Every year, tens of thousands of people descend on downtown Atlanta, most donning extravagant costumes. The four-day festivities known as Dragon Con bring together fans of comics, film, costuming, gaming and more.
As the convention has grown in scale since first starting in 1987, so has Dragon Con’s efforts to give back to the community.
Every year, the organizers select a local charity to support. In 2020, that charity will be Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, according to a Dragon Con press release.
“Inspired by the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission of creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth, Dragon Con challenges its fans to support the charity and get involved,” the release reads.
But the partnership goes well beyond encouraging support. In the past five years, Dragon Con says it has raised more than $566,000 for its charity beneficiaries. Last year’s charity, the American Heart Association, was given more than $142,000, according to Dragon Con.
The money is raised through silent auctions, special merchandise sales and events. Dragon Con also does a dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000.
Dragon Con, which is held on Labor Day weekend, will also tap into its community to encourage people to sign up to be “bigs” in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ flagship mentoring program.
In addition to the beneficiary, Dragon Con also recently announced its 2020 community service project. It will host “Superhero projects,” which will take place throughout the year.
The projects will include Dragon Con volunteers visiting the Atlanta Mission on April 11, where they will help clean the shelter and sort through donations.
This year's Dragon Con will be Sept. 3-7 downtown.
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