Skiffytown League of Heroes

Here is one "super" group of volunteers, Skiffytown League of Heroes, superheroes helping charities.

“Skiffytown League of Heroes (SLOH) began when a group of comic book enthusiasts, (sixty and counting), began talking to each other over the internet. We discovered we all loved the lessons from the superheroes we read about and wanted to bring those same values to the real world around us with characters of our own creation. We took our first steps by coordinating a children’s hospital visit in Phoenix, AZ. Eleven people, spanning the U.S., from Maryland to Arizona visited the children’s wing and stayed longer than scheduled because we found superheroes to be in demand, we could not say no to the kids. Our hearts were changed and we then decided to include these types of missions to our nationwide gatherings.

We took it upon ourselves to include some type of charity work at each convention we attended. The idea was fine until we noticed that members had begun to look in their own back yards for other things to do. On one such gathering of friends, where it became customary to bring our superhero uniforms, a group of seven decided prior to attending a movie premier to attempt to fix up an old cemetery the local community could not find the funds for. An afternoon event of superhero work eventually garnered the attention of the local newspaper. The idea only grew from there.

While attending a convention in Columbus, OH, SLOH spent a number of hours staffing a Local Fireman’s toys for tots drive. This included a local television interview by DCsGuardian. It was during this event that things became serious.

SLOH began in earnest to evaluate what our group could offer our community and our world. Dressing up in spandex and making kids smile seemed appropriate, but there were countless charities in the world and each one seemed worthwhile.

Our decision to support any and every charity that would accept our assistance seemed like a winner, we formed our group in earnest and made our services available to organizations in our local community and those communities we gathered in.

Our events where one member participates is open to all and through the internet we publicize and encourage those not close enough to attend to support financially or as hero support in any capacity that may be needed. We attend these events in costume to help liven up the event. We have supported Veterans Home visits and local blood drives to name just a few. Prime Penguin works with the Juvenile Diabetes foundation, which was responsible for him becoming Prime Penguin in the first place; it was a chance for him to publicize their needs and goals.

We have even begun to hold panels at conventions; DCsGuardian has since moderated panels on democracy and community service. Tipi has organized children’s fairs where Child I.D. kits have been handed out.

All of our events piggyback on existing charities, from Cystic Fibrosis walks to Hoops for the Homeless. We will never ask for anything in return other than to let us help.

It is hard to pin down why we each do this, but one of our members put it this way, “We dress in spandex, are we silly for doing it, well, as long as a child smiles because we showed up, or a charity gets one more dollar, who cares, we are here to help, in any way possible.”

We have been asked back by many individual groups, and we have always made the offer to those around us we see trying to do a good job. We pass the word as quickly as possible and help where we can. It makes us feel like we are living up to the ideals of Captain America, Superman and all the rest who put others before themselves.”