Chapters Stories!
Fandom Forward members all over the world are making real impact in their own communities through our Chapters program. Here’s some of the biggest successes of our Chapters:
2021
The Southern Seekers - Torrensville, SA, Australia - participated in a comic and toy fair. They were able to raise $700 for their charity of choice: Safe Pets and Safe Families. (Facebook, Twitter)
The Davis Alliance - Davis, California - hosted a Yule Ball where they raised $400 for Asian Americans Advancing Justice. (Facebook, Twitter)
NYDA - New York, New York - hosted The Pomfrey Project and sent thank you emails to NYC nurses for National Nurses Week. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Diagon Valley - Anna, Ohio - donated mental health kits for teens to a local library. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Edinburgh Unicorns - Edinburgh, Scotland - The NHS (National Health Service) has five tips for mental wellbeing, so the chapter is focusing on one per month. In March, they encouraged folks to get outside with weekly prompts such as watching the sunset or finding a daffodil. For April, the chapter is coordinated a penpal project. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Hagrid’s Army - Newbaugh, New York - On April 24, a Seed Library is being launched in their community. Members of Hagrid’s Army participated in this event by providing information and ideas on reusing/recycling items for container gardens or decoration, and to help young children be creative about having a sustainable home garden both for food and beauty. Other organizations will be distributing seed, soil, seedlings, and tools as part of the day. In other news, Hagrid’s Army is planning on building, installing, and maintaining a Little Free Library for their neighborhood...in the shape of Hagrid’s Hut! (Facebook)
Maryville College Harry Potter Club - Maryville, Tennessee - sewed reusable face masks, in Hogwarts house colors. (Facebook)
HPA at UVA - Charlottesville, Virginia - worked with other organizations at their university to provide COVID support. They hosted a food drive to donate to local food pantries, as well as delivered groceries to those who are more susceptible. (Twitter)
Halton Hallows - Georgetown, Ontario, Canada - made Valentine’s cards for residents at a local seniors home. (Instagram)
HPA-DC - Washington, DC - hosted a week-long readathon to encourage conversation and community among the chapter members. (Facebook, Twitter)
Hagrid’s Army - Newbaugh, New York - hosted a virtual “Classes at Hogwarts” program via Zoom. Members presented brief “orientations” to the courses offered in the first and second years at Hogwarts. It was one of the chapter’s best-attended virtual programs! Also, this year is Hagrid’s Army’s 5th anniversary, so they created this video to look back at their accomplishments and hopefully recruit more members to their chapter. (Facebook)
HPA-DC - Washington, DC - In July, they raised more than $700 for a local multicultural LGBTQ youth center and shelter Casa de la Ruby (Facebook, Twitter)
Hagrid’s Army - Newbaugh, New York - is working on re-supplying local Little Free Libraries and reading collections (i.e. in laundromats). One member, who is only 9 years old and learning to machine sew, made cloth bookmarks with some leftover fabric to place in some of the books. They also ran a campaign called For the Love of Lily where they collected baby supplies for a nonprofit in their community that provides temporary transitional housing assistance to homeless families and individuals. The campaign was a big success! The chapter collected 28 cubic feet of new baby and toddler items -- diapers (795), baby wipes (1,496), blankets, towels, clothing, toys, teething rings and toiletry items, plus $80 in cash. (Facebook, Facebook)
2020
Order of the Skywhale - Canberra, Australia - collected 303 books for a youth justice center. (Facebook)
Edinburgh Unicorns - Edinburgh, Scotland - raised money for the Edinburgh Trans Womens Group. They also hosted a festive movie night via Netflix Party, and they provided boxes full of movie snacks, personalized Christmas decorations, and hot chocolate sachets. (Facebook, Twitter)
LA Auror Brigade - Los Angeles, California - The Auror Brigade hosts an annual toy drive. To keep with social distancing, this year’s toy drive was a little different. The chapter set up Target and Amazon wishlists, and toys were sent directly to South Central LAMP. Almost 100 toys were donated! Since the Auror Brigade also ended up raising a little bit of money, they were able to buy fresh produce for South Central LAMP. As if that wasn’t enough, the Auror Brigade also hosted a homeless project where they collected goods like granola bars, applesauce, socks, gloves, and hats. They put together 50 backpacks which will be distributed to the homeless! (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Magical Muggles - Albuquerque, New Mexico - donated 87 books to a local center that serves homeless men, women, and children. They are a brand new chapter, and this was their first activity!
Potsdam Patronuses - Potsdam, New York - raised over $100 for the Trevor Project! (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Diagon Valley - Anna, Ohio - A local assisted living facility hosted a gift drive for the residents because they wouldn’t be able to visit with family. Diagon Valley helped by donating a card for every resident (140), 75 homemade hand warmers, and gift cards to locally-owned shops. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
The Restricted Section - Des Moines, Iowa - spread the word on social media for folks to make a plan and vote. The Chapter Organizer volunteered with Election Defenders. Chapter members voted early!
Order of the Skywhale - Canberra, Australia - collected 150+ books for Bimberi Youth Justice Center. (Facebook)
The LA Auror Brigade - Los Angeles, California - hosted a Zoom meeting to research all of the various propositions being voted on in California/Los Angeles in November. They looked at things like what the text of the prop actually means, what the pros and cons are, what organizations are for and against it, and general research tips for hard-to-find people like judges and school board folks. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Diagon Valley - Anna, Ohio - wrote non-partisan letters through Vote Forward. Through the program, volunteers “adopt” voters and write letters encouraging them to vote. Their goal was to write 100 letters as a chapter! (Facebook, Twitter)
Patronus Charms - Las Vegas, Nevada - attended several Black Lives Matter protests in Las Vegas. (Facebook, Twitter)
NWA HP Alliance - Fayetteville, Arkansas - has been making masks for local community organizations. They are also keeping Little Free Pantries stocked! (Facebook)
Dumbledore’s Duluth Army - Duluth, Minnesota - have been offering opportunities for people to serve their neighbors in individual ways -- making sandwiches for a local homeless housing unit for families, assembling meal kits for an agency for at-risk young people, and collecting food items for their food shelf.
Muggle Mayhem - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee - collected supplies and monetary donations for three local organizations -- The Misfit Dog Project, Sevier County Animal Care, and the Sevier County Humane Society. They collected 110 pounds of dog and cat food, among other supplies. See photos here.
Northwest Arkansas Harry Potter Alliance - Fayetteville, Arkansas - made close to 100 face mask covers that they have delivered to various social services places, clinics, and now working on some for the children’s hospital. (Facebook)
Magical Illini Association - Champaign, Illinois - hosted a very successful Yule Ball. There was a fantastic turn-out, and they raised $3,000! They are donating the proceeds to Charity:Water, the National Alliance for Homelessness, and Planned Parenthood. (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Dumbledore’s Duluth Army - Duluth, Minnesota - participated in meal assembly for Lifehouse, a homeless shelter and education facility for at-risk youth. The chapter also maintained a clothesline filled with hats, mittens, and scarves for anyone who may need those items.
Chamber of Knowledge - Brentwood, Tennessee - hosted their Annual Yule Ball and Triband Tournament/Art Contest. There were over 100 attendees, and the event raised over $1,000 for a local educational charity! (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Ravenpaw - Sheboygan, Wisconsin - sponsored a child through Compassion International. The chapter also worked on small projects to improve their school community, such as picking up trash, cleaning up neglected areas/classrooms, adding artwork, etc.