Virginia Man Auctions a "Sanjanary" to Help Victims and Families of Virginia Tech Tragedy

A Richmond man has placed the world's first and only Sanjanary on auction at eBay to help raise money for the families of victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

Mike Johnson, 36, pledges to give at least half of the Sanjanary's proceeds to the UNITED in CARING Fund for Victims of VA Tech Tragedy c/o the United Way of Montgomery, Radford, and Floyd, Inc., whose mission is to provide assistance to the victims, their families and the affected communities.

But what is a Sanjanary? Is it the name of some prehistoric dinosaur? Well, it is a dictionary of words and phrases coined or inspired by Sanjaya Malakar, the popular and recently eliminated 17-year old American Idol finalist.

Johnson came up with the idea of creating a Sanjanary after watching an American Idol broadcast in which host Ryan Seacrest said that he had been "Sanjayaed." He listed the Sanjanary on eBay for a week without success. During an interview with Jay Leno, on the day after his elimination from American Idol, Sanjaya discussed the Sanjanary. Johnson, who was watching the interview on television, was stunned.

"When I heard Sanjaya mention the Sanjanary by name, I almost fell off the bed," Johnson explains. "After feeling that the Sanjanary project was a failure, I felt honored that he knew about it and mentioned it on nationwide television."

Johnson relisted it, and his time around, the Sanjanary auction is faring somewhat better. Bidding is currently at $5. While that is a good start, Johnson feels that it can generate even higher bids over the next several days, so the money raised can be a vehicle to help others in need.


"As a Virginia native, naturally my heart goes out to the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre, and I would like to see the money go to help those families," Johnson said. "The money raised from this simple project can make a difference in the lives of others. That is what this auction is really all about."

For additional information about the Sanjanary contact Mike Johnson at 804-236-0555 or e-mail teachingeach1@aol.com. The eBay item number is 290108894127.