Download PDF:  Dragon Con 2016 Official Charity final

DRAGON CON SELECTS ATLANTA CENTER FOR SELF SUFFICIENCY AS OFFICIAL CHARITY

Sets Goal to Raise $100,000 for ACSS at the 30^th Annual Dragon Con Convention;

Announces Slate of 2016 Superheroes Community Service Projects

 ATLANTA – March 24, 2016 – Dragon Con, celebrating its 30^th year as the internationally known pop culture, sci fi, fantasy and gaming convention, has selected Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency as its official charity for 2016.

In 2015, Dragon Con raised about $100,000 for the Lymphoma Research Foundation – Georgia Market through convention-based auctions, special merchandise sales, special events and a dollar for dollar match, up to $50,000, of any money raised for its official charity.

Dragon Con also announced its slate of Superheroes community service projects for Dragon Con members and fans in the Atlanta area.  This program, now in its third year, has contributed nearly 1,500 hours in community service to Atlanta-based non-profits.

Dragon Con Superheroes, Piedmont Park, Atlanta – March 19, 2016

“Our fans have demonstrated time after time that they have giving hearts.  We have heard wonderful stories of fans travelling to Atlanta for the convention, and bringing a load of coats or other supplies with them for our city’s homeless,” said Rachel Reeves, the convention co-chair.  “We are so honored to be able to make this organization our official charity during our 30^th anniversary year.”

Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, or ACSS, provides a range of services designed to put homeless individuals on a pathway to achieving a healthy independence.  It is the largest and most successful provider of Workforce Development resources to homeless men and women in Atlanta.

ACSS was created in 2010 through the merger of two organizations – Atlanta Enterprise Center and Samaritan House of Atlanta – with similar missions to serve the city’s homeless population.  In the last six years, ACSS has served more than 1700 homeless individuals and help find permanent employment for more than 1,300.  On any given night, there may be more than 7,000 homeless men, women and children in the metropolitan area.

Four Superhero projects are currently planned for the spring and summer of 2016. In addition to having a great time, people who participate in any of these service projects will be invited to an exclusive celebration during this year’s convention and will receive a Superheroes t-shirt.

The first event, held on March 19^th, was “a day in the park” as some 40 Dragon Con Superheroes showed up to handle light maintenance projects in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park.  The group, working in partnerships with the Georgia Conservancy and the Piedmont Park Conservancy, spent four hours spreading mulch in the dog park and collecting trash around Lake Clara Meer.  For more information about the Georgia Conservancy, please visit www.georgiaconservancy.org.

In the second event, Dragon Con Superheroes teams will participate in the 10^th annual Walk to End Lupus Now on April 30th.  Each year, the event attracts more than over 8,000 participants for a 1-mile walk through Piedmont Park, followed by live entertainment and food sales.  For more information about the Lupus Foundation of America, please visit https://www.lupus.org/georgia

In May, the Superheroes will spend a day working with ACSS and its clients.  This event will be particularly special because it will give our fans an opportunity to get to know the official charity better. https://www.atlantacss.org/

The final Dragon Con Superheroes project is a school supply drive to benefit For the Kid in All of Us and its annual Backpack in the Park program. Superheroes will assemble on July 24^th at Cator Woolford Gardens to fill school backpacks with school supplies collected over several months so that kids will have great start to the new school year.  For more information on For the Kid in All of Us, please visit https://forthekid.org/main/

“We had a great time last year, getting together as fans and volunteers, to do something good and make a difference in our community,” Reeves said.  “Donations are always important, but there are plenty of organizations that also need volunteers to carry out their mission.”

In addition to fundraising and community service projects, Dragon Con also conducts the nation’s largest convention-based blood drive.  Last year’s annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” blood drive attracted a remarkable turnout, with convention attendees donating more nearly 3,000 units of blood and blood products, benefiting LifeSouth, which serves more than 40 hospital in the Atlanta area and 110 hospitals in the Southeast.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than about 3,000 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.