Phoenix Suns ~vs~ Houston Rockets

A Sun’s Game. A pretty normal occurance. But not when Star Wars takes center court. The Sun’s wanted Star Wars, LFL called and the DSG responded, as well as the Rebel Legion and the R2 Builders Club. En force!

Sunday, April 11^th, 2010 the fan’s of the Sun’s and Star Wars alike were treated to not only a great game but also to their favorite characters from all six of the Star Wars Films.

Clones, Stormtroopers, Biker Scouts. Rebel and Imperial Pilots, Darth Maul, Boba and Jango Fett, Princess Leia (during her unfortunate stint as Jabba the Hutt’s slavegirl), R2D2 and of course Darth Vader all came out to thrill their fans.

Pregame, the house lights darkened, and the floor was flanked on either side as the troops marched to face off, center court. The crowd cheered and cameras flashed as Lord Vader held up his Light Saber and escorted his group away.

There were several other appearances of various troopers all around the stadium from before the pregame showdown up until halftime, when the crowds were again treated to up close and personal experiences with their favorite characters.

All in all it was a great success. The Suns, of course, blasted the Rockets right back to Houston and everyone enjoyed seeing the Star Wars Galaxy in their very own front yard.

Here is a link directly to the NBA.com site showing some highlights of the evening, and this shows many still shots, again from the NBA website.

A HUGE Thank You to all who came out to support a great cause, as a portion of every ticket sold went directly to The Suns Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) that supports various children’s charities’, and once again enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow troopers.

By: Will Rogers (TK-2855)

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

The students at the University of Advancing Technology warmed up pretty quickly to the combined forces of the local Mos Eisley Base and Dune Sea Garrison arriving at their Summertime Charity Fundraiser. The school’s Star Wars Alliance Club hosted a week’s worth of fundraising events to support the MMC Children’s Center through Child’s Play. This organization provides children in hospitals with video games that kids can check out from the hospital to enjoy during their stay. As passionate technology students and community members, the Star Wars Alliance Club participated in a number of charitable activities throughout the week including a lunch, raffle, and blood drive. One of the final events of the week was on Friday July 17^th, featuring pictures with Star Wars characters from both the Light and Dark side.

Students and characters alike took pictures in front of a green screen to be edited later to include Star Wars themed backgrounds. Some included action scenes while others were just for fun. After the pictures, students were able to chat one on one with the costumers about their hobby and learn about a new way to expand on their Star Wars enthusiasm. Hopefully we will be seeing a number of new recruits coming from UAT shortly! As the night continued, the raffle winners were decided (one of the prizes included was a Light saber Master FX construction kit), and the winners of the art contest were revealed. Also, some members participated in a Nerf War resulting in a Rebel vs. Imperial battle on the UAT campus including foam darts and a lot of laughs. Some members were inclined to stay out of the dart action after having experienced enough similar action at Trooper Training Camp earlier this year at Phoenix Cactus Comicon.

Thank you to the Star Wars Alliance Club crew for inviting us to this terrific event! From R2 to Darth Vader, we’re looking forward to dropping by again and it was a terrific time at the University. Keep up the good work and supporting the community, thanks again! For more information about Child’s Play, please visit their website at http://www.childsplaycharity.org.

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

On May 22nd around 2pm, the Dune Sea Garrison was able to visit Phoenix Children’s Hospital to greet patients and visitors. This is not the first time that troopers have stopped by bearing gifts and well wishes for the children. For years the DSG has had a terrific relationship with PCH allowing us to stop in, shake hands, take pictures, and interact with friends and family. Toy drives like the annual Toy Anxiety in December allow the garrison to not only lift spirits with our presence but also supplies us with predominantly Star Wars toys to hand out.This particular mission had troopers moving around the entire hospital. There was a strong toy and trooper presence maintained in the lobby throughout the afternoon. Darth Vader himself managed to make it to upstairs to a few patients and even over to the dialysis area. By the end of the day, troopers had seen several angles of the hospital. Special thanks go out to the troopers who took the time out of their regular work schedules to make this visit. Also, thank you to the Child Life Council specialists that make these important community outreach visits possible; we appreciate the time you allow us to spread some joy to more Star Wars fans’ lives.

The Garrison is looking forward to our next PCH visit in July, along with many more hospital visits to come across the state. Please check out our event calendar for all of our upcoming visits or fill out an event requestto let us know if we can help in your area!

By: Mark Teifert (TK- 8748)

We, The 501st Dune Sea Garrison, participated in the MS Walk once again this year to resounding success. Our garrison raised over $2700 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society through direct contributions from our workplaces, friends, and families allowing us to march to the finish line with pride in our accomplishment. This was the eighth year in a row that the Dune Sea Garrison participated in this event. We were greeted by an amazing group of event staff and made to feel like celebrities. We also were given the privilege of walking with two other amazing costuming groups the Rebel Legion (our sister organization) and the Arizona Gostbusters.

Both teams did an outstanding job of raising funds to help fight multiple sclerosis and work towards a cure. We felt exhilarated to be able to work with these great people.The walk itself was shortened this year to 5 miles through the beautiful Phoenix Zoo and Desert Botanical Garden. There were dozens of teams and thousands of people participating and the walk was a resounding success. There were manned tables set up for food and water along the route to keep all those people going. The start/finish line was complete with a band, booths from local restaurants, and some press to help spread the word across the globe that we and many others will continue to work for the day that multiple sclerosis will be wiped off our planet and the galaxy beyond.

By: Tristan Moriuchi (TK-9285)

On Sunday, November 2, 2008, the Dune Sea Garrison saluted the walkers of Walk Now for Autism as they started their journey around Tempe Town Lake. This is the second year that the garrison has been invited to this event and costumed members were out in full force. Troopers were available for pictures, shaking hands, and accepting high fives and shaking hands to encourage walkers after months of fundraising.Research to aid in the treatment of Autism is one of many important programs that the DSG supports including Multiple Sclerosis, Juvenile Diabetes, and local Children’s Hospitals. Autism is estimated to affect up to six children per 1,000. While no monetary donations were made on behalf of the Garrison due to emphasis on the Multiple Sclerosis walk, members continue to show support of those who do make contributions resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars every year towards this condition.For more information or to make a donation on behalf of Autism Speaks, visit the following links!

Autism Speaks Official Website