A tax-deductible contribution for…droid building? Sounds a little crazy, right?
Stop a second to think about it. A droid to some may just be a movie prop. But to the right person, it might be a far more powerful motivation. There is no comparison between building a droid and fighting for life when you have cancer or any other serious illness. But for those people engaged in the fight of their life, goals become extremely important. Sometimes they willingly surrender long range goals for short term plans. Get to the next birthday. Get to the next holiday. Make it to the family reunion.
In our inaugural case, it was a young lady named Ceel fighting for her life in Belgium. She asked Make-A-Wish for a droid. She didn’t want a trip to Disneyland, or a flight to New York City, or a cruise to the Bahamas. This courageous Star Wars fan wanted her own droid sitting in her own house where she could see and touch the magic of the film saga she loved. And when we agreed to do it, she knew it was under way. It mattered to her that someone, somewhere, not only took up this movie prop dream but that they were enthusiastically racing to get it done in hopes of seeing her get better. It mattered to her that the love of strangers was focused on her wish. It mattered, and because it did, that droid mattered.
In the end, Ceel lost the battle with cancer but won our hearts forever, and for that reason, her droid now sits in her family’s home as a legacy of what dreams can become. She never got to see it before she was gone. Our victory in building was our loss in wish fulfillment. We vowed: Never again. There would not be another battle lost before we made a droid wish come true. We are looking ahead and completing droids to the paint stage so that wishes can be made real. Ceel’s droid in Belgium is being upgraded to help with fund raising locally.
And more than we ever hoped, we had people ask how they can help. Not everyone has the same skill set. We honor contributions both large and small – builders have given time, talent, materials and money. We obtained 501c3 non-profit status in order to make monetary contributions rewarding for everyone. If you care about this mission and feel moved by Ceel’s story, or if perhaps you know of another wish that DroidBuilders might assist, please consider supporting our cause in some small way. Know that each contribution is fully committed to materials and donated droids, never to management or overhead.
Thank you for supporting our cause, and may the Force be with you. Always.