Cause-Play: Combining Cosplay and Charity

geekologymag
Dec 4, 2014
4 min read

By Paolo Maquiraya

Fantasy and reality don’t typically go hand-in-hand. They’re viewed as parallels that never intersect; however, there are times when an opportunity arises for the two to cross over.

For cosplayer Casey Brown, 29, the two collided when her friend Shannon Neprily, 29, was diagnosed with breast cancer on June 7, 2012. After that diagnosis, Brown decided to combine her passion for cosplay with a cause to support her friend, and the result was Cosplay for A Cure.

“When Shannon told me she had been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer my brain went, ‘What can I do to show support?’” Brown said. “And I thought of a photo booth, [so] I contacted my photographer friends, the Canadian Breast Cancer Association, and six weeks later we did our first event.”

Brown founded the group as a photo booth that attends conventions across the GTA offering photography services. Photos of attendees or of guest cosplayers are made available for purchase at $2 apiece for individual photos or in disc format including five photos for $10. Proceeds go towards restocking on supplies and the Canadian Breast Cancer Association.

Sadly, Shannon passed away two years after being diagnosed at age 31, but the group continues its mission to fundraise money for a cure and bring awareness to younger people that cancer doesn’t just affect older people.

“We’re about raising money and awareness to a generation that doesn’t necessarily think about cancer,” Brown said. “The unfortunate fact is that it is affecting more people in their 20s and 30s.”

Rethink Breast Cancer in Young Women in Canada conducted a six-year survey prior to their publication in 2013. It found that a total of 574 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer during the previous six years responded to the bilingual online survey. 65% of survey participants were ages 20 – 45. 35% were ages 46 – 69.”

One person Brown has reached out to to help spread awareness is Vickybunnyangel, 26, an award-winning cosplayer from Toronto.

“I’ve been asked to help promote charities [like Cosplay for A Cure] and lend my presence to help raise awareness,” she said. “I come to their booth every now and then [when we’re at the same convention] to take pictures with donors.”

Vicky does some of her own charity work as well, particularly for the gaming event Extra Life. The event is a marathon, but not for runners or walkers—it’s for gamers.

Vicky has participated in the charity event in support of Sick Kids Hospital, which is part of the Children’s Miracle Network of Hospitals, for the past two years. Her choice to support Sick Kids comes with a bit of a personal touch.

“I know a lot of people who either have family members or kids who needed treatment there,” she said. “Children’s hospitals in general are a great cause because there’s nothing more sad than adorable children with not-so-adorable hospital bills.”

She has raised over $3,200 for Sick Kids Hospital in the two years she’s been doing Extra Life.

An large group of the cosplay community includes the 501st Legion, which is a group of Star Wars cosplayers who fabricate their own Star Wars costumes.

Michelle Donnelly, 40, is a member of the Canadian

Garrison of the 501st who was introduced to the group by her husband Luke and has participated in numerous charity events with the organization.

Some of those charities include the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.

And much like with Casey Brown and Cosplay for A Cure, Donnelly and the rest of the 501st pay themselves for all things concerning their charity events.

“It’s entirely out of pocket. We don’t get reimbursed for anything (we put in),” Donnelly said. “Whatever we raised goes directly into the charity.”

At this past FanExpo in Toronto, members of the 501st, including Donnelly, brought with them elaborate set recreations of famous scenes from the Star Wars films to host some of their activities, including a photo booth and shooting gallery.

“We had a ‘Blast a Stormtrooper booth,’ which basically involving firing a Nerf gun at Stormtroopers,” she said.

Together with their photo booth, the 501st Legion raised over $14,000 at FanExpo. On top of the money, the real reward for these local cosplayers comes out of giving.

“This is something we do because we want to do it,“ Brown said. “It’s about using our craft, our passion and our love for cosplaying and doing something positive with it.”