Z illions of people all over the world love the Seattle hiphop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Zillions of people all over the world also love the Seattle rock band Pearl Jam. And Slog—voted the Best Blog in the Entire Universe™ by Condé Nast Traveler—is read by zillions of people every day (at slog.thestranger.com, don'tcha know).
But whose fans are the best, most givingest fans?
We're about to find out. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Pearl Jam are combining forces with Slog this holiday season—SERIOUSLY!—to help raise money for YouthCare's James W. Ray Orion Center, which feeds, clothes, and even houses homeless teens right here in our city, at the bottom of Capitol Hill on Denny Way.
The Orion Center's funding was recently cut, almost forcing the center to shut down its most valuable service—keeping homeless young adults, ages 18 to 24, from sleeping on the streets at night. Within the past few weeks, King County and the City of Seattle kicked in just enough money to keep the homeless shelter open five nights a week, but the group needs to raise $100,000 more to stay open seven days a week, providing hot meals, job training, and stable housing placement for this vulnerable population throughout the next year.
For 40 years, YouthCare has been proactively sending its employees out to the streets, bridges, and parks where homeless young people congregate. They offer these youth a chance at a stable life: daily hot meals, a clothing bank, shelter beds, GED classes, job training programs, and help finding permanent housing. These are our city's exploited and forgotten young people: About 74 percent of those that YouthCare sees were physically or sexually abused at home, while 40 percent left home or were kicked out because of their sexuality.
So, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fans! Pearl Jam fans! Slog fans! Together, we can help save the Orion Center! But we're going to do it the American way: with a competition! That's why we're pitting Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fans against Pearl Jam fans against Slog fans! DONATE to the Orion Center by going to one of these three pages:
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis fans: GO TO youthcare.org/Macklemore TO DONATE!
• Pearl Jam fans: GO TO youthcare.org/PearlJam TO DONATE!
• Slog fans: GO TO youthcare.org/Slog TO DONATE!
What do you do if you love Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pearl Jam, AND Slog equally? Go to all three pages and donate at each one! The internationally famous musicians or semi-widely-read local blog whose fans raise the most money for the Orion Center by December 24 WINS!
Tweet it out! #TeamMac, #TeamJam, or #TeamSlog.
The Macklemore & Ryan Lewis vs. Pearl Jam vs. Slog Holiday Charity Challenge goes through December 24! Find out what's happening (and win prizes!) on Slog at slog.thestranger.com!
Let's do this! 
