Calling All Would-Be Heroes

If you are anything like me (here's hoping that you aren't or the world is in a lot of trouble), you have always hoped for an opportunity to dress up as one of your favorite superheroes while patrolling the city streets.

Sure, Halloween just passed, but is that really enough?  Does donning your Batman costume and having drinks at a random acquaintance's house (which you enviously note is nicer than yours...what does John do for a living that he can afford that place anyway? He must sell drugs. Yes, that's it...drugs) really do it for you?  Would Spider-Man only be seen in public for the length of a cab ride, then spend the rest of the night hanging out with other costumed drunkards?  Neither of them would be caught dead hanging out with Dorothy form the Wizard of Oz or some guy who put an afro wig on and thinks that constitutes an entire costume, I'll tell you that much.

We here at Transformer Generation Dad would like to present you with an opportunity.  It is a chance to vent that long standing, pent up, childish desire to dress as a superhero and make the rounds of a major, metropolitan area to actually do some good.


I'm not talking about watching for pickpockets, exacting vigilante justice on shoplifters or remaining perched above a bank, waiting for a band of thugs to rob it so that you can swoop down and punch their lights out.  I'm talking about collecting money for a good cause.

With Veterans Day approaching, my thoughts turn to real heroes, namely our men and women of the armed service.  I am hoping to generate interest in an event that would have myself, my family and friends and anyone else out there reading this who would like to participate, dressed as superheroes and collecting money for real heroes.  Think of the amount of attention and, thus, donations that could be raised by you and your kids standing in the middle of the Christmas shopping crowd dressed as superheroes.

It's a raw idea currently and all the details have yet to be worked out, but it's something that we here at Transformer Generation Dad hope to make a reality very shortly, perhaps in time to post more definite details by Veterans Day.  The details we do know are as follows:

HELPING REAL HEROES
(That's the working title)

Date:

Friday, November 25th 2011

Time:

8:00 A.M. - Whenever

Place:

Downtown Chicago

We are planning to do this near Water Tower Place and the vicinity around the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Pearson Street.  The John Hancock Center is nearby as are a lot of stores that will generate Black Friday shopping traffic so we can maximize our contact with the public.

To Benefit:

One or several of the great veterans' organization out there.

Rest assured that the exact beneficiary/beneficiaries of our day's work will be determined prior to the start of the event and you will all be notified accordingly.  We are open to suggestions.

Speaking of suggestions, we are open to them across the board.  You can let us know about an organization you find particularly worthy of the proceeds of our day out.  Maybe you would like to suggest a method of donation that doesn't involve standing around in the cold in tights (but where's the fun in that?).  Perhaps there's a clever slogan or phrase you would like to see on a sign held by one of the participants.  You may want to provide transportation or lunch to our volunteers.  Maybe you are nowhere near Chicago but would like to host your own event in your own city.  Go for it.  Keep us posted and let me know if there is any way we can help.

It's all a work in progress right now, but it is going to happen even if it is just me by my lonesome, standing in the frigid Chicago wind, holding out a replica Captain America shield, begging for spare change and ending up in a police lock-up somewhere for indecent exposure due to the tightness of my...tights.  But nobody wants such a nice gesture to end up looking so pathetic, do they?  So contact us and plan on participating.  You can email madcap1417@gmail.com to ask questions or commit your assistance.

PS – If you do not have a super hero costume but always wanted one, now might be a great time to buy one since there are great after-Halloween sales and you now have a philanthropic excuse.