Summer/Fall 2021

In all the strangeness that has been brought by the pandemic in the world at large, it feels good to get a little bit of normalcy back. We at HVGB have finally had the opportunity to get back out and be with the community, and we've even done some great online work!

Back in August, we did a virtual panel for Greenburgh Public Library's FanCon 2021, called Cosplay for a Cause. We talked about what we do and why we do it, and why it matters. To paraphrase Matthew Bennett, our Executive Director, every time we put on our cosplay gear, we become a better version of ourselves, one that's part of something bigger. It's about the confidence and the ability to do some good while having fun. Later that day, we were were at the Coxsackie Riverside Festival and we raised $280 between shirts and slime for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society, but it was a landmark: It was our first in-person event since November 2019, and wow, did it feel good to get the team active again.

September was a busy month for us, too. On September 11th, we participated in Windy City Ghostbusters' Charity Ghostbusters Trivia Challenge 2 and took third place, winning a nice donation for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The following weekend, September 19th, we were at Walkill East Rotary's Paw Jam, where we raised $100 for Pets Alive, our very first fundraising partner. We were also interviewed by John Camera, a reporter from Spectrum News 1 Hudson Valley, who ran a nice pice on us. The next Thursday, September 23rd, we were on a live show on YouTube, The Tingling Tea, where we got to talk about what we do, have a little unscripted fun, and discuss some ghost footage from YouTube. To conclude the whirlwind, we were at Felicano Body Works' 3rd Annual Car Show in Ravena on Saturday, September 25th, where we were able to raise $200 for Special Olympics.

With September drawing to a close, we're only entering our busy season, as it becomes the spookiest time of the year, and we look forward to seeing you at more events.

We'd like to leave you with a couple of quotes that really define us as a team:

"Ghostbusters has always been an opportunity for outsiders to be heroes, for a group of unlikely people to come together and do something spectacular" -Jason Reitman

"Dream big, laugh hard, and make lots of friends" -Matthew Bennett, HVGB Executive Director

See you on the other side, friends and fans!