One of the Zone’s favorite traditions is our annual birthday gift for Johnny Depp, called “The Birthday Project.” Each year we choose a charity which is connected to Johnny’s philanthropic interests–usually his interest in helping children in need–and his most recent work. We pool our modest contributions and make a Zone donation in honor of Johnny, as a way of celebrating and thanking Johnny for all the joy he has given us over the year.

Since Johnny is currently working on The Rum Diary in Puerto Rico–Infinitum Nihil’s first film project and the culmination of a long-time dream to bring Hunter S. Thompson’s novel to the screen–and the people of the island have shown him such a warm welcome, we thought it would be fitting to choose a charity devoted to the children of Puerto Rico. So the 2009 Johnny Depp Zone Birthday Project will benefit the San Jorge Children’s Foundation!

The San Jorge Children’s Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1995 and is located in San Juan. The Foundation assists families by covering surgical expenses and the costs of hospital care and medicine for seriously ill children. Their goal is to provide access to the most advanced medical treatment to families who otherwise could not afford it. You can read more about the San Jorge Children’s Foundation on our 2009 Birthday Project forum.

The Zone has a dedicated Paypal account for contributions to the 2009 Birthday Project; if you would like to join in our gift, you can make a donation by visiting our Birthday Project Forum HERE and scrolling down to the Paypal button. If you would like to donate by check, the Foundation’s address is directly below the Paypal button in the announcement post.

Let’s reach out to help children and say “Happy Birthday” and “Thank You” to Johnny Depp! –Part-Time Poet