Cosplay is saving lives by working with ARUP’s yearly blood drive. They work in tandem with Utah’s highly popular convention FanX to bring people in to donate blood. The drive is being held at the Sandy Donor Center 9786 South 500 West, June 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

When people come down to donate blood they can be entered into a raffle to win various prizes donated from FanX, such as a three-day pass to the convention. Plus, to make it more fun and in the spirit of cosplay, The Causeplay Hall of Fame cosplayers are going to be there in various cosplays portraying villains and heroes. When people donate blood they can decide which team they are on to donate blood to. The Villains or The Heroes. And whoever gets the most donations at the end of the event “wins.” But technically everyone wins. Those who need the blood, those who donate, and the cosplayers. And if people come dressed in cosplay to donate blood, they get an extra entry in the FanX raffle.

Some of the cosplayers that will be there from the FanX Causeplay Hall of Fame include Marial Clark and Eric Allen Hall, Robbie Damewood, Travis Hysell, and Shandra Mutchie. The ARUP Blood Drive partnering with FanX was Clark’s idea and she helped make it happen.

“I have been doing charity cosplay work here in Utah for almost a decade now,” she said. “Many of the events that I’ve volunteered at have been fundraisers or celebrations for children with terminal or life-altering illnesses. Many of them need regular blood transfusions as part of their treatments, and since I’m a universal donor (O-), a blood drive was an obvious way to help. Once I had the idea in my head, I called ARUP and they were delighted to help me get a FanX blood drive going.” 

The blood drive is through ARUP, so all the blood donated stays here in Utah, said Clark. “ARUP supplies all the blood for Primary Children’s Hospital, so the donations they receive are used, amongst other things, to help children undergoing cancer treatments, premie babies, and children receiving an organ transplant surgery.”

This is not the only time Clark has done the blood drive nor helped out with charity involving cosplay. 

“This will be the third time I’ve hosted a blood drive with ARUP,” she said. “Each time has been an amazing experience. Everyone at ARUP is amazing, and the phlebotomists are marvelous at tapping veins quickly and comfortably. I think my favorite part is seeing the ARUP employee’s faces when fully costumed cosplayers walk through the door ready to donate blood. We’ve had Darth Vader, Pirate King Emma Swann, and everything in between. Last year Eric Hall came dressed as Dracula, and made everyone’s day.” 

The hardest part is honestly getting enough donors, said Clark. “Every donation is priceless, but regular hospitals here in Utah need more blood than they have in their banks. The more people that come donate at a blood drive, the more lives we can save. And donating only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish, so it’s a quick and easy way to be a hero.”