Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic con, san diego, sdcc, star wars

The Charity Lightsaber Relay Race Of San Diego Comic Con

Published Wed, 17 Jul 2013 04:00:33 -0500

Last updated Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:39:36 -0500

Nikolai Fomich writes;

As I walked through downtown San Diego, searching for some grub, I came upon a crowd filled with Star Wars costumers and intrigued passerbys, who gathered to take pictures with classic Star Wars favorites – most especially Lord Vader Himself. I learned that the gathering was part of a fundraising relay event called Course of the Force, in which a lightsaber is passed between different runners from the Bay Area to the San Diego Convention Center. The relay began as a partnership between Lucasfilm, Nerdist Industries, and the sports agency Octagon, who together have joined the Light Side to raise money for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation.

At around 7:50 across the street from the San Diego Convention Center, That 70's Show actor Wilmer Valderrama, who played Fez, finished the second annual lightsaber relay event, which began this year in Marin, California. The event, which raised $100,000 last year for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, is only expected to keep getting bigger.

A special shout-out to Jason Tam, Cindy Wang, Katie Wang, and Bobby George, the Houston Crew, who helped a fellow fan out when his phone died, thus gaining them additional photo credit and eternal gratitude.