PITTSBURGH Comics event spurs criticism of charity

The Make-A-Wish Foundation holds its events in a hotel next to the convention.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- A Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter has become the target of a nationwide e-mail protest organized by a family-values organization that contends the comic book convention where the chapter holds an annual fund-raiser is a "celebration of pornography, witchcraft, demonology and the occult."
Make-A-Wish has received more than 16,800 e-mails in just over a week from people opposed to the fund-raiser at Comicon, a Pittsburgh-area comic book convention, said Judith Stone, president and chief executive director of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western Pennsylvania & amp; Southern West Virginia.
"We know that Comicon features pornographic magazines and that they bring in people who sell their body to profit themselves and that Make-A-Wish, this chapter, doesn't have a problem with that," accused Randy Sharp, a spokesman for the American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss., which organized the protest.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation does a thorough review of all fund-raiser locations and has found nothing offensive at the festival, Stone said.
Activities at convention
The foundation holds an all-ages casino night and an auction in a hotel adjacent to the convention to raise money for children with terminal or life-threatening conditions.
The foundation raised $27,000 during the event last year, using the money to grant the wishes of 38 children, including a trip to Disney World, new bedroom furniture and repairs to a pool that had fallen into disrepair.
Renee George, who has run Comicon for 10 years, said four Playboy bunnies signed autographs at last year's event, but that "they were wearing more clothes than some people who just came for the show."
There was also a vendor selling Playboy, though the magazines were wrapped and sold only to adults.
"There's been $160,000 raised for this organization in 10 years," George said. "We have seven healthy children, and we recognize this as a real important cause. This convention is a lot of fun, and it is for families."
A report filed by Diane Gramley, president of the American Family Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania, said pictures of nude and seminude Playmates were visible and that she saw "several young men [early teens] 'checking out' the photos on the tables at the Playboy Playmates' tables."
Comicon no longer advertises the Make-A-Wish events on its Web site, but George and the Make-A-Wish Foundation said the fund-raisers would likely continue.