Uhm, hello! The Harry Potter Alliance just won $250,000 to help increase literacy and improve LGBT rights!
Are you listening? Two hundred fifty thousand dollars to decrease world suck in the name of Harry Potter.
Harry Freaking Potter! Potter! Potter! Potter! Potter! Potter!
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!
But seriously, this is the most amazing thing to happen pretty much ever. I didn't really get into the work that the HPA was doing until last year, but I've always known about them and have felt really inspired by it because of why it was doing what it was doing.
When I met Andrew Slack and he talked about the Harry Potter Alliance and all of the things that they did I was genuinely moved for the first time in my entire life. I'd always been supportive of other charities and I always did what I could for them because it was right and good, but here was a charity that was doing things that were great all in the name of Harry Potter. Being a Dumbledore's Army for the real world. Fantastic.
Then there was the disaster in Haiti. By then I'd already been regularly listening in on the DA meetings and being more active and when this happened I emptied out my bank account of the $30 I had left because I had to do SOMETHING.
When I learned that they raised over $123,000 from a bunch of book nerds and YouTubers and whoever else - my mind was blown.
Harry Potter did that? Yes it did.
So, then this Chase Community Giving thing popped up and I just knew that if there was ever a charity that deserved $250k, it was the HPA.
So, I spammed celebrities, twitter friends, IRL friends and even put it into my fan fiction to get the word out. And then when I found out what they were using the money for - LGBT & Literacy - two things I've always been super passionate about, it kicked me into even higher gear.
Last night when voting ended, I sat anxiously waiting for them to say something, anything to let us know what happened. For them to say "We'll know in the morning" was just too long of a wait and I was sure that I would have an anxiety attack in my sleep, die and then never be able to find out.
But I woke up this morning and twitter was celebrating a victory. And then, when it became official I couldn't help but blast Harry and the Potter's "The Weapon" while also dancing and wiping away tears from my eyes. Do people really get teary eyed over charities? Is that supposed to happen?
But of course it is! When people get their just desserts and then use those just desserts to help other people you're supposed to be happy. You're supposed to be happy. And because this charity is so close to my heart and my soul tears are totally appropriate.
I am so proud to be a part of this fandom. I am so proud to be a part of something that uses it's massive influence to do something good. Not to just talk about doing good, but getting up every morning and finding ways to kick world suck's ass in the most fantastic mind blowing ways - in the name of a few books.
And if that makes me a weirdo or a loser or whatever then so be it.
I'm a loser who's a part of something amazing that does for other people.
I think that makes me awesome.
DFTBA,
April
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