The Force Is Strong With Colorado Springs, But They Still Need Our Help!

You know.....for a bunch of Imperials, the 501st is all heart!

When Rob Fountain & Jason Aguilar of the Colorado Springs Rotary Prime approached them about helping out with a special event, they all agreed to to chip in!

That special event was a fund raising event for 6 year old Benjamin Blazis. Benjamin suffers from a rare genetic disorder that has stumped every doctor and specialist that has seen him. It all started when he was 9 months old. His parents, Joyce & Eddie Blazis, noticed something was wrong with him and took him to see a doctor. An ophthalmologist told them that Benjamin was having constant seizures. Since then a variety of other symptoms have also begun.

Benjamin with his mom & dad amid countless other supporters

Benjamin now takes several types of medication, eats through a feeding tube connected to his stomach, and has an implant that stimulates his nerves to help prevent seizures. Doctors have stated that while they are still uncertain of what this medical condition is, they do know that it's progression will eventually leave Benjamin paralyzed and in a wheelchair. The funds collected will used to renovate the Blazis family home to accommodate their son's current and future needs.

Rob Fountain & Jason Aguilar set up the entire event at Johnny Martin's Car Central where members of the 501st greeted and entertained the charity attendees. Their hope was to raise at least $5000 for the needed home renovations.

Benjamin high-fiving a Shadow trooper who came out to support him

The collections were by way of $20 donations, a silent auction of Star Wars memorabilia,and a GoFundMe page. Since the GoFundMe page was set up on 16 days ago, a mere $700 of the $5,000 goal has been collected.

As a star wars fan and a parent myself, I appeal to you to please forward this article to as many people as you can in the hopes of helping Rob & Jason reach the $5,000 goal to help the Blazis family!

You can also share it all over Facebook directly from our Facebook page!

Source: The Gazette, Rotary Prime, GoFundMe

501st Garrison Commander's Star Wars Collection On Display

Meet Omar Al Bahiti. He's a Marketing Exec for Honeywell's Dubai office. Omar is just like any other person working a corporate job. He has a modest home in a modest part of Dubai
(I know, hard to believe Dubai has a modest neighborhood amid it's grandiose opulence) and just like many of us, he enjoys weekend BBQ's with family and friends.

He's also a huge Star Wars fan and the Garrison Commander of the UAE Outpost of the 501st.

Omar started his collection like many other fans. He started buying when he was a kid. Whenever his family would go on vacation, he would look for any Star Wars merchandise he could get his hand on, be it toys, collectibles, clothes...anything.

From those humble beginnings came the birth of a collection that is now rumored to be the the largest private collection outside of the United States and Europe, with a conservative estimate of about $300,000 in value...and for the second time, part of his collection will be on Display, along with other collections at the Dubai Mall.

Why, you ask? Simple. See, unlike the rest of the world that has multiple local, regional, and international conventions year round, the middle east only has one annual gathering called "The Middle East Film & Comic Con" (MEFCC). This is their equivalent of the San Diego International Comic Con. MEFCC is displaying Omar's, as well as other collections just ahead of this year's April 9th to 11th event at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Omar's contribution to the display will include 10 helmets and 6 lightsabers. The helmets will show the evolution of troopers from the Clone Wars, through Episode III and to the Stormtroopers we first saw in Episode IV. The lightsabers are from the Master Replicas line, which include Anakin, Luke, Yoda and Darth Vader's sabers among the 6 on display.

Check out the images of just a handful of Omar's collection below (Click to Enlarge) & feel free to share some of your favorite pieces from your own collection with us on our Facebook page.

Source: TheNational.ae