DRAGON CON MAKES AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION ITS 2019 OFFICIAL CHARITY

2019 Official Charity (PDF Version)

The Convention Continues the Dollar-for-Dollar Match of $100,000, and Challenges Fans to Support the Official Charity and to Get Involved with the Superheroes Service Team.

ATLANTA – June 19, 2019 – Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, sci fi, fantasy, and gaming convention, has selected the Atlanta Affiliate of the American Heart Association as its official charity for 2019.

And the Dragon Con Superheroes will soon wrap up their slate of 2019 community service projects.  This program, now in its sixth year, has contributed more than 3,500 hours in community service to Atlanta-based non-profits.

Since 2013, the convention has consistently raised more than $100,000 for each of its annual official charities, including a dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000 from the convention.  Funds are raised through convention-based auctions, special merchandise sales, special events, and the dollar-for-dollar match.

The selection of the American Heart Association is in honor of the late Thom Trainor, the long-serving director of the Dragon Con’s Comics and Pop Art division who died from a heart attack in July 2018, just a few weeks prior to the convention.

“Thom was more than a friend to the convention. His love of comics and art helped shape our comics and pop art programming into the widely anticipated experience it is today,” said convention co-chair Rachel Reeves.  “This year’s selection is a very personal one.”

The American Heart Association’s mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Working in the United States and around the world, the AHA addresses overall health and well-being, anchored in cardiovascular and brain health by fostering advances in science and technology, driving changes in systems and policy, and engaging with individuals to transform communities. Additionally, the organization works through networks that collectively define and assure scientific integrity, invest in impact, influence action, and connect across communities, sectors, and nations in order to meet the needs of individuals. To learn more about the American Heart Association, visit www.heart.org.

Dragon Con also recognize its Superheroes community service project volunteers for 2019. Dragon Con members and fans in the Atlanta area are invited to participate in a series of projects reaching different aspects of the metro area’s non-profit community.  If you would like additional information on the Superheroes program, including how to get involved, please visit www.dragoncon.org/?q=superheroes.

“We had a great time this 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.”

The first project, in November 2018, benefited Piedmont Park and the Piedmont Park Conservancy.  Over 55 volunteers had a tail-waggin’ good time as they spread three truckloads of mulch and handled other maintenance projects at historic Piedmont Park’s dog park area. Since 1989, the Piedmont Park Conservancy has been tasked with preserving Piedmont Park.  Their work has successfully transformed the once dilapidated park into the most visited green space in Atlanta. For more information on the Piedmont Park Conservancy, please visit www.piedmontpark.org.

For the second project, in February 2019, nearly 100 Superheroes assembled at Open Hand Atlanta to pack individual meals or grocery bags of dry goods and produce for delivery to clients around the metropolitan area who needed help preventing or managing their chronic diseases through comprehensive nutritional support.  Open Hand Atlanta prepares, packs and delivers over 5,000 healthy meals each day throughout metro-Atlanta for those who might otherwise go without. For more information on Open Hand Atlanta, please visit www.openhandatlanta.org.

The final project will be held on June 22^nd with MedShare, where 40 of our volunteers will have a rare opportunity to save lives through sorting and packing medical supplies.  MedShare is a 501c(3) humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people, communities and our planet by sourcing and directly delivering surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world.  For more information on MedShare, please visit www.medshare.org.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta (Aug. 29^th – Sept. 2, 2019). Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 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.