Op/Ed: 5 Bone-Simple Ways to Help HERO INITIATIVE

Op/Ed: 5 Ways to Help HERO INITIATIVE CREDIT: View full size image

One of the more common questions I get asked regarding <a href=http://www.heroinitiative.org>Hero Initiative</a> is, “What can I do to help?”

My knee-jerk reply, and I really try not to sound flippant when I say it, is <a href=http://www.heroinitiative.org/Content.asp?Id=27>“Give us ten bucks.”</a>

Seriously. Any charity on Earth is pretty much in constant fundraising mode, and the way the economy’s been the past year or two, the need is certainly there. A simple $10 is pretty durned nice.

But different folks like different strokes, and sometimes you might really want to help the cause, but cash is tight. Maybe you have some disposable income, but you’re saving up to go to a major convention.

No problem. We got ya covered there.

We’ve come up with some creative fundraising ideas that might dovetail nicely with your life. That is, if you know about ’em. So take a peep. It’s five pretty bone-simple, pretty easy, and pretty fun ways to help out the charity that helps out comic creators in medical or financial need.

1) BUY YOUR CONVENTION TICKETS VIA HERO!

We are quickly becoming a clearinghouse for comic convention ticket sales! Right now, if you hit the <a href=http://www.heroinitiative.org/>Hero homepage</a>, you can buy tickets to…

• Orlando MegaCon

• Wizard World Toronto

• C2E2

• Wizard World Anaheim

• Wizard World Philadelphia

…and more to come. Just START your purchase by clicking the link off our site, and please pay attention to any special instrux. For example, you have to use a promo code with C2E2. If you start your purchase at Hero, we get a percentage at NO extra cost to you. And you were gonna buy that ticket anyhow, right?

Alas, not every convention will be there. Some have outside ticket vending deals with other third parties. But where we can, we’re setting up many deals such as this.

2) SMELL GOOD!

<a href=http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/>Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab</a> is a crazy-cool boutique perfume operation that really caters to the comics crowd. They’ve already created <a href=http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/heroinitiative-sv.html>Sachs and Violens scents</a> based on the killer comic by Peter David and George Pérez, and ya know what? EVERY time someone buys Sachs or Violens, Hero gets a percentage of that sale! It’s turned into a GREAT fundraiser for us, as the BPAL crowd is VERY supportive—and they’re fans themselves. Seriously. They hold “Meet and Sniff” events where Black Phoenix fans can gather and try out other folks’ scents, and maybe swap an old one they’ve tired of for something new. It’s a great community of cool, fun, laid-back people. Check ’em out.

Also check out THREE MORE new scents coming in 2010 based on comic properties that will benefit Hero. Like I say, they’re great folks there, and there’s definitely more to come.

3) BUY BOLOGNA!

Admittedly, this one is a bit checkerboard in the regionalism: It applies to Ralphs, Foods Co. and Food 4 Less stores in Southern California, Nevada, Illinois, and Indiana.

But you can register your Ralphs Rewards card with a Ralphs-approved charity, and EVERY time you shop and use the card, Ralphs will kick in a small percentage to the charity of your choice. It costs you, the consumer, NOTHING. It’s just Ralphs kicking in a couple bucks to good causes.

And yes, The Hero Initiative is one of those Ralphs-approved charities, and yes, we need YOU to register your card for Hero, which is easy as pie (tho’ not quite as tasty):

• Sign in to Ralphs.com with your email and password

• If you have not created an account, create one now! Takes about 60 seconds!

• Go to:

<a href=https://customer.ralphs.com/ManageCommunityRewardsStep1.aspx>https://customer.ralphs.com/ManageCommunityRewardsStep1.aspx</a>

• Complete the three-step process; When signing up, our NPO # (non-profit organization #) is: 80680, and we're under our corporate name, "A Commitment To Our Roots." Don't let it throw ya!

• Now go get a pie.

Seriously, folks, if you do this once, we get a few nickels every time you shop, and multiplied by a San Diego Comic-Con full of people, it’s the best, easiest way we’ve found to raise funds. Totally painless. And hot dammit, you need bologna and Q-Tips anyway!

4) CASH YOUR CLUNKER!

Hero has teamed up with Cars4Causes to help you get rid of unwanted or broken-down vehicles, and slide some dough to a worthy charity (namely, us).

Just go to <a href=http://www.cars4causes.net/charity-car-donation/hero-initiative.asp>Hero’s page at Cars4Causes.net</a> and fill out the form. They’ll send someone out to pick up your car, they’ll liquidate it, they’ll slide the money to Hero, and they’ll give you paperwork for a tax donation. Seriously. Alla that. One visit to a web page, and meet a tow truck guy in your driveway. That’s all it takes.

The first person to get a broken-down gas-guzzler off his hands was Hero’s own <a href=http://www.brianpulido.com/>Brian Pulido</a>, and he described the process as “simple and pain-free. It was a breeze.” So hop to it—that El Camino up on blocks on the lawn ain’t doin’ nothing to help your property values!

5) TRASH YOUR CELLPHONE!

Similar to above, but a lot smaller. New phones come out quicker than Jon-and-Kate headlines on supermarket tabloids, so when you decide to trash that thing that looks like a Vietnam era walkie-talkie, traipse over to <a href=http://collectivegood.com/donate2.asp?CHid=888>Hero’s page at CollectiveGood.com</a>. Fill out a form, print off a postage-paid label, find a mailbox and ¡voila! It’s outta your hair, and some nickels in Hero’s pockets.

This is hardly the be-all, end-all. You can also <a href=http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=1505>list your eBay auctions with MissonFish</a>, or <a href=http://www.atomiccomicsstore.com/heroinitiative.html>buy one of our super-cool books or other products</a>, or just scout around the <a href=http://www.heroinitiative.org>website</a> and see what trips your trigger. And we’re up for new ideas as well. Feel free to drop us a line.

Thanks much!

—Jim McLauchlin is president of the Hero Initiative.