock and shortly
after that I was a crying wreck and I cried for days after that. I wore blue
everyday and have actually continued wearing blue in the honor of Cory's
memory.
Thursday I finally started feeling semi normal again. I
didn't cry, though I admittedly teared up more times than I would like to
admit. I still stalked the trending topics as well as searches of Cory and
Lea's names, just so I could be surrounded by people who cared like I cared.
But then I began thinking about Cory. His personality, his laughter, all of the
lives that he had touched, not just of the ones of those who loved him and were
loved by him, but all of the ones that he had helped (and would now, no longer
get the opportunity to). He was such a big part of our culture, not just
because of Glee but because of his stance on basic human rights such as the
freedom to love who you want to love without fear of judgment and his
unwavering efforts in all of the charities that he advocated for. And I
couldn't help but replay a line for Jane Lynch's interview about Cory, saying
"He never left any day unlived."
That one line has stuck with me and has given me a major
shock about just how short life truly is. I want to make sure I don't let a
single day of my life pass me by without squeezing every drop out of it that I
possibly can, because it can all be gone tomorrow. And I want to help others
like Cory did. I want to donate and give my time to something that is bigger
than just me. I want to make a change, however insignificant, in somebody
else's life.
Midnight Train came to me as I was talking to a fellow Glee
fan on Twitter, somebody who was having a particularly hard time with
everything. And I realized that maybe other's were feeling just as I was
feeling. The need to do something, to honor Cory, to continue on the mission
that he started in his name because he was such an amazing person and he needed
to be remembered for all of the good that he did and not for his tragic death.
His generous spirit needed to be not just remembered, but celebrated and
continued on by those who he inspired.
The Twilight fandom does a charity every year called The
Fandom Gives back where fanfiction authors offer up a one
shot/continuation/mini story/full fledged story to the winner of an auction. It
was up to the authors as to what they were willing to auction off and many left
it up to the winner of the auction. All of the money that these people raised
was given directly to Alex's Lemonade Stand (or depending on what major tragic
event had just occurred, to a charity aimed at that i.e: Fandom Gives Back
Tsunami Relief Edition).
Midnight Train (the title of which was inspired by both Glee
and all of the signs and such that I saw on Twitter saying "He didn't die,
he just took the midnight train to anywhere.") is essentially The Fandom
Gives Back: Glee Style. I am inviting not only fanfic author's of any coupling,
but also fanvid makers to offer their hard work and talents to be auctioned off
to the highest bidder. All of the proceeds will go directly to Project
Limelight in Cory's name, a charity that was near and dear to Cory himself. I
consider it a way to not only keep the fandom together, but a way to continue
what Cory started, to help others.
This first go around, Project Limelight is the main focus.
However, if this is successful, I would love to make it a semi annual event and
have the second one go to a drug prevention related cause, something that is
obviously on a lot of our minds as of
late.
I want to help others. I want to keep Cory's memory alive. I
want to keep this fandom and the friendships that we have all established alive
and thriving. I want to make a difference.
If you'd like to offer your talents, you can contact any one
of us in charge of this at the official Midnight Train Twitter, Facebook, or
here on the main website.
Thank you and never forget:
Don't Stop Believing.
