Are you ready for Can’t Stop the Serenity 2016? We are! With our tenth year behind us, we’re looking forward to an exciting year of fun filled fandom events. For the past decade, Browncoats all over the world have donated tens of thousands of hours of their spare time over the past decade to organise events both big and small to celebrate our fandom and to support Equality Now, and 2016 is no different. Plans are already being made in cities across the globe. Will there be an event in your local area? All it takes are a few Browncoats to put on their cunning hats and make it happen!

We’re pleased to announce that the 2016 season will be coordinated by Annie Burnaman from Texas, USA. Annie has been involved in CSTS for many years, including five years as a local event organiser in North Texas. During this time, she’s also helped the global team obtain video messages from Summer Glau and Sean Maher for the global intro video, and source incredible items for the global auction. In 2015, Annie officially joined the Global Team as the Merchandise Coordinator, adding some very cool goodies like the CSTS Challenge Coin. As Global Merchandise Coordinator, she oversaw the shipments of merchandise and sponsor items to events all over the world.

Says Annie, “Can’t Stop the Serenity has taught me so many things; about the world we live in, what I’m capable of, and about the power of individuals to enact global change. It’s been invaluable for my children, watching their mother and father become strong and outspoken on behalf of those who can’t speak without fear. In many ways, CSTS has made me the person I am today, and my other charitable efforts would likely never have been conceived without it.”

In addition to her years of hard work with CSTS, Annie is the co-founder of a fan organization called Fringenuity, formed in 2011 to support the TV show Fringe. Annie was largely responsible for evolving its purpose to incorporate charitable efforts as well as supporting the show through social media. Since 2012, Fringenuity’s charitable endeavors have raised over $9,000 for a variety of charities, most recently raising over $2000 for Random Acts through the sale of fandom based challenge coins.

She looks forward to what the 2016 CSTS season will bring, and is keen to dedicate her time to making it a success. As a stay at home/homeschool mother with a son starting college and a daughter working independently most of the time, she is ready for the role of Global Event Coordinator. Annie is committed to giving CSTS her time and energy, connecting with local organisers across the world and brainstorming with fellow Browncoats to find new ideas and ways to take Can’t Stop the Serenity into our eleventh year.