Meet the GE 501st: A Club That Cares
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
Every once in a while, I like to meet new people and broaden my horizons in Home. I have a wonderful set of friends I see regularly, but I like to see what else is out there, and it always brightens my day when I can help new people or find a group who personify what is best in Home.
The GE 501st is one such club.
The club was started by GuardianAngelz47, a man who is a police officer in real life almost four years ago. They will be celebrating their fourth anniversary at the end of June. The idea was to help new people acclimate to Home and to protect those they encountered who were being harassed if possible. This idea took root in the soil of Star Wars – the group all dress as Star Wars characters (stormtroopers being the bulk of the ranks), with everything from Sergeant to Admiral added as you rank up. Guardian decided that a paramilitary structure was right for the club, as it helped to bring order to it and guided new people to become useful members of the club.
There is a group outside of Home called the 501st Legion in real life, they are a series of clubs that, like the GE 501st, are based on Star Wars and who do a lot of phenomenal charity work, but neither are mutually affiliated as of yet.
The clubs structure is as follows: Supreme Chancellor GuardianAngelz47 – leader and founder of GE 501; Admiral xxCOBRAxxDESTRO – Operations, charity events, discipline and diplomacy; General Wayas-Willow – Operations, training of members, keeper of records and data; Major General Shawn963 – Operations and training of non-commissioned officer cadets; Colonel Grand_Moff – Operations, Commander of the North American garrisons and forums administrator; Lt. Colonel KimoKeller – Operations, Commander of United Kingdom garrison; Lieutenant Waya1981 – Operations, diplomacy, and communications; Governor TheOriginalCarvo – Diplomacy, public relations, and R & R coordinator; Under Secretary PICK-4-Life – custodian of all records and minutes from meetings; and Chief Nordic-Soldat-32 – Internet Intelligence.
As you can see, they have clubs in both the UK and NA regions – two garrisons here and one in the UK. They are a very organized group of very diverse people. Many said they didn’t have any sort of military background, yet they love the structure they have found here in this club of Star Wars fans. One of their favorite things to do in Home is lineups. They will go to a public space and stand in perfect formations. This gains a lot of interest from outsiders who ask about the group and they have gained many new members this way, but you can’t just join this club. They interview and the candidates are vetted before inclusion.
When the group started, they had a more hands-on approach to helping people being harassed by others in Home. They would step in and intercede verbally, but time taught them that a confrontational approach didn’t help, so they have taken a more non-verbal role and just report the perpetrators now.
They have tried to help people in the real world a few times. The victims of Hurricane Sandy last October through December is one such example. They set up a Red Cross website to help with a blood drive. You can go to their Facebook page to learn more about their endeavors.
All of this is leading up to an event that the club started a little over a year ago when they learned about the cancer that an amazing little girl named Katie had been diagnosed with. Katie Johnson was the daughter of Albin Johnson, the founder of the 501st Legion, the Star Wars fan club mentioned earlier. The little girl fought bravely, but lost her battle with brain cancer in August of 2005.
In honor of Katie Johnson
Last year, the GE 501st in Home decided they wanted to do something as a tribute to Katie, and all the children like her who fight this terrible disease. They contacted Albin and asked if they could do a fundraising drive in Katie’s name. He gave his consent but asked that the money they collected be given to the Make A Wish Foundation, a charitable organization that gives dying children a chance to have a dream of theirs come true. The GE 501st agreed instantly, and with the help of several Home developers, they held a month long series of Home events in June of 2012.
This was so successful that they have asked to do another this year for the entire month of June and the answer was a resounding yes from both Albin and the Make A Wish Foundation. Their goal this year is to raise $2,000.00. The link added will take you to where you can contribute to the effort if you want to.
They will be raffling off and playing a variety of games for donated codes from five different Home developers and signed photographs from Katee Sackhoff (who starred in Battlestar Galactica, 24, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Riddick (theatrical release summer 2013)) and Meredith Molinari (host of PlayStation Network’s The Tester and The Man on Playboy TV). Visit their Facebook page for information on upcoming events this month.
I love that these people are donating their time and energy to such a worthy project. The GE 501st is a wonderful example of what the people of Home can do when they work together toward a single goal. I hope they are successful in reaching their goal and continue this great cause every year for as long as Home lasts. They stand as a great role model for other groups in Home and I salute them.
June 11th, 2013 by Burbie52 | 1 comment
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
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I think that any group that comes around and wants to do any good, especially beyond the bounds of Home is a welcome one. It’s great to see that groups here want to aspire to something higher than just roaming the fun halls of the Home we all love. This is a club I have heard of and glad we got to know a lot more about. Good one Burbie.