Arisia is pleased to support a number of charitable causes. If you would like to inquire about getting support for your preferred charity, email @email and we can help you find the right person to talk with. Arisia also runs occasional charitable events such as raffles or contest; no additional charitable events are planned for this year.
Arisia's Coat Check/Goat Check is free to attendees and has a voluntary "tip jar" for charity. For example, in 2019, the tip jar collected over $250 for Community Servings, a not-for-profit food and nutrition program providing services throughout Massachusetts to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses.
Blood Drive
Arisians have been donating blood since 2004. Our donations support Mass General Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. The donation vans are only available for limited times during the convention, so we strongly urge donors to make an appointment in advance. Information on hours, how to make a donation appointment, and what we’ve done in the past can be found on the blood drive page.
Please bear in mind that Arisia does not make the rules for who can donate blood. We follow rules given to us by the receiving hospital.
Marrow Donor Registry
Bone marrow donations are an important tool in helping people beat cancer. The bone marrow registry lets you sign up to get a simple cheek swab that enters you into a national database for possible matches. In the last three years, more than 200 Arisians have joined the registry and have been matched 12 times. The registry table will be set up near the across from Hancock on the Mezzanine.
The drive is run in partnership with Love Hope Strength, the world's only rock & roll cancer foundation, which hosts marrow drives at concerts, festivals, and other cultural events -- like fan-run science fiction and fantasy conventions -- nationwide. Contact Paul Kominers (@email) if you have any questions or are interested in getting involved.