When Cosplay Becomes ‘Causeplay’
If you have been a fan of cosplay for any real number of years, you probably know who Meagan Marie is. A former games industry journalist, she is now inside the industry itself, working as Community & Communications Manager for Crystal Dynamics, the maker of the recent Lara Croft reboots.
So it makes sense that you might recognize her from cosplaying as the young Lara Croft, not yet an actual Tomb Raider. But she is also very well known for her amazing Warrior Wonder Woman, which I was incredibly lucky enough to shoot at DragonCon 2013 (see featured image above).
What you may not know is that she also founded a not for profit that takes donations from cosplayers, photographers and artists and sells them to raise funds for charity. That operation, Causeplay Shop, is in its second year and now includes Meagan, Causeplay Shop coordinator Lita Rebello, and Causeplay Shop creative Matthew Michelson.
Lita is a New England-based coslayer, which works well for the shop. “Basically Meagan and I co-run the shop and the social media. Since we’re on opposite coasts we play off the time zones to make multiple posts a day,” she said in an email interview.
Nerd Caliber: How did the idea for Causeplay Shop come about and how did you get involved?
Lita Rebello: Established in 2014 by cosplayer Meagan Marie, the Causeplay Shop brings together cosplayers and other creatives for semi-annual sales that contribute to great causes. This year she was looking to expand from just a one-woman show and needed some help. I’ve been looking for some charity work to become a part of, and the rest is history.
NC: How has it been received, both from cosplayers and artists approached to donate, and from fans doing the purchasing?
LR: We’re only in our third week of this year’s drive and we’ve gained nearly 450 followers, had over 200 donated prints, props and accessories, and have made nearly $3,000 for the Nepal Youth Foundation. I’d say we’re getting good reception.
NC: How did the Nepal Youth Foundation get chosen as the recipient charity?
LR: With Nepal suffering two devastating earthquakes this year, we knew we wanted our charity to be Nepal based. Nepal Youth Foundation had so much to offer kids that have been affected by these natural disasters — clean water, medical care, care centers, and overall long-term rebuilding for families.
NC: How effective has it been, and do you have a target goal for a fundraising dollar amount?
LR: In 2014, Causeplay Shop raised about $5,000 for Room to Read and The Trevor Project. This year we’re hoping to surpass that. Our goal is $6,000. We’re about halfway there.
NC: Has there been any con presence for it yet? If not, any plans to, or always just online?
LR: We’ve actually been discussing options for convention presence. We haven’t locked anything down yet, but we’re excited with some ideas we have. At the very least we’ll have our online campaigns.
NC: This current fundraising effort ends at the end of June — will it continue, or will it continue with a different charity?
LR: At the moment, it looks like our June drive is going to be the only one for 2015, but that could change. Last year, it was a Spring and a Fall drive. Depending on our schedule, we’d like to do another one this year, but we’re not sure yet. We’ve already had some interest in people donating prints and props for our 2016 drive, which will probably go to a new charity. We want to make sure we reach out to a variety of causes.
Lita also said that, while the “prints, props, and accessories we have for sale were donated directly from your favorite cosplayers and photographers,” you don’t have to buy any to help. “We also have the option to simply donate as little as $5 to the Nepal Youth Foundation,” she pointed out.
Everything about Causeplay Shop and this year’s charity, the Nepal Youth Foundation, can be found at the links below.
https://www.facebook.com/CauseplayShop/
https://causeplayshop.storenvy.com/
http://www.nepalyouthfoundation.org/
